[4] Lonely Planet describes the coffee shop as "a swanky downtown outlet with shiny high-end espresso machines, owned by long-time indie roasters".

[5] In her Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon, Rachel Dresbeck said Public Domain has "beautifully roasted single-origin varieties and a state-of-the-art Slayer espresso".

[13][14][15] In March 2021, Molly J. Smith of Eater Portland wrote, "Public Domain Coffee downtown appears permanently closed with boarded-up windows, but its Facebook page has been advertising subscriptions as recently as February 2020 and Google lists the closure as temporary.

[17] In 2010, Hanna Neuschwander of Willamette Week said Public Domain was "exactly what you'd expect of a carefully, but cautiously designed corporate coffeehouse for high-quality coffee".

Though only about 5 percent of CBI's coffee meets the highest standard of quality, the green buying team spends up to half its time finding and perfecting these gems, which are sold at Public Domain.