Filipino Culture & Community Bloom at Coffee Sarap
A peek at the menu board and drink mixing area at Coffee Sarap in Denver, CO.
There is true joy in experiencing a new coffee shop while traveling. In all honesty, it has become a ritual of mine, an act that propels me through town on an expedition to find the ideal coffeehouse. For me, coffee is a reason to wake up in the morning. It soothes my soul, and in some ways, it is my meditative practice, as I steadily pour 195°F water into my Chemex after having precisely weighed out coffee beans and ground them for my morning brew.
Other times, it’s actively focusing on steaming 6-ounces of oat milk for another almost successful attempt at an artsy Rosetta that I know I will someday master, but not today. While I tend to gravitate towards minimalist third-wave coffee shops during my travels, I am typically enamored with places that bring their own sense of unique culture and people together. When I find these types of coffee shops, I sit, linger, and savor.
An assortment of Filipino-inspired pastries, and delicious baked goods from Cakeheads rest on the counter at Coffee Sarap.
During one of my summer trips to Denver, I found a lovely and unique coffee shop that brings a deep connection to Filipino culture to the RiNo Art District. Coffee Sarap is a Filipino-inspired and women-owned, third-wave coffee shop that connects tasty baked goods with flavorful specialty espresso drinks and a passion for uplifting the culture and community.
According to the founders, Chelsey and Hannah, the idea behind the concept first began through friendship and their shared Filipino-American heritage and identity that manifested through communal meals, recipes, and friend and family gatherings. The bridging of culture and community came to fruition through their business partnership, which led to the opening of Coffee Sarap, bringing together Filipino-made pastries, baked goods, and also ingredients that give their specialty espresso drinks the sweet, creamy, toasty, and nutty flavors of Ube and Pandan, both of which are traditional foods native to the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
A delicious, subtly sweet Ube pandesal bread roll.
When visiting the coffeehouse, you’ll be impressed by the size of the space, the artistic aesthetics and interior design. It is a shop that is fitting for the RiNo Art District, with minimalist-type seating, but many creative features, including a vibrant mural resembling the majestic Rocky Mountains. The space maintains abundant seating, especially a lovely outdoor space where you can lounge while sipping on a specialty house drink or devouring a sweet treat.
While I prefer minimalist coffee drinks like an oat cappuccino, a Flat White, or a pour-over, I will rally behind a sweeter drink when the moment calls for it. Especially when the drink includes Ube, or any flavors from Southeast Asia that remind me of the neighborhood eats I grew up with during my teenage years in Anaheim. When I read the menu and discovered their Palawan Dreams, I knew I had to make my way across town to get a taste of this distinct and flavorful beverage. If you enjoy an espresso drink with some sweeter, more robust flavors, then Palawan Dreams is for you.
From the first taste of this sweet mixture, you experience the sweet and robust flavors of the Ube and espresso intertwining. Take a sip of the Pandan cold foam, and now you’re sending your taste buds on a pleasure trip, and a full-on dopamine-induced voyage with serotonin, endorphins, and all the good stuff. As I said, I can rally behind a good sweet treat from time to time. Like the Palawan Dreams, the Ube pandesal bread rolls satisfy the craving for sweet bread. These purple buns are fluffy, airy, and soft with a unique hint of chocolate that adds more depth to the mix. The shop’s traditional, yet contemporary Filipino-style sweets are satisfying, and you’ll find plenty of desserts and drinks to enjoy.
A Coffee Sarap signature drink, Palawan Dreams is an Ube latte made with pandan cold foam.
Coffee Sarap has captured a chill vibe from the design and feel of the space to their distinctly curated menu. Importantly, they have built a community pipeline that brings together an assortment of delicious baked treats from community-centered local businesses. Local bakeries, such as Black Box Bakery, Cakeheads Bakery, and the Filipino-BBQ takeout kitchen, Paborito, create the vast selection of confections that you’ll find assembled across the service counter. You can taste the love and labor in every bite of these shops’ wonderful goods, and like the Blue Columbine flower that grows high in the Rocky Mountains, culture and community bloom at Coffee Sarap.
