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mini-review: Little Owl Coffee

This small cafe in LoDo has a very high end, Scandinavian aesthetic. All the finishes feel expensive and cold. Gleaming white laminates, marble, wood in various shades, everything spare, the lighting is just so. I felt like I should have been much taller, much thinner, much blonder, wearing a turtleneck and plain, wire-rimmed glasses, not smiling because life is suffering and my turtleneck is very itchy and Ingmar Bergman is filming me in achingly beautiful yet incredibly depressing black and white.

Or something.

mini-review: ink! Coffee (16th Street Mall)

See my Denver field report

A local chain founded in Aspen in 1994, it feels a little more corporate than indie. This location was bright and airy, if a bit sterile. The barista was friendly enough but didn’t seem to have any level of expertise. A Rancilio machine is used to make your espresso.

mini-review: Kaladi Coffee (University)

See my Denver field report

I really wanted to love this cafe near the University of Denver. Beautiful space, busy, friendly staff – I appreciated that the barista checked first on how I wanted my macchiato made – and great decor, including dolls of Pee Wee Herman and his pal Pterri hanging off the menu board. They seem to take the coffee seriously but not too seriously, roast their own beans, and offer classes.