America loves its coffee. Hot, fresh, flavored, and/or locally sourced, American cities are a testament to the passionate affair we’re having with those luscious beans. Of course, Albuquerque is no exception, with heaps of carts, trailers, trucks, and shops that are guaranteed to tempt one’s taste buds. Albuquerque City Lifestyle Magazine looked at the plentiful offerings available here in the Duke City. We came up with a handful of excellence … and three shops that stood out among all the rest of the best.
O’Beans Coffee
12760 San Rafael Ave NE Ste C-2
Albuquerque, NM 87122
M-F 6am-4pm; Sat 7am-4pm; closed Sunday
http://www.obeanscc.com/
Located in the picturesque Sandia Foothills and the lively Sandia Heights neighborhood, O’Beans features an engaging Volkswagen Bus theme that harkens back to the shop’s beginnings as a mobile service that served up its tasty products all over town in a brightly painted VW. Owner Sarah reflected on the shop’s fortunes, their decision to go ‘brick and mortar’, and their unique air-roasting process, telling the magazine that, “We started in 2014, all mobile, and we opened the shop in 2017. We were buying beans from some great distributors, but then we got our own roaster! We upgraded when my husband Tony heard about air-roasting.
"We wanted distinct aromas and flavors.” Different from traditional barrel roasting, Sarah added that their process results in unique flavor profiles that their clientele “absolutely love.”
The shop sells 14 varieties of air-roasted beans, including exotic roasts with names like the fruity Tanzanian Peaberry Kilimanjaro and the creamy and spicy India Monsoon Malabar Gold (both $12.50 per 8oz. Bag) — all handcrafted by Sarah’s nephew, Tony. They also offer a complete menu of hot and iced coffee drinks. Those include the ever-popular “Abuelita” ($4.56) a Mexican mocha with dark chocolate and cinnamon notes.” Delicious beans are where we start with every drink, especially espresso”, Sarah continued.
Finally, she had this to say about the shop’s highly entertaining Volkswagen theme: “We do everything with love … when we started, we were in the VW Transporter Bus, which lent a sense of wonder; we want customers to experience that same sense of wonder when they visit the shop.”
Candlestick Coffee/Grinding Gears Coffee Company
At The Farm Stand
4206 Corrales Rd, Corrales, NM 87048
M-Sun 8am-3pm
https://grindinggearscoffee.com/
Good news, caffeine lovers! Candlestick Coffee and Grinding Gears Coffee have officially merged to create one of the city’s most potent retail outlets for all things coffee bean. And actually, these busy grinders and entrepreneurs have been making their name(s) in this town on two accounts. Besides roasting and selling some of this region’s aromatic best, the shop’s proprietors, Zach Smith and Jason McDermott, have stepped into the community spotlight as advocates and practitioners of supportive employment for differently abled local citizens.
Partner Jason explains: “I’m on the Grinding Gears side of things. We started out as a coffee truck in 2014; we were very successful. Our mission has always been to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We do this through job training, job placement, and on-the-job support. I’ve known Zach for years; we both share the same vision. He’s a fantastic roaster.”
Jason had a vision of the future that he shared with his old friend. Together, he and Zack decided to make that vision happen. “Zach sources all of his beans from specific farmers; he knows what he is looking for, and then he roasts in super-small artisanal batches.” These highly crafted small batch roasts include favorites like crisp “Guatemala” and “Peru” varieties, as well as the highly recommended and brightly accented “Corrales Roast”. ($21-23 per 1lb. bag).
The future of Grinding Gears may include a coffee shop, but for right now, the two partners want to concentrate on “putting out the best beans in Burque while manifesting their bigger mission, which is supporting people with disabilities”.
Grandma’s Coffee Garden
124 Girard Blvd SE
Albuquerque NM 87106
W-Sun 8am-1pm
https://www.grandmascoffeegarden.com/
On the southwestern edge of the University of New Mexico’s lofty main campus, near the place where the well-worn ‘student ghetto’ becomes a toney version of ‘Nob Hill’, in a verdant garden surrounded by age-old adobe walls one may spend a pleasant morning watching bees drift from colorful flower to flower as college students come and go while the coffee — robust and relaxing — flows abundantly.
Grandma’s Coffee Garden — run collectively by a trio known to their growing clientele as Betsy, Austin, and Adrian — has done the impossible; they’ve created a compelling coffee oasis in the midst of a very busy urban environment. As Betsy recalled to this reporter as she filled up what turned out to be a totally awesome 16-ounce hot brew, American style ($.4.99), “We wanted to do something different. Something people could relate to. We’re accessible and understandable.” The Garden certainly is welcoming.
Simple yet beautiful like an old cottonwood or a new wildflower bloom, this shop uses locally sourced beans and a super-sweet spot to remind us all of the beauty of nature and of coffee in the community, as Betsy pointed to their website, reminding readers that, “We have a mission to bring community back to coffee — to create a space where you meet new friends, chat with your neighbors, and see your besties.”
Delicious beans are where we start with every drink, especially espresso.