Kaladi Brothers Coffee

Aint No Starbucks. The reviewers who have posted previously should go back in! They must've gotten rid of the bad seeds there, because I've received service from pretty much every barista there at any given time of day and it has always been great.

If you want Starbucks fake, frickin' go to Starbucks. This is a no-bullshit staff. They aren't a bunch of bimbos forced to smile by management. They are professional baristas (some of them career baristas) with a well of knowledge. Don't expect a half-assed, "Hi, how are you today?" if they're having a bad day. They are real and its part of what makes Kaladi Brothers so nice. They aren't hipster rude or coffee snobs, they're just who they are, and you can tell that ownership doesn't try to force them to be anything but that. It's refreshing.

As for the coffee, you won't find it done the same anywhere else. Ask any of the aforementioned baristas when the coffee was roasted and they'll give you an exact date. Ask them why they freeze their coffee, ask what they require of wholesalers who want to carry their coffee, ask them about their roasting process. They know and they will tell you. Once you do that, come back and report to me that it is over-roasted (or, as one reviewer who had his/her sensibilities so troubled said, "charcoaled"). This place holds itself to rigid standards. They are also more than happy to tell you what those standards are and why they do it. They don't keep things a secret and they don't fight anyone about why they think what they do is right. They like their coffee the way they like it, and if you don't agree, go to someone who does light-medium roasts, leaves their coffees out all day and all night, and don't worry about it.

Just because they do things differently, they are bound to get attacked for it. That's the name of the game. That doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try for yourself. I have to admit that rude service is something that I can't handle, but after I went there and saw that people were confusing RUDE with REAL, I knew that I had to post another perspective. Like I said, if you want fake, there are tons of other coffee shops in Denver with unhappy baristas that smile at you while flipping you off under the counter. If you want something legitimate and honest, Kaladi Brother's Coffee is it.…

Won't find better coffee than this. I'm a serious coffee drinker (and home coffee roaster) and in my opinion NOBODY beats kaladi for coffee taste. Like some people who've written, I've had a grumpy service experience or three (usually in the afternoon) but nine out of ten times the staff is pleasant (if not cheerful), chatty, and full of really excellent coffee knowledge. All of their coffee is dark roasted but it is certainly not charcoal (I always freeze it, like they recommend). Occasionally I have a taste for something lighter, too, and i go somewhere else. But in my experience ANY degree of roast at ANY other coffee roaster in Denver doesn't come close to being as good as one randomly selected dark roast from Kaladi. The place is sort of dirty, but the coffee makes it worth it. Really good americanos, too.…

Welcome to the Coffe Reich. I tried Kaladi Bros again yesterday for the third time with the same unfortunate result. When you walk in you think this place could be great. Lots of individualistic touches in the decor, interesting art, books available for reading, etc. You can see their Sivitz roaster through a glass behind the serving area. There is evidence of passion for their craft and a desire to cultivate coffee-passionate clientele.

However, while they have a good selection of varietal coffees on hand, they serve ONLY dark-roasted coffee. If your palate is calibrated to charcoal, this could be your kind of place. My palate is not.

I am a home roaster and have come to apprediate a roasting philosophy that includes light and medium roasted coffee flavor profiles. The staff at Kaladi told me that the owner believes only dark roasted coffees develop an acceptable flavor profile. None others need apply. Evidently the owner believes customers should cater to his/her taste rather than the other way around.

So, if you buy into the "charcoal only" flavor dogma and funky, hip atmosphere, this could be your kind of place. Enjoy the kool-aid!…