Colorado Suggestions? - Page 4

#31: Post by **gr2020** » November 22nd, 2016, 5:31 pm

For local folks, I recommend getting over to Spur Coffee in downtown Littleton sometime soon if you can. They have a new "celebrate 3" coffee, roasted for them (only) by Sweet Bloom. It's an Ethiopian, with very strong strawberry flavors. What I like the best about it is how the strawberries come through even in a milk drink, like an iced latte, which is my guilty pleasure of choice.

I've had it twice in the cafe, and just brought home a bag yesterday. It's pretty interesting - they said they run 20g in, 35g out, around 30s, at 195F (which he said would be around 197F at the head), and they pull it at 6 bar. For my first shot at home I ran 197F, 20g in, 35g out, 52s at 9 bar. I thought it would be terrible, running for 52s, but it was surprisingly good! I'm going to have to remember this for SO's that like a higher extraction - seems maybe it's ok to pull them longer and slower.

#32: Post by **TxHr** » December 1st, 2016, 12:50 am

We will be heading to Steamboat soon for skiing. Are there any suggestions for Steamboat? I tried Steamboat Coffee Roasters (from the little shop downtown, main shop was closed) and it was by far one of the worst drinks I've had.

Thanks,

Brandon

December 3rd, 2016, 11:22 pm

Corvus opened their new cafe near I-25 and Belleview today according to their facebook page. i wanted to go check it but I have a horrible cold right now.

#34: Post by **pcrussell50** » December 4th, 2016, 2:34 pm

Quoting myself, since it's been over a month since I last updated...

pcrussell50 wrote:I went to Monk and Mongoose on Saturday morning, so they were at least open then, too. It was pretty busy. The two espresso grinders were K30 Peaks. I pretty much only drink espresso, so that's what I had. They didn't seem to have their rundown of what espresso coffees were available, worked out yet. So I just ordered "an espresso", and took what they gave me. There were two young girl baristas. One seemed to be training the other. I can confirm that the machine was a Linea. The portafilters were spouted, even though the publicity photos on their web site showed bottomless. There was a single scale, not being used. The lead barista girl said that they normally use it, but that "since it was busy", they weren't. The shot was super bright, almost lemon juice. Way over balanced toward acidity. Which was actually ok with me. I would have preferred more balance, but if it's going to be unbalanced, better toward acidity than not. If I had to guess, I'd say that the skills of the lead barista, were at the level of a trainee at a place like Intelligentsia, or any top-notch third wave place. There was ownership/management all over the place as that might well have been opening day. They played zero role in the barista side of things. I got the idea that the owners were young hip businessman who liked the idea of owning an espresso joint, did their homework on right equipment, but knew little of craft, leaving that part to the help they hired. I have seen this before, with the birth of The French Press, in Santa Barbara, and over time, it turned out very well. In that case they owners, who went in knowing little about the craft, invested in schooling themselves in all the best barista training classes.

I will definitely keep coming back to Monk and Mongoose, since it's less than a five minute walk from my September-May home in Lone Tree, and with the right care and guidance, could turn out very nicely as the teething pains run their course. I did happen by around noon yesterday, pulling my little girl in her wagon, and there was only one customer there. I hope the general cultural sterility of Lone Tree, doesn't doom it to *$$ oblivion.

-Peter

So I went back to Monk and Mongoose, this time just after lunch hour on a midweek day. The baristas were not nearly as hurried. This time, they weighed both the dose and the extraction. I asked them about it and they seemed pretty solid that that was the way to do it, which means they are serious about dialing in and being able to repeat it again and again. The espresso had a much more balanced scidity. Still nice and bright like I like it, but not over the top lemon drop like my first one. Very good. If it weren't so close to my rented town house (couple blocks walk), where my favorite roaster and barista lives (me

I would go every day. Worrisome is that there were only two or three people in there not long before or after lunch hour (I forget whether I was there at 1130 or 130), and subsequent times I rode by on my bike, or drove by in my car, it's been kind of slow. I hope not too slow. The coffee seems kind of cutting edge for sterile, middle of the road, Lone Tree, where if you don't drive the same gigantic SUV as everyone else (this year, it's a GMC Yukon), and buy your coffee and dine out at establishment chain restaurants, you probably aren't from Lone Tree. I hope this place stays around, but I worry.

-Peter