The competition for coffee drinkers in Central Oregon may be fierce, but Backporch Coffee Roasters came out on top, according to voters. Backporch Coffee Roasters swept all three coffee categories, taking first place for Where to GO! for a latte, a mocha or a strong cup of black coffee.

Backporch has three stores in Bend, including locations on Century Drive and Newport and Greenwood avenues, with an eye on more growth in 2018, according to owner Dave Beach.

“When it started off, I wasn’t thinking too far forward,” Beach said. “I just like roasting coffee, and here we are 12 years later. It’s great. I love it.”

“With three locations, it has to be the same latte across town,” Beach said. “Our espresso is a directly purchased, custom blended espresso. It’s something we’ve put a lot of work into. The base is a great coffee. We do a ton of training for our staff. We don’t let them touch the machines for months.”

The high rating of Backporch’s mochas might be explained by its choice of chocolate: “We don’t go shy on chocolate, basically, and it’s good chocolate,” Beach said. “We use the Holy Kakow chocolate. It’s my favorite mocha in town, personally. Holy Kakow is out of Portland. It’s an organic chocolate company, and we use all their syrups.”

Backporch’s potent black coffee is a drip coffee from an extractor brewer, Beach said. “It’s a fantastic, consistent brewer. We used to French press, but as coffees became more pronounced and distinguished, filtered coffees are a little cleaner than the French press, and you can pick up on some better notes through a paper filter.”

Contact: 70 SW Century Drive, Suite 130, 541-323-3224; 1052 NW Newport Ave., Suite 103, 541-617-3984); 706 NE Greenwood Ave., Suite 140, 541-678-5458

Latte

No. 2: Thump Coffee

No. 3: Dutch Bros.

Honorable mentions: Lone Pine Coffee Roasters and Bellatazza

Mocha

No. 2: Thump Coffee

No. 3: Dutch Bros.

Honorable mentions: Bellatazza and Starbucks

Black coffee

No. 2: Strictly Organic

No. 3: Thump Coffee

Honorable mentions:Lone Pine Coffee Roasters and Bellatazza