Boulder Coffee Shops blog

Well, I finally made it east of 30th Street. Waiting for some car service, I could either head back into town or stay out in 55th-land, so I stayed (Ozo is on Arapahoe @ Conestoga in an unanchored strip mall that also has a Snarfs). A previous commenter had gently asked us why we had never heard of Ozo, and being a good coffee shop blogger I thought I oughta oblige the question. So here I am.

First, let’s get this off the table: Ozo serves Allegro coffee. You regular readers will know how multiple authors on this blog feel about Allegro. As in, we don’t. But being a dedicated coffee shop reviewer, I decided to give Allegro another try, knowing as we all know that, ultimately, the pour is probably more important than the roast. As some of us know, there are only a few drink styles worthy of assessing coffee quality: the Americano and the Macchiato. Both styles allow the full flavor of the espresso to be assessed. Straight espresso is too shocking to the cheeks and tongue to be assessed well by any but the most senses-hardened, so most of us need the moderating influence of a little water (the Americano) or a little milk (the Macchiato) to temper the excruciating acidity of straight espresso. Thus I ordered an Americano. It was surprisingly even, and while bitter at first, mellowed after a few sips. Not knock-your-socks-off delicious (it tasted like decent drip coffee, which I think is a failing for an Americano), but much better than any Allegro pour I have had that hasn’t been adulterated with copious chocolate and milk.

As for the non-coffee aspects of Ozo, I was happy as soon as I walked in the door. The layout works well at first sight, with the patron line constrained and isolated from the seating area with a moderate 4-foot wall that doesn’t feel imposing but does impose order lacking in many other shops (i.e., The Goat and Trident, two popular shops we still haven’t written about). The entire shop is open with unconstrained sightlines. Window banks fill the entire east side but only half of the north side and are absent on the west and south, which means half of the seating is in a slightly dark, windowless environment while the other half is against large, open windows. This does present something of a problem, as the seating is more disjointed and uncomfortable on the windowed east side, with two small tables (with hellaciously uncomfortable aluminum chairs; I sat in one for all of 12 second before I moved) and a counter-height 6-top table. Because of all this I felt a bit constrained by my seating choices, wanting to stay in the brighter area but fighting the hard, direct sun (the sun will get higher in an hour and then it will be perfect, but at 9:40a it’s not perfect), wanting to sit in the lower tables to have access to an outlet but not being able to tolerate the cheap metal chair, so having to sit at the counter-height table with no outlet and a good amount of sun. I’d move to the northwest corner but it feels claustrophobic over there with no windows. But that’s me. I like big windows in my coffee shop offices so I can look outside while thinking. Eventually I moved to the only table on the north windows (better chairs, out of the reflected sun, available outlet) and was much happier.

Ozo seems to have a steady stream of support, with most popping in for takeout, so even though it has been busy, only three or four tables have been occupied (contrast with Saxy’s which has decidedly gotten too big for its britches). The noise is well-managed and only feels loud right now because of the amount of people buying coffee, not because of the design (contrast with The Cup or Saxy’s which are always loud). And the steady stream of support seems to have a repeat-customer basis, judging by the “hey, how are you? where you been?” conversations I keep overhearing between the baristas and clients. I didn’t know anybody actually lived out here (kidding), so the deep client base must arise from this being the only shop out this far?

You downtownites looking for the Saxy’s or Goat antidote might consider making the trip out here if you’re going to be out here anyway. It’s probably not worth the extra bike ride if that’s your mode of transport and you live inside Folsom, but if you’re in the vicinity it is definitely worth checking out. Of the shops on the eastern fringe (Joe’s, Vic’s on 30th, etc.), I’d say Ozo is the best of them.

My suggestion for Ozo: install window shades on the east side and put two tables along the glass where the kiddie chairs now rest. Right now it’s wasted space. And drop Allegro for something better. We keep talking about Conscious Coffees but there are other good choices as well.