Colorado Coffee Company at Centerra — Restaurant in Loveland

The level of pretension and price in this place were equally offensive given how terrible the drinks are.

Being new to the area, I searched Google Maps for a local coffee place because the idea of going to Starbucks or Panera kind of bothers me. I usually use a plain latte, iced or hot depending on the season, as a litmus test for any new coffee shop I try out. The flavored lattes with the caramels and syrups and sprinkled confetti just mask the crucial ingredients and make it hard to appreciate the flavor of the espresso, tempered by the subtle sweetness of milk fat.

The iced latte I ordered at Colorado Coffee Company was, hands down, far and away, the worst I had ever tasted. The automatic espresso machine they used brewed the espresso too hot. It tasted bitter and burnt far beyond the level that those flavors should exhibit in an espresso. The hot espresso was then poured directly onto the ice. A half-inch of skim milk was then dumped on top of the now-half-water drink, not because I asked for skim milk, but because that is the only milk they carry. No joke, no exaggeration. They do not serve anything but skim milk in their drinks, besides the substitutes like almond milk and soy milk.

I will almost never hand something back or ask another one to be made. I hate bothering people, and I hate the idea of messing with someone who prepares my food and drink. But I just couldn't let this one go. To make the latte properly, they offered to add half and half to the mix to approximate the consistency of whole milk. This seemed reasonable. After telling the "barista" that the proper way to mix an iced latte is to mix the espresso with the cold milk (in this case, skim milk and cream) before putting it all on ice, the latte I received was still far from the standard I would set for a good latte.

The microwaved, albeit relatively tasty, bacon breakfast burrito that I ordered with it came completely apart after sticking hopelessly to the wax paper. I noticed that the tape holding the paper in place had not even been removed before the thing was placed in the nuker.

And, lastly, I was astonished by the $8.50 tab for the two miserable offerings. I will not be returning to this establishment. I recommend you just...

The coffee, espresso, cinnamon rolls, and drinks are the best you will find! Everything is made from scratch and the coffee roasted locally. There is simply nothing that compares to true small batch hand crafted products and Colorado Coffee Company delivers on that! It is an injustice to compare CCC to any large franchise coffee chain with their mass produced and often over-roasted beans to compensate for inconsistencies of the lower grade beans they use. They are not in the same league! I have been going to the CCC for years going back to when they first opened up in the Foothills Fashion Mall in Fort Collins. Back then they roasted all their coffee and espresso right in the shop! They still roast all their own coffee locally just a few miles away from their current shop in Loveland. The high altitude roasting and personal attention given each small batch is evident in the richness and smoothness of the coffee and espresso. No bitterness or lingering overbearing tastes with this coffee. Just pure coffee goodness!! My personal favorite and recommendation for a straight up coffee is the Sumatra French Roast. Awesome full bodied flavor but still amazingly smooth. A great medium roast coffee is the Tanzanian Peaberry. I love a full bodied latte as well and recommend trying a Coconut and Hazelnut latte with an extra shot of espresso! If you want something different and a real treat try the Nectar of the Gods (hot or iced)! Feeling adventurous? Try an iced chai with rose syrup! Sounds weird, but is surprisingly good! They do use the healthier-for-you 2% milk (which actually foams better than whole milk) but you can treat yourself with a breva if you want the richer taste and are not worried about...

This has been my favorite coffee shop for years. It's VERY conveniently located on the corner of Eisenhower and Boyd Lake which makes it very easy for me to get to. But, beyond that, the baristas are the nicest people you'll ever meet. Most of them stay for months, if not years, so if you make a connection with a baristas its almost guaranteed they'll be around to make your drink.next time! On top of that they've got a beautiful atmosphere and a quiet shop, much different from Starbucks, the Coffee Tree or any of the iber-hipstered Fort Collins shops. But, more important than any of that, their espresso is the best around. It leaves a buttery taste and feeling in your mouth and mixes the best with Breve but is also super with skim milk. My personal favorite is the Cappuccino Slush, with is a delicious frozen drink that uses Toddy, the best cold brewed coffee around! Anyway, you should drop by, get a drink and a cinnamon roll and strike up a conversation with a baristas! You'll come back...