Since arriving in the Denver area in early July, Juliet and I have made it our mission to seek out the finest coffee available for consumption in the region. After several months of research and dozens of cups of coffee in many forms our choice for the best coffee shop in Denver has to be Crema at 2862 E Larimer.
The reasons for our selection of Crema are as follows:
Top quality micro-lot roasted beans from exceptional sources and painstakingly managed farms
A gorgeous and perfectly calibrated Rancilio lever espresso machine
Baristas who know flavors, who take pride in their pulls (shots) and know the origins and reasons for the quality of their coffees (in essence correct flavors, acidity, and of course crema are standard)[caption id="attachment_1264" align="aligncenter" width="436"] Barista and his Rancilio[/caption]
The absolute best food I have eaten in any coffee shop in America (This is really the icing on the cake for me as their chef uses ingredients that express locale and flavor specificity like a much finer restaurant and at remarkably reasonable prices). The Sweet Potato Waffle at breakfast is not only the best GLUTEN-FREE pastry I have eaten, it is a top 5 waffle I have had in my life. These folks are doing it right in their cracker-box kitchen.
An atmosphere and a vibe that foster creativity and self-expression. This is the goal of many coffee shops and rarely is it accomplished with such aplomb as CREMA
It is the most photogenic coffee shop I have visited. The lighting, the planked walls, and the clientele are all fair game for the shutter geek in me.
The only cons for me are a lack of slow-bar choices. I love a good French press; however, I need my V60 fix as well and I think to hit on all cylinders this would be a fine addition to the lineup. V60 coffee is high-toned and refined like a great burgundy and thus pairs so well with food.
The Pork Belly Bahn-Mi (perhaps the best Vietnamese sandwich I have tried, and I have had many) would scream with a little V60 from a North African grower.
One other tiny hiccup is the lack of decaf slow-bar options, while there is a marked flavor hit with decaf, I often want to write for an hour + and more than one high-octane coffee drink shifts my natural ADHD to the red line. On these occasions I prefer to sip on a small French Press of high quality decaf for the whole hour and actually get something done besides cleaning up chewed fingernails from the table in front of me.
If you are a discerning lover of perfectly pulled espresso drinks I vote Crema the cream of the crop.