Ohori's Coffee Roasters, Luna Location — Restaurant in Santa Fe

i should have known to turn around the moment i smelled the char in the air, but no... i continued on, and not only was the coffee beyond burnt, but the service was actively rude. don't go here.

so, for some context, traveling from seattle, i'm a little bit of a stereotype. i love coffee, and i love to try local roasters when i travel, and bring home beans from new places. i like my coffee quite a few rungs less-roasted than charbucks. dark roasts don't do it for me. they taste like carbon bricks and brimstone. and that's kinda what the air in this cafe smelled like.

but hey, i'm on vacation, there are only so many roasters in town, so why not try it out.

so i go up to the counter. their customers are already more kind than their staff, who just stare at me (at least i got a 'hello' in the hallway when i came in from some random patron). i ordered a cortado, my usual. and when they ask how many shots (a question i'm not used to. here, it's always standard 2), i paused and thought 'hmm if it's as dark as it smells, and if there are other places i wanna try, i'll just do 1 today.'

they laughed at me. and without looking at me, said that their customers all go for 'at least 3.' and then proceeded to make my drink. i laughed it off and said 'well, i'm trying to pace myself,' but boy did that make me feel awkward and bad. not something you wanna make a customer feel.

so then, they continue to not address me (i'm a very social person, so it's not a common situation), and then the barista puts my drink on the counter, without even turning to me, let alone addressing me. i say thank you and leave.

i managed through a couple sips but just couldn't stomach how dark roasted their beans are. i poured it out, and went to the good stuff, later to iconik, both of which were head and shoulders above in atmosphere, coffee,...

Wonderful quality. Excellent flavor. The only craw-sticking aspect is O'Hori's tip recommendations STARTING at 20% and graduating at 5% increases to 30%.

This, when one stands at a counter to order and returns to a counter to pick up the purchase. Like a grocery store.

Tipping 15% is standard for an attentive wait person who brings water, takes drink orders and transports them, takes food orders and delivers those to a space prepared for dining, maybe fetches ketchup or other condiments, handles the dessert indulges after clearing the earlier course dishes, perhaps helps tidy up an accidental spill - - - though one might add extra if over-and-above assistance + a helpful attitude is forthcoming.

At O’Hori’s, there is an over-the-top play on customer guilt and/or fear by presenting a charge slip that suggests egregious tip percentages when one is essentially making a self-service retail purchase.

It’s trying by passive suggestion to set an unstated (and thereby manipulative) expectation that somehow a lot more expenditure is required for someone a whole lot less hands-on than a...

Ohori’s has a nice atmosphere, but misses on some key elements that constitute a solid coffee establishment. We came here on recommendation by the New York Times Travel section, but ultimately felt that it didn’t live up to expectations (we are coffee drinkers from the PacNW, so perhaps we’re difficult to please).

First, the standard approach at Ohori’s is to make 12 oz coffee drinks with a single shot of espresso. The result is a watered down drink that fails to address the morning grogginess. Second, the beans they grind for espresso drinks are over-roasted and they taste mostly of char alone. My latte had excellent micro foam @ good temperature, but the over-roasted beans kind of destroyed the drink. My wife ordered an Americano and was similarly dissatisfied.

If you want great coffee, good food, a light-filled cafe, and friendly service, then we recommend the nearby Sage Bakehouse.

Bottom line: Ohori’s is close to a great coffee shop, but it needs to change a few things in order to live up to its reputation. You can do...