I take my coffee hot, like the sun. It would scald most tongues.
I also take it decaf.
And if truth be told, my preferred cup is a whole lot of heavy whipping cream with just a splash of coffee.
But when I heard The Cup had Boulder’s first coffee on tap, completely cold brewed and dispensed with tiny little nitrogen bubbles, I had to try it.
It deserves the hype.
Chris and Wendy Ball, owners of The Cup, have owned their coffee shop for 10 years – 3 years in Superior and 7 years in their current Boulder location at 1521 Pearl St.
And when you step foot in their shop, with tables and chairs filled with people working, chatting, and eating freshly baked treats, you’re sure to see both of them in the mix. Chris and Wendy are present in every way and the community they’ve built makes you want to stick around and drink away the day.
Oh, and if you want to talk hockey, you’ll have friends for life.
Okay. Back to the Nitro Coffee.
Chris and Wendy had heard about kegged coffee, as had one of their employees, Joel. And, with summer coming, they knew they wanted to be the first of all Boulder coffee shops to offer it because being first is, well, better.
Always happy to empower their employee to try something new, Chris and Wendy let Joel take the lead. He researched it, ordered the supplies, and created a tester in the backyard. They were hooked on the rich taste immediately and within 10 days they were tapping the keg for hot and thirsty customers.
They now go through 2 kegs a day.
The cold brewed espresso coffee is velvety sweet and the little micro bubbles give it a unique mouthfeel. When it comes out of the tap, the foam that gathers on top makes it look like you’ve just poured yourself a Guinness. It’s creamy, cold, smooth and delicious – just like your favorite summer beer.
And nothing like any other cold or iced coffee you’ve ever had. So get those out of your mind right now.
But be careful because this little number is loaded with caffeine. I only had 2 sips and I didn’t sleep for two days. But I’m a lightweight who never drinks caffeine. My husband slept like a baby.
Maybe next time I drink it I should chase it with a tasty brew from Mountain Sun and the caffeine from the coffee and the stuff in the beer that makes me want to go to sleep on the bar will counteract each other and just leave me feeling awesome.
Right now The Cup is serving espresso all day but soon they’ll be offering some single origin coffees too.
Speaking of the coffee, from the moment Chris and Wendy had the idea to open a coffee shop, they wanted to make sure that the passion they had for coffee was the same kind of passion that went into cultivating the coffee. That’s why all of their coffee comes from Conscious Coffee.
So, the next time you stop in for a Nitro Coffee to fuel your long run, you’ll feel good knowing that with each sip of this chilly treat you’re doing your part to support worthy and hard working coffee farming communities all over the world.
