When Jeffrey Knott met Fiona Arnold to begin work on Blue Sparrow Coffee, his intention was to develop the cafe alongside her as he would any other contract. But a few months later, the two decided to become partners in the 470-square-foot Denver cafe, and today manage the space together.
Located in the courtyard of Backyard on Blake in the city’s RiNo District, Blue Sparrow finds itself surrounded by other businesses in what’s otherwise a residential neighborhood. One wall of the eighteen-seat cafe is lined with a blue, high-backed cushion bench. Straight ahead, a brown paper menu hangs on subway tile trailing down to the white, marble countertop. A pop of color bounces off their sky blue Slayer Steam espresso machine.
Blue Sparrow serves Sträva Coffee’s CBD infused “Peace and Wellness” line—as on tap nitro cold brew and espresso beverages. They also have a featured roaster program that rotates weekly, which, despite being highly labor intensive, Blue Sparrow is committed to. They serve espresso options and batch-brew courtesy of a FETCO, eschewing hand-brewed methods entirely, which, Knott explains, cuts down on wait times, takes up less space, and promotes consistency.
Past roasters include standouts from around the world, including Colonna, Quills Coffee, Pilot Coffee Roasters, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, Methodical Coffee, and Five Elephant.
Blue Sparrow also serves hot teas, an iced black tea on tap, matcha tea lattes, Japanese iced coffee, Kombucha on tap, and house-made blueberry soda.
“We want to be known as the neighborhood shop that features roasters from around the world,” Knott says. With a lineup like theirs, that just might be the case.
Melissa Calvert is a portrait photographer and a freelance writer based in Denver, Colorado. This is Melissa Calvert’s first feature for Sprudge Media Network.
