I live in Ft. Collins (60 miles north of Denver) and work in Boulder, so if anybody knows of a local roaster (so I don't have to order online all the time), it would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Suzanne

If you pass through Loveland on your commute, then the Coffeetree. They'll pull you a good shot; but I don't think they roast their own.

Novo in Denver is one of the world's great roasters, and somewhat unknown to boot. They may be worth the detour or the postage.

Don't know if they qualify as "artisanal" any more, but Allegro is still local (Thornton) & was an early pioneer in varietal (single origin), organic, & fair trade coffees. I used to work about a block from their Boulder facility, & the roasting aroma would hang thick in the cold winter air as I pedaled to work. They're still one of my favorite brands. Easily available at Whole Foods.

Also, I believe The Brewing Market (next to McGuckin's) still roasts their own beans.

Alternatively, I was thinking of ordering from Specialty Java in the future. If you can find anything there & want to split shipping costs, let me know.

Allegro was acquired by Whole Foods back in the 90s. The air-roasted beans in Whole Foods stores is fresh but not skillfully-roasted... and subjected to plenty of oxygen as it sits in the bins. The big batch roasted stuff is probably far more consistent, but anyone know how to deduce roast dates on the retail bags? There is a trick to reading Peet's bags in the supermarket, for example.

I second the Novo recommendation. Learned about them through Cafe Grumpy in NYC.

Eiron wrote:Don't know if they qualify as "artisanal" any more, but Allegro is still local (Thornton) & was an early pioneer in varietal (single origin), organic, & fair trade coffees. I used to work about a block from their Boulder facility, & the roasting aroma would hang thick in the cold winter air as I pedaled to work. They're still one of my favorite brands. Easily available at Whole Foods.

Also, I believe The Brewing Market (next to McGuckin's) still roasts their own beans.

Alternatively, I was thinking of ordering from Specialty Java in the future. If you can find anything there & want to split shipping costs, let me know.

That is wonderful. I didn't even think about that. I work right by McGuckin's (off of Valmont), so I could easily go there on my lunch break.

I wanted to be able to buy freshly roasted beans instead of buying something that has been sitting on the shelves for a while. I was buying Lavazza beans, but was recently informed of their notorious age. I was highly disappointed, as you could imagine.

I have seen Allegro coffee sold at Whole Foods, but I am always reluctant to buy from a store like that because of the same reason—age.

What about Peppercorn? I wonder how fresh their beans are?

another_jim wrote:If you pass through Loveland on your commute, then the Coffeetree. They'll pull you a good shot; but I don't think they roast their own.

Novo in Denver is one of the world's great roasters, and somewhat unknown to boot. They may be worth the detour or the postage.

Excellent suggestion! I didn't even realize they were located inside the DAM. I am a member there so frequent there as often as I can. Now I have even MORE of an excuse to head down there.

I have actually had a cappuccino many times there while frequenting the exhibits (without even realizing who they were). Good to know they roast their own beans.

Thanks for the reminder!

Great question! I grew up in Berthoud and Loveland, though sadly I haven't lived there since the late '80's.

I remember a while back hearing about a Devil's Backbone Coffee Roaster, or somesuch, in Berthoud just off Main Street. [EDIT:okay, so not off main street, but off 287 and Bunyan]

A quick google search makes it smell like they don't exist anymore, but it's just a block out of your way or a quick call to find out:

Name: Devil's Backbone Coffee Roasters
Street: 210 Versaw Court
Berthoud, co 80513-1138
Phone: (970) 532-3510

As far as Novo, they have a kiosk (or maybe two) in the DAM and a shop just across from it in with the food court thingy. They've got a clover there and some very good baristas. You can also go to their original shop up in Arvada which might be a hair closer if you're up north.

Thanks everyone who have posted replies.

The other day I went on my lunch hour and purchased a pound of beans from The Brewing Market. I made my first cup of espresso this morning and it was delicious. OMG. Much better than the Lavazza beans I was using before—and were most likely sitting on the shelf a few weeks/months before I purchased it.

However, if anybody has any other recommendations, especially in the Ft. Collins area, that would be awesome.

Thanks again.