If you ask your favorite coffee professional to list the best cafes in America, there is a good chance that Amethyst Coffee in Denver would be one of the first spots you’ll hear about. Beyond good coffee, which of course they have—anchored by another local favorite Commonwealth Coffee—Amethyst and owner Elle Jensen have become well-known advocates for coffee professionals, particularly women, gender non-conforming, gender queer, and transgender individuals through their work with Cherry Roast. In short, they are your favorite barista’s favorite barista-driven coffee shop.
Now it is shops, plural, with a forthcoming location in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood. But if you’re expecting a carbon copy of the original cafe, think again. Whereas Amethyst is known for their “any coffee, any way you want it” service model at the original location, the new shop is option for a more streamlined approach, eschewing pour-overs all together in favor of batch brews. It’s a significant shift in concept, one that shows Jensen and Amethyst aren’t satisfied with resting on their laurels and are always examining the idea of service in the cafe context. We are still a few weeks out from the official opening, but in the mean time, let’s find out a little more about what we can expect at the brand new Amethyst coffee in Denver, Colorado.
As told to Sprudge by Elle Jensen.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
We are a woman-owned and operated cafe in Denver, CO focused on the treatment of our staff and making specialty coffee accessible to all.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
It’s in a building that was built in the ’20s, right next to a beautiful art deco theater. The space was used as a piano showroom until the ’60s/’70s and has been vacant since. We are excited to lend our hand to making this space a community space again!
What’s your approach to coffee?
We believe that good coffee should be approachable and that it’s our job as baristas to make people a drink they will enjoy, rather than the drink we think they should enjoy. Conversation is paramount when serving coffee, and we do our best to facilitate that conversation. We use Commonwealth Coffee as our house roaster and rotate our out-of-state guest roaster every quarter. We try to keep guest roasters on a little longer so that we can build a real relationship with them and their coffees. We spend a lot of time thinking about the difference between what is good coffee, what coffee do we prefer, and how to build a balanced coffee offering list.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We’ll be using a Synesso MVP, which we are SO excited about, a Curtis batch brewer, and a Taylor Soft Serve Ice Cream Machine. We’ll also have a stellar four-bay sink. We will not be doing pour-overs at our new location, but we will offer two batch brews and larger format batch brew service.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
July 14th…
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Yes! We are working with Art Builders Guild, Slate Construction, Paper Airplane (architects), Breezy Sanchez from Go!Go!Good!, Push Designs, and the tiny Scandinavian company Ikea.
Thank you!
No, thank YOU!
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