The Laughing Goat uses Kaladi’s beans, the best roast in Colorado, and prepares espresso every bit as well as Kaladi’s in Denver. The drinks are impossible to describe without sounding like a wine-snob: nutty, hints of cocoa with a strong earthy finish. I’m just talking about coffee, mind you. It would be a mortal sin to spoil this experience with a shot of syrup.

The Goat also has all of the bohemian charm you’d hope for in a college town coffee hang out. Acoustic music to boot.

Vic’s is a Boulder institution and the most often cited “best espresso in Boulder”. I have to agree with the crowds in this case. If you’ve been spoiled on Seattle or San Francisco’s preponderance of fine espresso shops, Vic’s will be welcome and familiar. Vic’s espresso is long on crema and roasted just enough to taste like espresso but still retain the complexity of the constituent beans. What’s surprising is the fact that the beans come from Allegro – otherwise unremarkable in my experience.

If your most memorable espresso experience was in a train station or cafe in Italy, you will enjoy Amante – the espresso is old-school: dark and bitter. Classic Italian espresso is roasted to the point where much of the flavor is lost. I like to taste the beans a little more, but I appreciate the adherence to the original.

A rare case where a shop that serves espresso as an aside can actually hold up to the best. Some people are positively giddy about this place – I like it, but if it weren’t for the chocolate, I wouldn’t go out of my way.

The brewing market serves dark roasted espresso and suffers a bit of the chain disease – barristas are pleasant, but lack passion or pride. The result is inconsistency. Worth it if you are walking by and need a fix, but can be disappointing. They do have a great chocolate selection. Many locations around Boulder.

This is in my ‘hood, so dear to me. The people are great, and very passionate about coffee. The espresso’s not quite as good as the Goat or Vic’s, but not far behind.

Espresso Roma is part of a small chain, with a number of locations in California, but it sure doesn’t look like it. The coffee is good, but the atmosphere is great – the kind of place you’d expect to find Bukowski recovering from a bender.

Joe’s is another solid espresso shop with a clear passion for the bean. Uses Allegro beans, but not as successfully as Vic’s. To be fair, I’ve only been once – I’ve heard even the Goat is not perfect every time. Good enough that I’ll give it another try.

Also serves Allegro coffee. Decent, but not great.

Coffee’s good and the atmosphere is hard to beat. Where aspiring poets and aspiring Olympians bump elbows.