Caribou Coffee
Caribou Coffee
1400 E. Hampden Avenue (between University and Broadway)
Englewood CO 80113
303-806-0900
The coffee: Excellent. Presently 85% Rain Forest Alliance certified. Goal is 100% by end of 2011. Some organic coffees.
Ownership: NOT independent; chain
Friendliness of the baristas: Excellent
Hipness: Not very
Parking: Excellent
Seating: Excellent
Free Wi-Fi
Most of my coffee blog posts are about independent coffee houses and not chains. I’m breaking my rule here because Caribou is worthy of mention. The company is very concerned with sustainability and free trade, and indeed, 85% of its coffees are Rain Forest Alliance certified. Their website says they have a goal of being 100% certified by the end of 2011.
I have visited Caribou several times since it’s in my ‘hood, most recently at about 7:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night. As usual, the place was hopping with guests, which seems to be the norm for this shop. There were about 15 patrons on this Tuesday night. There were two students in the corner but most people were in their late 30’s to early 40’s. In spite of the number of people who frequent Caribou, it is easy to hear each other and good place to get together for a quiet conversation.
The seating is very comfortable with two sofa-type chairs in front of a fireplace. There are several tables and chairs, and some outdoor seating for the smoking crowd.
Caribou caters to the University Hills, Englewood, Cherry Hills residents. Its close proximity to Swedish Hospital I imagine brings in some business from the hospital, but I have never seen anyone in scrubs there.
Although it’s a chain, I recommend Caribou for its interest in protecting the forests, the quality of its coffee, the comfort of the surroundings, and the ease of parking.
Posted at 09:30AM Jan 07, 2011 by Erin Toll Glover in Coffee shops and coffee paraphernalia | Comments[0]
