Estes Park, CO
*Reposted from the original coffee blog: Expedition Cafelier*
Picture this: you're walking along a boardwalk enjoying the crisp mountain air as birds scream their presence nearby. The grass drops off and a few feet below, a river crashes by. You continue to wander down this wonderland of sorts when your attention is drawn by a small crowd gathered around assorted tables. You glance up and see the building they have built themselves around is a coffee shop; excitedly you scurry inside. A long line waits patiently before the counter; behind them large windows break way to the willows wiping in the wind and children chasing chipmunks down the banks. Everything from the floors, to the counters and the window frames are decorated with polished wood. Tables line the back wall with a window sill offering additional seating as you wait for your drink. Two door frames stand proud, doors propped open, offering its customers entrance from roadside or riverside. In the back corner, booth tables and rocking chairs offer seating for those choosing to stay and complete their work in shop. Next to the cream & sugar table, a water station hangs above a small cupboard with trays of reusable bottles and cups for customers to use.
As my drink came forward I quickly gathered it, stepping aside for others who had ventured inside, and brought it to my lips. The drink called "Shot in the Dark" definitely asked you to take exactly that by making the bold move of blending dark roast coffee and espresso. It flowed in with an upfront raspberry flavor that settled with a walnut-like quality. What really got me though was how incredibly smooth the coffee was. I have never had a coffee where I was genuinely taken by surprise by its smoothness and freshness. This is definitely a coffee where you don't feel like you've drank coffee by the aftertaste but rather, leaves as clean as it came. The best thing I could relate it to was the year I went to Canada, climbed atop a glacier and drank from its crystal-like pure water.
The magic of this shop doesn't stop there though. Everything about it works towards the greater goal of sustainability, being eco-friendly and giving back to the community. The coffee is locally roasted, organic, shade-grown and fair traded. A percentage of the proceeds go to non-profit organizations within the small town and they also participate in 1% For The Planet. This small town coffee shop lives up to what it advertises itself to be when they say: "Kind is what coffee should be".
Comentarios