Sweet Bloom Coffee — Restaurant in Lakewood

I was excited to try Sweet Bloom, as it was recommended to me by a local friend and had very good online reviews. I walked into their shop this morning with a cheery attitude, and I asked the barista what they enjoyed to drink/what the coffee shop was known for (I feel like this is a common question to ask in the food/drink service industry). The barista proceeded to condescendingly and pretentiously tell me about how this place isn't a starbucks, and they don't offer shots of vanilla and caramel (I hate both, but I guess I give off the vibes that my typical coffee order is an iced caramel macchiato). The barista explained that they wanted the customer to "experience the flavor of the coffee." Which was fine by me because I came in exactly for that: a cup of coffee. I settled on a nitro cold brew. The barista then halfheartedly slid the cup of coffee my way, and immediately turned their back on me, not exchanging additional words. The whole time I felt like an inconvenience to the barista--like, "how dare you order a cup of coffee at this coffee shop." The nitro cold brew was fine; I would have rather had a crappier cup of coffee from a different place if I could have had a less condescending...

Sweet Bloom has absolutely amazing coffee and a wide selection of beans. They also have some of the coolest coffee bags I’ve ever seen. While this location is a little small if you love coffee you need to get to Sweet Bloom.

Order: 2 Pour Overs About: $9

Review: We finally found somebody doing pout overs in Denver!!! I know this is a weird complaint but I’m finding less coffee shops that do pour overs, and often their response is “because COVID”. I don’t know if that really makes sense to me at all but I do know that I miss my pour overs. Both of our cups of coffee were fantastic and this would almost certainly be my favorite coffee shop if I lived nearby. There’s not a ton to talk about because we really did just get 2 cups of coffee, but they were some of the best cups of coffee I had in my for days in Denver. The only negative really is that this particular location had very minimal seating, I think maybe 12 to 15 people could get in the café at one time so if they were ever busy there’s basically nowhere to sit. I think their other location may be larger so if you wanted to spend time in the café that might be a better choice but all around Sweet Bloom coffee knocks it out...

If you're unsure about attending a cupping event at Sweet Bloom because you don't consider yourself a coffee connoisseur, let me offer some perspective. The more you learn about the product you're experiencing, the more you can appreciate its fine details and subtle nuances. It's like hiking with a guide who can keep you on the right path while pointing out the natural vegetation, the different calls of birds, and the history of landmarks. These are all things you might have seen before, but with a story to help you appreciate them even more. In this case, you can take a bag of coffee home with you and experience it every day with a newfound appreciation and education on what goes into that cup of morning coffee.

Just a word of caution, cupping involves sharing the same coffee with others and using the same cup to rinse your spoon. Although there is a nearby cup of water to clean your spoon, it's used by everyone else as well. If sharing germs with strangers makes you uncomfortable, then this might not be the...