Boulder – we love our startups, hiking trails, Xterra races, and farm-to-table produce. But damn, do we also love us some coffee. You could swing a stalk of organic brussel sprouts over your head and hit at least two purveyors of roasted bean goodness (and that’s valid for pretty much any street in town).
Here’s how Boulder orders coffee.
We don’t need a special language. There’s no faux-Italiano verbiage for a “big ass cuppa joe.” We order in small, medium, and large. We don’t say “skinny.” We want brewed goodness in a cup. Sometimes, we want a lid and others we don’t. There is no frappalottawhatzits. There is coffee.
Sometimes, we like chai. Bhakti Chai is here in Boulder. Third Street is just over in Louisville. We keep our chai close to home. There are days (like today) where there’s nothing quite like a steaming cup of spicy or sweet chai to warm the soul. When we need an extra boost, we make that chai “dirty.” And for those unfamiliar, that’s a shot of espresso in your chai and it’s better than the Radio Shack commercial during the Super Bowl.
Keep your machine. I want a pour over. Manual coffee making is epically sweet. While in line at Ozo, I get oddly excited when I glimpse the pour over stand. I wish they’d let me pick my filter like I could pick a puppy at the Boulder Humane Society. It’s nothing but roasted grounds, water, and a filter. Technology, schmology — you can keep your fancy brewers, steamers, and other machinations.
Our snacks are delicious and contain…nothing. Sitting at the checkout, we’re tempted by the gluten/dairy/soy-free treats (the extra label of “vegan” is enough to make us squeal). We’re the only city in the world where it’s du jour to sip an organic, free trade, locally roasted almond milk latte with a gluten, dairy, and soy-free cupcake on the side. We’ll let other cities have their sugar and grains. We’ll be over here, ingesting nothing…but deliciousness.
We’ll spend hours. We have mad respect for our coffee shop employees throughout town. They keep us fed and caffeinated. We love the eclectic music and popping into one shop or another for an evening of acoustic music. We love how you serve beer and wine in the evenings (though we’d love to liquid lunch with you on occasion). Bottom line? We’ll spend hours — catching up with friends, tuning out to pink noise, writing, crafting, creating, and surfing. Boulder’s coffee shops fuel what gets done in Boulder each and every day and we raise a mug to all of you who make this possible. Thank you for making us feel welcome.
