Mukwano Coffee — Restaurant in Rawlins

The coffee options must be dismal in Rawlins.

First off, my disappointment: donuts. It was a Saturday, and they exclusively make donuts on Saturdays. It was one of the main reasons coming here versus the other place in town, the other being this spot was closer to the freeway. Being an exclusive item, I imagined it would be good! Especially considering these donuts were tiny, and the price was $2+ per donut. Also, the cashier assured me the donuts were amazing. They were as dense as a biscuit, denser even. They turned into a thick, gummy mush in my mouth. Consuming them was a challenge. Those donuts are not worth $2, not even $.50. Utter disappointment.

For coffee, I had their drip. Rwanda roast was in the pot . The coffee was OK, maybe the even subpar. Very watered down coffee flavor. Maybe their espresso is better, but somehow I doubt it.

Didn’t stay too long to appreciate this atmosphere everyone is talking about, but honestly, it just looked like a hole in the wall coffee shop.

Overall...

This is my second time coming to this coffee shop…I will always stop here when I come through this area of the country. I have this coffee shopped saved on my google maps. First of all the food and drinks are delicious and quality. But my goodness, the kind people and customer service is exceptional. Today I had pulled in and I didn’t realize they closed at 2. I went inside as she was closing up. The girl was so kind and made me a drink with some cold brew, and a parfait since she hadn’t shut down the register yet and allowed me to use the restroom as well. I hadn’t eaten anything and was planning on having a lunch here but I got held up by a storm. My parfait was delicious with fresh berries, and my drink was wonderful. I made sure to leave her a good tip. She definitely did not have to serve me after closing but she did and I will always return to this place when I pass by on I80. 10 out of 10...

This was an unexpected gem - I made a U-turn to go back and try them out. I'm really glad I did! They roast their own coffee. I had their Rwanda natural process light roast pour over. I wasn't at all disappointed. They grind the beans finer for pour overs than I'm used to, so plan to wait an extra few minutes. I think it's worth the wait, and tuning the grind where they do certainly didn't take away my enjoyment.

The service was outstanding. Eva filled the time by telling me more about the roast and the shop. She also showed me their cupping setup. I left with a 12 oz coffee and a 12 oz bag of beans.

The only thing I missed was small treats - a cookie or biscotti, piece of banana bread, a muffin maybe? I was surprised they weren't available.

I only pass this way twice a year but I am sure Mukwano will be a regular...