Tandem Coffee Roasters

Great coffee! We got the Stoker dark roast and the flavor is exactly as described. We’re not from Portland so we’ll be ordering more online. Online order delivered quickly. Looking forward to trying all the flavors in the sample pack.

Five stars all around. Iced lattes were great. The quiche was excellent with the best crust I’ve had in a while. Service was extraordinary, maybe best so far is 2025. Lovely ambiance even thought it was quite crowded, just like every place in Portland now.

While visiting Portland, ME, my husband and I had an immaculate experience at Tandem Coffee. From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel incredibly welcome—like we were visiting family. The coffee was amazing, and the pastries were just as impressive. The warm, friendly atmosphere made it a true highlight of our trip. Highly recommend if you're in town!

great vibe and excellent coffee. barista remembered us on our 2nd visit. we tried several different drinks over our 3 visits and none disappointed!

I have been trying to get to Portland for some time now, and finally we did it this past weekend. I have been mail ordering Tandem coffee for a few years, and their mug is 1 of my favorites in the cabinet. The place was solid, service was friendly, almost everything was very solid here. But the star of the show is always going to be the pour-over and I have to say that all in all, it just wasn't that great. First off, they use a machine to make it which, to me, defeats the whole point of doing it in this style. Having done this for many, many years, the whole journey of coffee exploration is the variability of the cup. When it's not working, you change something about the pour or the preparation. I would not expect 99% of the shops out there to understand that. But I would expect Tandem to believe something like that. If the cup had been amazing, it might be a different discussion. But the cup was way too thin, really a bit on the weak side. While it was "fine" in the great world of coffee, it wasn't anything special in the speciality roasting world. The scone was excellent. The service was super friendly and talkative. The vibe was cool. The coffee, however, was a disappointment. After all these years I get there and was a little bit let down. All that said, I would certainly go back if I were in town. I am sure I will be some day, but when that will be, I can't say. I will also mail order again since I know they do good beans. But I will leave with this first memory of being a bit disappointed in the thing that should be their flagship product. Maybe next time.

This review is specific to coffee I ordered online. Ordered two different types and they both hit the mark perfectly. I brewed these for espresso and the flavor profiles were exactly as described. Came with a nice note and a sticker as well which were a nice touch. Will look to order more from here in the future.

Superb coffee! (Capuccino) delicious quiche. Loved it here. Recommended

BEST coffee shop I have been to. Tandem was recommended by a friend and was absolute perfection (& extremely affordable). We enjoyed the jalapeño cheddar biscuit, quiche, a maple latte, & cold brew. The cold brew especially stood out to us as being the best we’ve ever tasted. They have an amazing atmosphere with records playing and you can even purchase records! The staff were friendly, attentive, and warm. We will be recommending Tandem to anyone we know visiting Portland!

Confession: I just can't deal with the traffic, parking, and line-up at the big Tandem on Congress Street (though of course I'm happy for their well-deserved success). So when I discovered this smaller outpost in East Bayside, I was delighted! It can get busy here too, but it's altogether mellower, feels super local, and it's easier to grab a parking spot somewhere on Anderson Street. Their coffee--as always--is delicious; I'm a pretty faithful latte girl, but they do great pour-over specials too if that's your thing. You also sometimes get the yummy wafting scent from the roastery here. And, there's a selection of Tandem's famous baked goods: if you haven't had one of their cheddar jalapeño biscuits yet, I'm sorry but you have not officially fully experienced this city. They are absolutely delicious. It's also such a pleasant space because of the amazing and super friendly staff. Seriously, they make you feel like a regular from the very first time you go there. And they all seem fully invested in what they do; you're never going to get a latte that's anything less than gorgeous as well as tasty. Also, someone there is a genius with plants! They're hanging and draping from just about every surface in the place, which only makes it nicer to be there. You'll find seating both inside and out. Finally, there's also merch! Not only do they sell their coffee in 1 lb bags--they have little packets of single-shot instant coffees in several varieties (including decaf that raises the bar). These are great not only for gifts but just to bring along when you're on the road and want to be sure you'll have a good cup of Joe. Thanks, Tandem! You're part of what makes Portland the best.

I tried the malt iced coffee yesterday and it was slightly sweet and I enjoyed it. I would get it again but also I would try other things first to see if I like it more. This location was nice, I just took my coffee to go but there were lots of seating options. Service was fast and friendly, next time I'm in Portland I would come back here.

Delicious baked goods. Lovely patio outside to sit. Definitely a nice and friendly place.

I really lucked out having an AiBnB close to Tandem during a weekend trip to Portland! It was the perfect spot to start my mornings. The staff was really wonderful, the vibes were good, and the coffee was great. The quiche was delicious and had a unique fluffy texture. The chocolate chip cookies were out of this world!

Cool little coffee spot. This is just the type of place I look for when traveling on business. They have some indoor seating along with two benches outside. Jazzy tunes all around. Friendly service. Competitive pricing. Only a few minor negatives. They only offer regular white sugar, I like it when there's raw sugar, agave, and honey among other options. It's an easy fix and should go without saying, but some coffee shops didn't get the memo apparently. The coffee or in my case my cappuccino was good. I enjoyed it. My only complain was that it was lukewarm, one thing I can't stand is warm coffee. They were kind enough to remake it for me. Again, good quality coffee that I would grab while on the go. They also offer pastries as well, though I can't say much about the taste since I didn't try any, the pastries looked appealing. Overall four stars. Worth checking out.

We spent a long weekend in Portland and despite wanting to love it, were heading back home a little underwhelmed. We decided to stop at one more place on the way out, and the wildly sweet and welcoming staff may have redeemed the entire city for us. The lattes and hot chocolates were perfect, and the food was delicious, especially the jalapeño biscuit, we all fought over who would finish it. Also, the amazing natural light apparently inspired my 8 year old, who prior to this morning had no interest in photography. Yet for a few minutes at Tandem he became a food blogger, repeatedly rearranging things to get all the right shots

We loved Tandem Coffee - and it seems like the rest of Portland does as well, because the line was out the door! We waited probably 40 minutes, but it was totally worth it. The breakfast sandwiches were hot and delicious, and the pastries were excellent. We especially loved the cookies, and kicked ourselves for not getting the cinnamon bun. The coffee was also great. A tip to other customers - order ahead online for pickup to avoid the lines. You might not be able to get everything from the pastry case, but it will save you lots of time!

A fantastic place for coffee and baked goods. Ben taking orders at the bar was kind and very welcoming, giving tasty recommendations and just enjoying the small talk with customers. This was our first stop on our day trip to Portland and it did not disappoint.

Tandem serves some of the best coffee I've tasted. We were visiting Portland and stopped by the 122 Anderson location. We were greeted by the baristas who were extremely friendly and provided great recommendations for the area. We tried a classic latte, maple latte, and their pour over coffee, which was smooth and bold. Highly recommend a pit stop here, either to enjoy the ambience of the little shop or just grab a coffee to go!

Tandem coffee has two locations in Portland, Maine. One is located in a previously renovated gas station, whereas the other location is closer to the brewery district. I love their coffee so much, I stopped here twice during my trip. I ordered a hot honey oat latte and couldn't get enough of it! My husband also enjoyed his hot chocolate. Anything you order would be great!

I love their jalapeño cheddar biscuits so I had to come here to review! Yeah, they're $4 each, but they're huge and actually soft rather than just crumbly! Pro tip, depending on what you're ordering, order online. There were 15-20 people ahead of me in line and I just wanted 3 biscuits, so I literally ordered online while in line, immediately walked over, got my biscuits and left. I'm sure it's different if you did that with something that involves cooking time. Saved me a solid 20-30+ minutes!

My coffee was good and the cheesy biscuit was an absolute eggy, creamy delight! It was a busy Saturday morning but the friendly, efficient staff made the line zip right along. I really like that they are trying to support sustainable practices by actively encouraging customers to use reusable cups.

Coffee was great! Would highly recommend the latte. Ambiance was definitely not cozy coffee shop vibes. Techno music playing in the background with very limited seating.

A great coffee shop with awesome service. Our iced maple lattes with oat milk were delicious. A cool, laid-back spot that is a nice place to start the day with high-quality coffee.

Amazing decaf coffee first tasted at Rover Bagels in Biddeford. Circling back. Amazing decaf coffee. Can't vary in flavor if you brew the instant! Delicious blueberry lemon scones. Pillow soft inside slightly crusty on outside. A flavor that can't be beat! Unfortunately the line does take sone time but they offer order ahead. Efficient service.

So delicious. Everything! But especially the sausage and egg biscuit. Every time I'm in Portland, I'll be here for breakfast first thing!

I came across this Tandem Coffee on a whim, as I had passed it numerous times, but I never knew it was a Tandem coffee establishment. The minute I realized what it was, I was eager to scope it out! On a Saturday morning, I decided to stop in to this Tandem location, and I am so glad that I did. The minute you walk in, there are various modern fixtures against a white backdrop. There is not a whole lot of seating, however, it makes for the perfect place to do work on just drink your coffee in peace. In my opinion, I much prefer this location compared to it's sister location on Congress, due to it's quaintness. As always, this location serves strong, well-made coffee. My go to is always the iced coffee with their homemade almond milk. If you love Tandem, or if you love strong coffee in general in a quiet space, this is your place.

A friend was visiting from out of town and after 4 days of eating all over town, she requested a cup of Tandem coffee and a loaded biscuit before getting on a plane south. We drove by the larger bakery Tandem on Congress street and there was a long line curving out the door. Pressed for time, I suggested "little Tandem". I had never been there before, but knew they had coffee, which at the very least, was better than nothing! So, we head over to Anderson Street and enter the super cute brick block building that is little Tandem. There is a small seating area to the right, a couple is sitting there, the woman is knitting and shows absolutely no sign of moving. We walk into the main space. There are no loaded biscuits, but there are a few cheddar jalapeno and some cookies. More importantly, there is coffee. Coffee made with far more of a personal touch than at the larger Tandem. In this very cosy space, there is a barista, who seems to be functioning as a kind of a bartender. Greeting the regulars and newcomers as they come in and keeping the conversation going as she makes individual pour-over cups of coffee. As I watched the scene unfold, I thought it the perfect spot to meet people if you were new in town and didn't like the bar scene. We were on a bit of a schedule, so we did not stay. If we had more time though and had stayed, it would have been to have joined the group conversation. This is NOT a place to plug in your laptop and get some work done. If you're looking for that, you can find it one block over!

I really liked Tandem Coffee Roasters. They're a great neighborhood coffee shop and roastery. It's such a Portland sort of place. Came here twice on my weekend trip. I had a pour over of the Astrid Medina, which was delicious. It was really smooth with all the best qualities of the coffee brought out and none of the acidity. With the coffee, I had the jalapeno cheese biscuit. It was great, but probably not the best thing to be eating along with my nuanced perfectly made coffee. In any case, I still really enjoyed the biscuit. It was soft and fluffy without being dry. And the flavor of the cheese and jalapeno was really nice. It had just the right amount of spice to it. I came back to get a latte with almond milk and it was also great. The almond milk they use (I think they make it in-house) complemented the coffee well. It's also interesting that they recently dropped all the prices by $0.25 and charge you $0.25 if you need a single use cup. If you bring your own cup/tumbler or stay and drink the coffee out of a real cup, there is no cost and you just saved $0.25 off the old prices. If you need the coffee to go and you didn't bring your own cup, it'll cost you $0.25. If I lived in Portland, I'd be here five days a week.

I really miss traveling around and popping in cafés and coffee roasters while road tripping- I've been in person twice on separate trips to Maine and their coffee never disappoints. So while I'm mostly utilizing my own kitchen as a café I thought I'd order some from Tandem! I placed the order on 02/14, they roasted the beans 02/15, and I have them now on 02/18. Absolutely amazing shipping/delivery time- and with a handwritten thank you card and sticker! I broke into the Time & Temperature bag first, and it's fantastic. Until I can get up there again, I'll be ordering again for sure!

Amazing pastries and great coffee. We always make a point to visit when we are in town and often take coffee home too!

A local coffee spot with decent seating. Not much of a menu, but nice customer service, solid coffee options, and wifi. A no frills place to have a quick meeting or grab some coffee on the go.

Coffee perfection! We LOVE Tandem..can I scream it out loud? The barista's are amazing. The coffee, WOW and the treaty treats, so sweet, so good. LOVE this place too much.

"That's really good coffee." "That's seriously good coffee." Yeah, I think Tandem ruined all other coffee for my caffeinated buds. We were just about to depart for Bar Harbor with a planned stop at Portland the very next morning when I happened upon Bon Appétit's The 50 Nominees for America's Best New Restaurants 2015 List. The closer of Tandem's two location won out as the more convenient, and we found it to be located on a small side street that was rough from being under construction. It was a small spot, yet the larger portion of its footprint was basically what is normally behind the scenes, while the coffee counter was set further in. Their tiny bar was full with three seated customers watching as their coffees were dripped before their eyes. The pastry offering was but two types. Alemu $3 (Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia; honey, apricot, citrus) was ground and dripped before our very eyes and had a lovely roasted flavor. Mocha $5 (Mast Brothers Belize Dark Chocolate) was delicious, but the cup was more than my friend could handle despite its seemingly small size. With a single barista handling each step of the process, patience is key, but quite worth your while!

No frills coffee house where you can buy freshly roasted on the premises coffee beans but drink a delicious latte before rushing home to make your own brew. 'Nuff said, yes? When you order a fabulous beverage, you have simplified your life by just picking the item without concern for size. One size only works well for me. The staff is pretty cool, knowledgeable and most importantly, deliver the delicious beverages with precision. The location is somewhat far from the downtown area, but there is easy parking for bike or car. Cute seating outside at a picnic table 'neath a tree. Warning: if you come here just for a beverage, you will leave with beans because... It's just so cool that they roast 'em here!

Had a latte with almond milk and banana bread. It was really good. The latte was a little different with the almond milk but very tasty. It got to be a little gritty but considering the almond milk is made in house it's a must try. The banana bread was also very good. Not too try and had some poppy seeds or something on top. Not sure exactly. Went great with the coffee. I didn't get a cookie but they looked amazing. Wish I had gotten one. Overall great coffee, great decor just wish there were more food options but it could have been because of what time it was and the 4th of July.

Tandem has two coffee shop locations in Portland. The roaster is on Anderson Street in the northeast part of East End. The bakery is on Congress Street in West End. I went to the Anderson location since the roaster location for a coffee shop usually has the better baristas. It delivered. It had the best latte I drank in Portland. The drink was smooth throughout. The microfoam and the latte art was great. The shop has its own parking lot in the back. However, it is small and I accidentally drove into the bigger parking lot of another coffee shop, Coffee by Design. The Anderson Street location also closes a lot earlier than the Congress Street one: 2 PM on the weekdays, noon on Saturday, and closed on Sundays. If you are visiting and planning a trip to Portland and looking for recommendations, feel free to message me for my itinerary. You can also find the electronic copy through the link my profile.

Awesome coffee. Great staff. Really nice chocolate chip cookie with salt. Chill music and vibe and on a cool street in my favorite town. What's not to like?

This place is so cute! Came here not realizing they had a bakery location but was able to try their Black Sesame Banana Cake ($3.50) and Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuit ($3.25) which were both amazing. Although each was a different texture/consistency, neither was dry which is normally easy to miss. Also tried their almond milk latte and their almond milk is homemade, love it! Was excited to find out that Kinship in Astoria, NY serves their coffee so I'll have to check them out too.

Stayed in Portland two years ago and had a latte with their house made almond milk. Came up for the week and had an iced latte every day I could. Solid drink every time and staff is always friendly. Can't wait to visit again. Thanks for making Portland such a memorable place!

Special place. Coffee is excellent. Not average. Pastries really good. Quirky and cozy decor.

I always enjoy Tandems coffee, it's fresh and always great service! They have the most amazing baked goods! Their biscuits and homemade butter are AMAZING!

Good coffee and baked goods. Small menu. There is a small parking area which makes it more convenient. Modern design and minimalism style. It's unique and small. Overall I like the location and place. Unfortunately we found hair in food twice. First time they refunded and second time they gave us another sandwich. Heard that a friend of mine found hair in her food and gave her a hard time about it when she mentioned it. Overall a cute place and I was glad to try out but not as quick to returning!

What a gem... We were just driving through Maine and got tired of drinking coffee-flavored water from Starbunkin' D, so we resorted to our trusty Yelp and found Tandem Coffee Roasters, a local roaster in Portland, ME. The interior is a beautiful roaster/cafe and tried the Iced Malt Coffee and wow, such a refreshing drink! I like it even better the New Orlean's Ice Coffee from Blue Bottle. What makes it even better is having the owner/roaster, Kathleen telling us about her veteran years with Blue Bottle and how their La Marzocco in the house is actually the very first machine used at the garage in Hayes Valley for the very first Blue Bottle Coffee Store. How neat is that!? Thank you Kathleen for the story, the refreshing iced coffee and best of all, the deep love for the coffee craft!

This is a lovey place with great quality coffee. Tried their cappuccino (espresso blend is lovely), their pour over and their ice coffee and they are all excellent. Loving the atmosphere with the gorgeous plants by the windows. The bar area is very chill and people sit there and enjoy a chat with the friendly barista (who knows his stuff!) you can sit in the other area and chill, read a book or just relax. Those benches are a bit hard and not super comfortable but aside from that it's 5 stars all around! Glad we found this place.

Best coffee in Portland - easily... So good it comes back several hours later and lets you know it likes you (the after-taste). There are other very good coffee shops in P-town, this is the best one. Its pure business. You go there to get awesome, outstanding coffee then you go about your day. Pure business.

Would be nice if they were able to warm up bakery offerings, something as simple as a $60 microwave situated next to the cream/sugar station would work. Really cute place, delicious sticky buns, latte and cappuccino were good.

On a recent stroll around Back Cove and walking under Tukey's Bridge, I needed warming up on this breezy March morning. I steered myself to this vibrant coffee house that is positioned in the gritty yet up-and-coming East Bayside neighborhood. The vibe was enticing and the interior smaller than expected but filled with the big hearts of the staff. The menu is limited but satisfying and I chose a steaming cup of Los Arboles that was accompanied by a charming little square of leather. My companion enjoyed an espresso. Of course, I whipped out my other constant companion, my iPhone to document the experience and was quite satisfied with the results. At one point, I consulted the interwebs and the wifi connection name that popped up was "Gayle Waters-Waters" I immediately recognized the inside joke here which is a reference to the overachieving, power walking suburban housewife played by the genius Chris Fleming whose web series is in its 3rd season thanks to the generous support of Kickstarters. The mustachioed proprietor is indeed a huge fan and we instantly bonded over this discovery and traded quips from the videos. Yes, Gayle would be the first one to stop here after her power yoga class or 5th time around the Back Cove trail. Anything to trump her frienemy Bonnie.

Tandem Coffee Roasters has the best darned iced coffee I've had. I take it black, and I am continually wowed by the flavor and complexity of this simple drink. They don't do sizes, so you can just say, "An iced coffee, please," and that's what you get. An iced coffee. The best darned iced coffee you may ever have.

The coffee, the biscuit with jelly, and scones were all the best I have ever had. Tandem was well hyped to us long before we visited Portland, and all expectations were exceeded. What a home run.

Luke the friendly barista is the highlight at this coffee shop. He will give you his insights about the city and where to go, and make sure you're having the best day! I also had the scone which was really really tasty. Glad I stopped by!!

An ok Coffee Shop. The ex use to love it here. when we'd be up in Maine for the holidays. He was a coffee connoisseur or snob you pick. We often bought beans from here to bring home but it's quite bitter. What's good about Tandem? The old converted into coffee house is very kitschy n cute. They have a picnic table outside to sip your coffee and pastry in the summer. It's down the street from a much bigger coffee house that also makes pastries and sandwiches. So if Tandem ain't cutting it there's other options nearby. Tandem is right off the highway on a dirt side road. Not a pretty or scenic setting. They do have a large parking lot that they share with a Muslim mosque. They have a large clean bathroom. Problem is when the best thing about a business are the bathrooms, there might be an issue

FThe service is fantastic. The coffee is always hot. They change the type/flavor on a regular basis. The baked goods are prepared on site with great care. The biscuits are divine. I mean this sincerely, the biscuits hand been inspired from up above!

Delicious coffee, wonderful staff, can't go wrong :) These guys roast beans for a bunch of coffee shops up and down the East Coast - we kept running into them! Also - we heard from the barista that their roaster/owner(?) was trained at Blue Bottle (top notch coffee shop in San Francisco) so you know it's going to be good! Check them out!

Unbelievably good bakery. Always love their daily egg and cheese biscuit sandwiches for breakfast and amazing selection of baked goods. Cookies and pastries are all amazing and unique with great selection. Loaded biscuit with butter and jam is also a favorite. Great coffee and local vibe. I go whenever I can!

We will be back as it is super close to where we're staying in town and I look forward to trying some baked yummies but we simply tried Capps and they were pretty good. Really gorgeous!

Nice staff, excellent cappuccino (if you ask for a little less milk). Great pastries, too.

I rarely write reviews during a visit, but I feel compelled. So here goes. Tandem embodies what I consider to be an ideal cafe experience. They not only roast expertly, but also bake some of the best pastries I have had anywhere. Of course, they also nail espresso and pourovers. This location just has a different vibe than the bakery. It's smaller, not where you'd necessarily want to camp out, but seemingly less frenetic (very relaxing on a Friday morning at 9:30). Today I got a pourover, which at other places I might regret upon finding it's just a fresher version of whatever is pre-brewed, but in this instance it was a perfectly balanced Ethiopian; did not regret forgoing espresso. The scone--blackberry hazelnut--is superb (I consider myself a scone connoisseur and I was blown away--crispy outside, soft & moist inside).

World class coffee in an unassuming little industrial building. I've been to many specialty coffee shops, from LA to Seattle, and this Burundi could be very competitive indeed. Not over roasted and not overpriced (well, compared to LA). Now I know why my local friend and host comes here every day! Space is more functional industrial than cafe. Nice for an informal chat with friends, not great for a workspace or phone meeting.