I

LOVE

COFFEE

We know this. I gathered some really cool girlfriends and we hopped around town for the world’s fastest tour which included that fragrant morning, ok fine all day, beverage and so much food. We left each place a little warmer, a little more hyped and with new cravings for our palettes to experience throughout our days going forward.

For this tour we wanted to focus on a couple of places that aren’t completely expected. However, Loyal Coffee does feel expected because hi, it’s Loyal but it was the most asked for when I posted about doing a COS tour a few months back. I think we’ll actually do another tour before long because I really appreciate the hard work so many business owners have put into our coffee culture here. It feels impossible to tour everywhere, let alone in a day. But here we start…

Story Coffee Co, Acacia Park | Downtown Colorado Springs

This place. I think it makes people swoon. It’s in tiny home that was converted to host a business. It’s charming, quaint and full of good conversation and yummy coffee. It’s in a great location for crips Fall evenings and freezing cold Winter days and nights when you just NEED a coffee. I’m always greeted with warmth and intentionality when I step in. I love that. Story’s coffee is really consistent, which I appreciate and I really love their pastries.

Don and Charissa have recently rebranded and incorporated “The Game” into their lil’ storefront. The purpose of The Game is to invite people to engage in their surrounding area and to be commended for it .. and after checking of 7 of the 8 boxes, you get some swag… and it’s cool swag. They’re excited to share details about what they’re up to and if you’ve not been in a while you should stop in and have a listen. It’s a cute community builder and if you’re regularly in that area, it’s going to be so easy to collect the checkmarks.

Fall is just about the only time of year I let flavor come near my lattes. I tried their Apple Pie seasonal as a favored nod to Fall and asked them to go very light on the pour… Friends, this is good. It’s actually almost tart and while it sounds funny to pair with a hot coffee, it’s different than the expected pumpkin spice and feels refreshing. Mary tried it too and loved. It’s worth a go!

Next up……

You guessed it, Blank. With their heavenly vegan donuts, they’ve stolen my heart. In the last year I’ve developed a habit of one sweet treat with my coffee 2x a week. It’s not always 2x (give or take) but I do love donuts and I don’t feel like they’re often easily accessible in the Springs. I really really appreciate that Blank makes their donuts in house and always has a fresh batch ready for me to order. YUM. I also ordered these by the dozens for my open house at work the next day. They’re that good.

This sign is the tone of the ambiance. Kindness. Everyone I’ve encountered in my three visits has been very kind. The atmosphere is very chill and it would be easy to spend hours in their space. I love the wooden beams upstairs as well as the clean lines of the seating downstairs. I love the way their coffee bar leads your eyes to the back so that you can see into the kitchen and that there is natural light flooding in from the East and the West. I give big points to companies that spend time thinking through how their space invites and encourages people to move. When it’s concise and easy moving it feels welcoming to me.

Blank also has a savory menu. We indulged in a few plates of their breakfast food and then we all shared and I only heard exclamations of delight coming out of the girls. Truly from their donuts to their delicious egg dishes, we’re in. Totally yum…. oh, and their coffee pairs well too. The girls ordered matcha and loved. Are you a Matcha drinking or are you with me and love Espresso?

And then… Good - Ol’ - Loyal! You spoke, I listened.

A few months ago I had posted on IG asking about places that you’d want to see included on a coffee tour in Denver. I had an overwhelming amount of comments about Loyal Coffee. Haha! So when I started putting this one together, I knew I needed to include them in it during round one. I get it…

I have a deep gratitude for Loyal Coffee. When I first lived in COS in 2008, the scene (meaning anything that anyone with any taste for something post 1988), was struggling. I mean, struggling. It’s made leaps and bounds since then and I’ve loved watching it grow and doing my best to help support the growth, be involved in it and promote it. I feel like Loyal Coffee did their homework and seriously stepped up the aesthetic for coffee shops everywhere in the Springs and further. They were so mindful of what was teetering very well between trendy and timeless. I’m sure they spent an enormous amount of money and we know they took a lot of time to plan it out and execute it well. And it shows. When I went to Loyal for the first time, I actually just paused. I soaked it all in and kind of had an ah-ha moment. Like okay, there are people here who are doing hard work and pouring out blood sweat and tears over their passion and their continuing to raise the bar, to expect more for the community in terms of what we expect and showing people what COS’ new norm can be. I like that. I’m all about being surrounded by humans that are smarter than me, more successful than me, more educated than me and so on. It forces us to learn, to take action and to join the changes that we really want….

Oh and their coffee is bae. I love their drip with a little steamed cream. But also, cafe au lait, when I feel like having a special treat.

We grabbed coffee to go here because we’re all working mama’s and had a dozen things to do but I also really like to grab and go and enjoy in the car, so no complaints here.

A big thank you to each coffee shop involved! I’m thankful you see my vision and get on board with what I’m doing. And thanks to everyone who checks in to the blog to read. I hope that if you haven’t tried one of these yet, you will and if you go regularly to any one of these that I enlightened you to something you didn’t know or haven’t tried yet. xx-k

Story Coffee Co - 120 E Bijou, 80903

Blank Coffee | Food - West Side / 600 S 21st, 80904

Loyal Coffee 408 S. Tejon, 80903