44 - Cherry Bean (Denver - Sunnyside Location)

Cherry Bean! It's super cute! (I'll be real, I forgot to take this picture, then took it from my car, parked awkwardly across the street, so now I have to own up to it so this place doesn't appear less cute. This-picture-done-well-from-the-corner-instead is right on the main page of their web site though. I obviously wasn't trying very hard. I apologize to the integrity of this blog.)

Coffee Shop:
Cherry Bean Coffee
https://www.cherrybeancoffee.co/
4059 Tejon Street  Denver
Colorado, 80211

Date Visited:
Friday, December 21, 2018
About 3:30 p.m. -  5:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 22, 2018
About 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Purchased:
Nothing! Haha! I was in a cool airbnb that covered a morning coffee, so I checked it out twice for comparison and didn't buy anything, but here are the details:

day 1 - 12 oz oat milk latte
day 2 - 12 oz peppermint oil almond milk latte

latte: $3.75 base
$1.00 charge for oat milk

peppermint oil latte base: $4.00
$.80 cent charge for almond milk

The extra charges are a little overboard, especially because I think whole milk is standard! It definitely gave me a getting-away-with-it-because-they-can vibe. .80 cents is pushing it (especially when it's the same for a little cappuccino or a 20 oz latte). Oat milk is a dollar and the others are a .80 cents, which means they put some kind of thought into it, but they do not get points for reasonableness and are willingly part of the system of unreasonableness.

Okay my first general comment though: This place is awesome.  If I had any kind of ranking system or sensical way to keep track of things, I'm sure this would be up there for something like a "best overall" category.

Their cappuccino looked legit (6 oz they know what's up) so I kind of wanted that, but since they have oat milk and also seemed to know what they're doing espresso-wise, I decided to compare almond and oat milk lattes back to back (since I was coming two days in a row). Then I complicated this by getting a peppermint oil latte with one of them. Oh, well.  Not only do they seem to know what they're doing espresso-wise, but they had one of the coolest menus I've ever seen.  I had to try a little of both sides, even though I was focusing on espresso/basic lattes.

Oat milk latte

They have ALL sorts of cool stuff.  I was very intrigued by the "lattes" that don't have espresso, but instead cool blends of things like spirulina or turmeric, and health-kick-type-things. But like, with latte art. Omg.  They also have smoothies and some other stuff. So SUCH a cool menu to draw from.  The peppermint oil latte was one of their "specialty drinks" so I decided it was a good representative sample. I'm sure there are a lot of things that taste good without being too health-kicky too. So awesome place to go, whether you want caffeine or not.

So far in my oat milk latte adventures, I think that oat milk is awesome. I don't know if I have liked any better than the best cappuccinos (or lattes) I have ever had, but I think I like them more consistently.  In this almost-direct-comparison I liked the oat milk better than the almond milk.  However, I had the peppermint oil in the almond milk, so maybe I didn't like the peppermint oil effect. But I think it was as expected (and I think I would have liked it better in the oat milk).

Peppermint Oil Almond Milk Latte

Both lattes were very good.  I did like the oat milk better, but the almond milk was a really good savory kind of latte, as in not sweet, focused on the espresso instead of sweetness/syrups/etc., which is nice when done well.  Oat milk is naturally sweeter, so I didn't notice as much with that one. There was none of the burned-taste that I often complain about with almond-milk-done-not-well.  It was hearty and not sweet, without being bitter. The peppermint oil added a little smoothness I think (and, of course, peppermint flavor). Good experience. The foam was nice and creamy.

Although I was not at the point of raving about how they are the best drinks I've ever had, they were really good!  And this place had so many options that they apparently do very well!  It's also super cute on the street-corner (there's a little outdoor seating, but...December), and it's such a nice atmosphere!  It somehow manages to look equally appealing for chilling and talking to friends, or sitting alone with a laptop, reading, focusing, daydreaming...whatever. You can do it all.  You could come in with kids, or just adults also. I don't know if I have seen a shop that is so eclectic and so good at so many facets.

They have a print, scan, copy, fax station.  I mean, seriously.

There are some brick walls inside. Giant windows to sit next to. Very light and open. Also cozy and comfy. Not quite at fireplace level, but they pretty much have it all.

Street parking was free, not time limited, and easy to find.

I had no wifi issues and they post the password all around (they're so considerate and welcoming!).

Cherry Bean was so fun to stop in, but it would be even better to frequent!  There's so much to try and it would fit whatever kind of mood you need. I was super impressed and loved it.