Brewing Market Coffee

Worst cappuccino I ever had:(I didn’t have the balls to complain to the barista but the espresso was sour, the foam was lazily plopped on with a spoon. Everywhere I go I get a cappuccino, and Brewing Market failed me miserably. It was an overall distasteful coffee experience.

I come here frequently enough because my favorite Indian restaurant is next door and I always come here after for a coffee, but today will be the last time.
I’ve never really had a bad coffee. Even the bad ones are worth drinking because caffeine. Today my pumpkin coffee tastes seriously off. I’ve had it from this place a dozen times, I know they don’t use syrup, they use real pumpkin and it’s usually good. Today was… Burnt? Bitter? Gross. I went to the counter and said hey I’m sorry but do you mind if I try something else, this doesn’t taste right. And I was met with such disgust and treated so rudely by all 3 of the people at the counter it was truly uncomfortable. There were eye rolls, sh*t talking, and glares. I’ve worked in restaurants for half of my life until recently. I would never treat a customer who politely complained like that ever.
The people who were working today were so rude I felt ashamed for complaining. I should have just thrown my coffee in the trash and gone elsewhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if they spit in my coffee or gave me decaf (which would be worse than spit in my opinion). I will never be back there ever again.

Staff friendly and knowledgable. Enjoyed the roast of the day. Like most java establishments, lots of laptops so seating wasn’t available inside.

The shop is just off the path enough to not be by the road. The spot has comfortable outdoor wicker chairs, which is rare enough in coffee places – the outdoor places usually being filled with sad metal contraptions they like to call chairs. The interior was adequately populated with large amount of seating, enough to host your next gathering of quilter united (if that’s a thing and if you’re into that).
I wouldn’t say there’s anything super unique about this place – it’s got the same general earth-​tone color scheme we all know and love, and the friendly if not eccentric baristas. You know what you’re going to get before going in, like the Hersheys chocolate of coffee shops.

Pretty good coffee and nice working environment. I’ve had good music here and very friendly baristas. Very good place to study, near CU campus and a much better option than the crowded Starbucks in the shopping center. I would recommend it to a friend.

Got an A-​OK cappuccino and a good breakfast burrito here. Seating inside and out, very friendly attendants. There were people sitting and reading/​studying, seemed to be a good chill-​out place.
I really have no complaints. Since I was a visitor passing through and likely won’t be there again anytime soon, perhaps this review is of limited value to you dear reader.
But let me say, there is nothing that would keep me from coming here again, and when I do, I will update my review.

This place sells coffee and cappuccino for a different price. In the cold version, iced coffee, but they are the same thing. They use cold coffee, but just charge you more for calling it a cappuccino. Don’t bother with the up charge and just order iced coffee. It’s a rip off with the wording. Be careful how you order.

Unfriendly employees and mediocre coffee sums up this coffee shop. If you decide to ignore all the negative reviews here, be sure not to bring in any outside food, even if it is a snack for your baby, because you will face an embarrassing reproach from an employee. Just ridiculous.

My friend and I came here to study two days in a row because it’s that great. It wasn’t crowded or loud which was great for us because we were trying to write a paper. The coffee was great, and I found the staff to be quite friendly.
It’s also located in a pretty convenient area if you ask me. Whole Foods is right there in case you get the urge to do some grocery shopping. It has a great view of the mountains and it’s open late for all those late nights I’ll probably have this fall.
It doesn’t seem like too many CU student come here (at least not in the summer) so we weren’t distracted by anyone else and got a decent amount of work done!

The brewing market is perfect for studying, never too many people or too loud. Love the chocolate selection as well that is available with the coffee. And the coconut black tea is delicious!

Brewing Market has been around FOREVER (or at least for longer than I’ve been around Boulder…), and while I don’t care for their particular coffee roasts, they do make a mean house Chai in several varieties (black tea, decaf, ginger, and some other wild and crazy varieties) and, especially at their Baseline location, offer an inviting environment to sit for a while, cozy up to the fire with friends, or settle in for a few hours’ work.
Service can be very slow, even when it is not crowded, so don’t plan on a quick «dash in» to grab your joe and go…

I no longer patronize any of the Boulder Brewing Market locations. This company obviously has enough money to open and support multiple locations, but apparently not enough money to hire enough staff to provide decent customer service.
Their first and central location is a nightmare to go to for bulk beans. The staff allows you stand around while they busy themselves at the main counter. If there is more than one customer purchasing beans, forget it. The lady in front of you always needs½ pound of four different types of beans, one of which must always be excavated from the back room since they ran out in front… Then she may decide she needs the staff person to help her think about getting a new coffee maker. I have spent a lot of time there waiting for another staff person to figure out that more than one customer has been waiting for a l-​o-​n-​g time.
I bought beans from this company for years until I just couldn’t stand it anymore. In addition to the customer service being awful, the coffee beans are not consistent in flavor. I was paying about $ 17 per pound for something I couldn’t guarantee was worth buying and making every morning.
Recently, out of desperation, I bought Gevalia traditional roast beans at Target. I have to say that this coffee is far superior to any of the beans I’ve bought at the Brewing Market for years. Currently I am using Gevalia in a 6 to 1 ration of traditional roast and French roast. The coffee flavor is deep, smooth and the best I’ve had in years. The $ savings is great. Gevalia works out to between $ 8 and $ 11 per pound depending upon where you buy it. Brewing Market costs a small fortune.

We were in desperate need of a coffee fix so we stopped in. The coffee shop is cute, clean, well appointed. I saw the bins of bulk beans behind the counter and am sure that if I lived here, I might try the beans some time. I ordered two iced lattes and then told the guy behind the counter I was going to use the restroom. I was kind of surprised when I came back out that they still weren’t ready. It was 5 p.m. and I was the only order at that time. So not the best on speed but whatever. The latte itself was really strong — like almost the consistency and mouth feel of a mocha. That was OK since I was in need of a serious caffeine jolt, but others would probably find it too strong. Decent, not great, and kind of slow. But I got my coffee fix and there’s plenty to be said for that.

From Feb. 2013
Coffee is ok. I’m used to great coffee, being from Hawaii.
We ordered a medium size dark roast with 2 shots of espresso and a small size dark roast. They ran out of dark roast in the middle of filling our cups so, without asking us, gave us a half-​filled medium cup and finished half the small cup with a light roast. For $ 4.44 total, it’s not bad but pretty annoying.

The back room is one of my favorite study places in Boulder. Lots of tables, chairs, booth seats line the walls, and they have couches. Their wifi access is easy and they have a fire place.
Espresso is good and they refill hot water for tea drinks.

Ugh. I only go here because my friend goes here and she only goes here because its next to her house. Baristas here are not friendly. I’ve never even been greeted when I’ve walked in the door! One time I ordered tea and asked for a pot and the girl said «we don’t do pots» in a tone that would have been appropriate if I had asked for a plate of handmade tortillas, even though pricing for pots of tea were clearly posted on the menu.
At the end of the day, this place is clean, has coffee, lots of seats, and provides free wifi. Its a decent place to hang out. But as far as fun, friendly, hip coffee shops go, in Boulder you can do much, much better.

Short & sweet:
Service: 2
Drinks: 3
Price: 3
Free wifi: yes.
Cleanliness of bathroom: 3
I’m torn about Brewing Market in Boulder. It was like eating crappy top ramen (honestly, tastes so bad) over and over again (too lazy to cook other food, within your comfort zone…) and then growing a strange attachment to it from the sheer amount of time you’ve spent with (eating) it.
I spent 91% of my college nights holed up in Brewing Market. There were many a minute spent shooting fellow customers a spiteful and simultaneously, a desperate look. It is prime study location and when you step inside, you’ll generally see people huddled over their fancy i-​computers. If not, then they’ll be poring over a textbook.
When you can find a seat, it’s a great place to work. Classical music hums quietly in the background. Angry stares are shot at chatty (but friendly) Boulderites who’ve come in for their fair trade coffee with soy milk.
Alice’s Friendly Guide to Finding a Seat:
Open to 10 am: seats aplenty (difficulty rating: easy)
10 — 8 pm: on-​and-​off seating (difficulty rating: medium)
9 pm — close (whether it be midnight, 2 am, 4 am, or 24 hrs — yes, I’ve experienced it all): (difficulty rating: moderately difficult)
Mid-​October and early December (midterms and finals season):
morning to afternoon: moderately difficult
early evening to close: impossible
That said, the drinks are good but nothing extraordinary. Lattes are foamed well and Americanos are delicious but I’ve had better Chai — both for the green (sweeter) and the black (spicier).
But the baristas.
Some are snarky. Some are indifferent. Some are moderately civil. But almost none are friendly.
I used to work at Starbucks and I know friends who’ve remarked to me about the creepy friendliness of most Starbucks baristas. None of my friends who’ve frequented Brewing Market in Boulder have ever commented on the niceness of these baristas. Like, I get it. You have to get up at 3:30 to come to work and make coffee for a bunch of people who don’t want to be there either. And yes, it’s 11:45 pm and you’re damned tired and these college students — they’re everywhere! Augh! Been there, done that. But a smile and a friendly hello wouldn’t kill anyone.

The trouble with Brewing Market is that it *wants* to be a cool student/​hipster hangout, but it just doesn’t cut it. I run here sometimes for a quick study break because (a) it’s slightly cheaper than Starbucks and (b) I usually can’t find a spot in the Starbucks lot. I don’t understand why it costs me more for an iced coffee than a regular — unless the price of ice has, um, become an actual amount recently. The coffee is decent quality, but it’s not really anything special. Their specialty drinks are good if I’m in the mood for one, but are definitely on the pricey side. They do have a nice selection of pastries, burritos, and chocolates.
Something else that bothers me are the people in there. I can’t say that I’ve had aggressive counter service, but they definitely seem uninterested in you or your order. And, yes — holy shit, yes — I know that a business close to a university will have students as customers (and I am one of them) but even the ‘adults’ there are rude. I didn’t think it was a big deal to ask some middle-​aged woman to move her HUGE purse and winter coat from on top of a table she wasn’t even sitting at (at 2 pm, mind you), but apparently it was. I’ve tried to ask people to help me plug in my laptop cord and they all seem inconvenienced by my request. On the plus side, it’s open late, there’s free wifi, and they don’t serve tacos.
Bottom line, it’s best to get your coffee to go.

Great view. Okay coffee.
I ordered a decaf Americano since they didn’t have house decaf brewing. It took the employee several tries until he was satisfied with the Americano. I still wasn’t satisfied, but thought maybe he was new. There were grounds at the bottom of my drink. My husband had the mocha chai which was mediocre at best. It just tasted weird.

I have to agree with the previous post about downright rude service. I go by there in the morning, and pass the starbucks to try and support a more local business. The woman behind the counter in the mornings (who seems to always be there) is ALWAYS rude. The previousl posts had mentioned the evenings, but this is the morning crew who is outright rude. I got essentially berated for asking about the coffee sizes (their spots above where they were for a while had moved!)
Today was the last straw, and I decided to write this review and never go back. I went by at 5:31a.m. (they open at 5:30 a.m.). Rude girl was just getting there and another girl was brining in pastries. I went in asked if they had coffee. She literally barked «NO!» at me, and walked away. She was late, I was not early. Well, I am done with the place, and I will go to the starbucks right next to them, because they are consistently nicer. I tried to go local, but rude service has totally driven me away.
Seriously, does anyone know the management at this location? I would love to write them a letter.