Portland’s coffee crowd is about to get a serious case of déjà brew on Southeast Belmont. Duane Sorenson, the founder of Stumptown Coffee Roasters, is returning to the corner many locals still link with the city’s third‑wave coffee beginnings. The longtime Stumptown storefront at 3356 S.E. Belmont, which closed earlier this year, is set to reopen in July as a new Puff Coffee cafe.
The comeback was first detailed by OregonLive, which reported that Puff plans to make the Belmont spot its second Portland cafe. In a statement to the outlet, Sorenson said he was “excited to be making coffee for the neighborhood again.” Reporter Michael Russell published the piece on May 18, 2026.
Belmont's coffee legacy
Long before Portland coffee was an exportable lifestyle, the Belmont shop was one of Stumptown’s early neighborhood outposts following the company’s late‑1990s launch. It grew into a Sunnyside fixture, the sort of place that helped define what a “Portland coffee shop” looked and felt like for a generation of regulars.
Stumptown’s own website still lists the Belmont cafe among its Portland locations, a reminder of the brand’s roots even as its corporate footprint has grown. Earlier this year, local coverage noted that the company planned to close the Belmont location at the end of February, citing the need for costly updates to the space. Eater Portland documented the shutdown and the company’s explanation for walking away from the corner, at least temporarily.
Puff's neighborhood resume
After his Stumptown tenure, Sorenson launched Puff as a smaller, independent roasting project, positioning it as something closer to a micro label than a coffee empire. Puff opened a compact cafe on S.E. Stark as its first brick‑and‑mortar presence in Portland, trading in a tighter footprint and a roastery‑first vibe instead of a sprawling flagship.
According to Puff Coffee, the brand focuses on single‑origin micro‑lots and small‑batch roasting, with an intentionally more relaxed, less button‑down style of service. Local reviewers have echoed that description, noting the stripped‑back, coffee‑centric setup at the Stark counter and listing its address as 2816 S.E. Stark Street. The Infatuation highlights the Stark shop’s roastery‑forward feel and its keep‑it‑simple menu.
Big coffee, local consequences
The Belmont reboot is landing in the middle of a much bigger shift in the coffee world. JDE Peet’s, the parent company of both Peet’s Coffee and Stumptown, was acquired this year by Keurig Dr Pepper as part of a major transaction and corporate reorganization. Keurig Dr Pepper has outlined the deal and sketched out expected changes to coffee operations under the new structure.
Closer to home, industry and local coverage have pointed to a wave of Peet’s‑related location changes as the company reshuffled assets and storefront footprints in several markets earlier this year. In Portland, Eater Portland tracked those adjustments, which landed on the ground as a string of closures, openings and rebrands that regulars had to sort out in real time.
What to expect at Belmont
If Puff’s stated philosophy is any guide, Belmont is more likely to get a focused, roastery‑forward shop than a carbon copy of the old Stumptown cafe. Puff’s website leans hard on single‑origin micro‑lots and small‑batch roasting, with a service style that keeps the spotlight on the beans rather than elaborate theatrics behind the bar.
Neighborhood pop‑ups and early writeups suggest Puff has been quietly building a following from its Stark base while feeling out demand for a second location. Local food blogs have already clocked the brand’s presence in the broader area as it prepares for a fuller summer debut. Bridgetown Bites recently covered a Puff‑adjacent pop‑up, a small sign that Belmont’s coffee comeback has been brewing in the background for a while.
Whether the new cafe reads as a nostalgia trip or a low‑key reboot, Sorenson’s return brings a founding figure back to a corner that helped define Portland’s modern coffee identity. Puff’s second cafe at 3356 S.E. Belmont is expected to open in July, and Puff Coffee is expected to carry updates as the exact opening date firms up.
