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Now that I’m 100% working for myself, I am traveling much more than before. It is always a challenge to locate a suitable coffee shop when in an unfamiliar city, and I’ve had many more misses than ‘hits’! As usual, I sent a tweet, asking for recommendations for the best espresso in Denver. My hotel is downtown, and I needed something within walking distance. I received a few recommendations from my awesome followers, and one was close by. Joshua Viau (?@jbviau) suggested that I try Novo. I have seen Novo Coffee being sold online, but I had never tried it.
I enjoyed the 10 minute stroll to their location at 1600 Glenarm Place and ventured inside. The atmosphere was that of a typical, metropolitan coffee house, simple and relaxing. I was immediately and pleasantly greeted by Melissa. She was very helpful and eager to answer my questions about their coffees and brewing methods. I ordered a doppio and a syphon of the same single origin coffee, 4 Mujeres. This is an exquisite Costa Rican, washed coffee, with a pleasant combination of chocolate, sweet cherry, and almond. The cherry is especially pronounced in the espresso.
While the coffee was obviously amazing, what made this visit exceptional was the refreshingly enthusiastic customer service from Ryan and Melissa. There is a perceived general snootiness that permeates the barista ranks. Customers are often felt pressured to not ask questions and to order quickly before the coffee nazi abruptly boots you out for one year. I was genuinely impressed with this shop, and it was the first time that I felt compelled to immediately post about a coffee shop! Excellent coffee can be found in almost any city, but it is exceedingly rare to discover remarkable coffee, coupled with phenomenal customer service. I cannot recommend this shop enough.
I feel the need to state something critical about this shop, which is difficult to do, but the one thing that I could pick on is the price of the syphon brew. At $9 per cup, it is quite steep. Funny enough, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it at $7, which would still leave the shop with a generous ROI. Another minor improvement that could be made is in the serving of the syphon. It was poured directly into the cup, and I was given the remainder of the shypon to pour myself. When coffee is brewed in the syphon, it is extremely hot. The high temperature doesn’t allow the flavor of the coffee to fully develop. It would be advisable to have a transitional vessel, such as a chemex for decanting. My final minor critique is the menu board, which is nicely descriptive of the coffees, but every customer had the same question…”where are these coffees from”. Simply adding the country of origin would eliminate the need to explain to each guest.
Overall, I would rate this coffee shop at 9.5 out of 10. That is how extraordinary it was, and how minimal my critical comments impacted the overall experience.
Bravo, Novo Coffee!
You can purchase Novo Coffee at GoCoffeeGo.com!
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