If there were a poll for Oregon’s beverage of choice, we might see a three-way tie between beer, wine, and coffee. Picking a winner from that trifecta feels nearly impossible—but coffee might be the most widely (and legally easiest) option fueling the state day in and day out.
Portland may be the king of local roasters, but Oregonians from coast to high desert are powered by great beans. We’ll always recommend supporting your neighborhood spot, but it’s also fun to branch out and try something new—maybe even from places you’ve never heard of before. Here are a few to consider.
Dekáf
I enjoy coffee for the little boost it gives me in the morning. But these days, anything caffeinated after about noon tends to sabotage my sleep. The challenge is that I still want the ritual and the flavor later in the day—just not the side effects. Too often, decaf feels like a compromise.
Dekáf was built around a simple idea: people who choose to skip caffeine shouldn’t have to skip quality. Rather than treating decaffeinated coffee as an afterthought, they focus exclusively on it. The company offers 15 curated small-batch options and roasts specifically with decaf beans in mind, rather than applying the same profile used for traditional coffee.
Part of the reason decaf gets a bad reputation is that it’s frequently made with lower-grade beans or older inventory. Dekáf aims to counter that by sourcing higher-quality beans and tailoring the roasting process to preserve flavor after decaffeination.
The result is a lineup that tastes intentional rather than secondary. My afternoons have never tasted so good, and my sleep schedule is grateful.
Chike Protein Coffee
Coffee and breakfast just make sense together. There’s something about a cup alongside toast or a couple of poached eggs that settles into the morning rhythm. On its own, though, coffee can sometimes feel like it’s delivering caffeine without much staying power.
Chike takes a different approach. Instead of being just a low-calorie caffeine delivery system, their blends combine coffee with a substantial dose of protein, turning it into more of a smoothie-style drink—something that can work as breakfast fuel or even a lighter meal replacement. It’s aimed at people who want the energy of coffee but with a bit more substance behind it.
There’s a wide range of flavor options, which keeps things interesting beyond a standard mocha profile. The sampler pack is a smart entry point, letting you figure out what actually fits your taste before committing to a full bag.
In testing, it mixed well in a shaker bottle—convenient for busy mornings—but it really shines in a blender with ice. Blend it up and it leans closer to a dessert-like shake than a traditional cup of coffee. For runners juggling early alarms and tight schedules, it’s a practical way to combine caffeine and protein in one step.
Four Sigmatic
Mushrooms are having a moment. Outside of spotting them on a wet Oregon trail, my personal experience with fungi has been fairly limited. And while we’ve covered plenty of beer, wine, and spirits here at Run Oregon, diving headfirst into mushroom powders felt like something worth easing into. Coffee from Four Sigmatic seemed like a reasonable starting point.
Four Sigmatic is widely considered the original mushroom coffee brand, blending organic coffee with functional mushrooms designed to support focus, calm, and overall wellness. Their lineup includes traditional coffee blends, coffee alternatives, and supplements. We tried the Focus blend, which combines organic coffee with lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms.
The idea isn’t just to deliver a jolt of caffeine and call it good. Instead, the mushrooms are intended to complement the caffeine—supporting mental clarity, concentration, and steadier energy. For runners, that’s an appealing angle. Whether it’s dialing in focus before a long run or staying sharp through a long workday after morning miles, sustained energy is always welcome.
I haven’t been using it long enough to make sweeping claims, but early impressions lean positive. The energy feels a bit more even rather than spiky—less about blasting through the morning and more about moving steadily through it. For those curious about functional mushrooms but not quite ready to go full forager, this feels like an accessible entry point.