Colorado | Four.

There’s this town in Northern Colorado called Fort Collins. According to my friend currently sitting next to me, it was rated the happiest town in America last year. We have frequented Fort Collins this summer because a few great staff members live in the area and it is also directly out of the mountains on the way down from resident camp up in Estes Park. Colorado State is in Fort Collins, making the town appeal perfectly to college kids. In the middle of some fields and new condos there is a area called Jessup Farms, and in a little white and brick building is Bindle Coffee. 

I first experienced Bindle on a Sunday morning. I had heard of the delectable summer specials and quaint seating areas for weeks and finally made it there myself. When you walk into Bindle there is a large windowed garage door on the opposite wall of the entrance. The brick wall to the right holds a map with markers of where their various small batch roasted coffee is from. The wood slated wall to the left has the simplistic menu and shelves of coffee gadgets and nick-knacks. You walk up to the bar and tell the barista what drink you want then pay at the opposite end near their roaster. The summer menu is incredible. One drink is a mint infused cold brew with cream, another espresso with a Mexican coke, and lime iced coffee. Whoever is coming up with these exotic and unique creations deserves an award. 

For some reason I feel Bindle is heaven sent. We SAT and SAVORED (Bindle's tag line is Sit + Savor) our iced coffee drinks for a few hours, reading, writing, admiring the cute little white Bindle hydro flasks without a care in the world. The people are kind, the music is on point, and Bindle is content with doing their own thing confidently and with excellence. It was a dream. I bought a bag of Uganda roast coffee, ground exactly for my Aeropress. Bindle feels unlike any other coffee shop and I’ve been to a lot of coffee shops. There’s something about Bindle you feel they want you to come in and discover the beautiful secrets of their hand crafted drinks. Throughout the week when I was tired or low on motivation I would think about my morning in Bindle. The coffee, the people I was with, the piano in the courtyard painted by local artists awaiting playing, the warm sun, it was perfect. 

Sometimes you just need a place where you are a stranger but also feel welcomed, to sit in autonomy refueling with coffee on a Sunday morning.

Bindle, I’ll be back again. I'm rooting for you and fully believe you are excelling at your goal of creating a space for people to SIT + SAVOR. You deserve every award and accolade for your humble staff and killer caffeine.