Fireside Books & Coffee, Englewood
When I stepped inside the doors for the first time, I found myself falling for the place almost immediately.
I have done a great disservice to the humanity of Denver and its greater Metro Area. In all of the weeks that I have reviewed and written about coffee, I’ve had yet to mention my home away from home. Fireside Books and Coffee is unique amongst coffee shops – in essence, because it is not a coffee shop. Owner and operator, Sam, has designed his business model after the reading rooms of London, rather than ordinary book stores or coffee houses. When I first saw the little shop, sitting alone on the street corner, I had the impression that I’ve heard from many others since. It looked barren, stark, and a bit scary. The neon coffee signs glare into the night sky, seeming to welcome friends and warn away strangers. I would have remained one of those strangers if I had not been introduced properly.
When I stepped inside the doors for the first time, I found myself falling for the place almost immediately. One side of the little shop is filled with books, piled high from floor to ceiling, in simple wooden shelves, stacked so closely together that one must pull in all elbows and large-sized ears to avoid catastrophe.
Used books of every type and genre tower over the literature pursuant, daring one even to try limiting oneself to just one book. Next to the café is an entire wall of old, unique books, smelling of dust and paper and ancient ink. I often stand and gaze longingly at the old manuscripts, tenderly leafing through the musty pages of German volumes, absorbing every word that I understand. It is a reader’s paradise. I don’t often have the time to sit and enjoy a good book, but the ambience at Fireside makes one wish to cast all other cares into whatever abyss they came from, curl up, and marinate in words.
On the other side of the shop is a warm reading room, complete with study areas, tables, comfy chairs, fireplace, and grand piano. Low shelves line the wall beneath the windows, begging to introduce the adventurous to new ideas, local authors, and exciting best sellers. Often small groups will gather for discussion, study, and games. Between the two sides is the coffee bar, laden with delectable goodies, brought in fresh from local vendors.
Fireside brews Community Coffee, from Louisiana. Founded in 1919, they are the oldest family-owned independent coffee roaster in the U.S.. According to Sam, they have built relationships with the supplying communities in South America over the past 92 years that allow them to choose the most premium beans. Though coffee is not all of what Fireside is about, Sam prides himself on having a very unique, specially chosen brand of coffee, available fresh at any time of the day or night. Did I mention? Fireside is the only coffee shop in the area that is open 24 hours per day, including all holidays.
In all of the months that I have spent at Fireside, I had not tried the coffee until just recently. For my first experience, I chose a unique offering from the menu, called Chicory Coffee. According to David, one of Fireside’s baristas, Chicory Coffee is made from a lettuce root that is roasted, ground up, and combined with coffee grounds before brewing. The whole idea seemed a little odd to me, but hey – I can only die once!
The coffee smelled very mild. David said that it was a light roast, so I should be able to taste the nuances in it. My friend Clint Washington Jones* declared that it smelled a bit like lettuce. That was not a very good sign. At first taste, however, I was very surprised. It was of a medium flavor, and quite mellow. I had expected it to grab my tongue and twist it into knots as so many have before, but it never did. There was no bite, no extreme bitterness. Another friend, Mary, agreed that although it did not smell wonderful like some coffees, it didn’t taste horrible either. I detected a bit of burnt flavor underlying a buttery nuttiness. At one point, I even thought it tasted slightly musky, and mused to myself at whether it could be compared to an old dude’s cologne. Overall, though I cannot claim to have enjoyed the experience, I could definitely tolerate it. I was quite surprised that such a light roast would have clear nuances. My experience thus far has been that only the very dark roasts have depth to them. It will be interesting to try other coffees from Community Coffee in the future.
* Some names have been changed to protect the innocent. Haha.
http://www.communitycoffee.com/
Postscript. Alas, Fireside has not survived the years. It still holds place as one of my very favorite places to make memories. If I could, I would recreate it. January 29, 2021
ORIGINAL COMMENTS
Anonymous, June 7, 2011 at 3:59 PM
I have tried Chicory in coffee before, I think it is popular in the deep south, and I don't care for it. I wonder what their regular coffee with no additives taste like? - Lonnie
Bane, December 19, 2011 at 4:52 AM
Me and my Iraqi war veteran friend were there for about seven hours and we were forced to leave because a patron called the police on us stating that we were causing a disturbance. What we were doing was being paying patrons, talking on Skype so we did not disturb anyone around us and we minded our own business. Neither of us are homeless and we both have laptops mine being two months old hers being a few years. I would suggest to anyone that this 24 Hour cafe/bookstore that you should avoid it being you are not allowed to be there at 0400 for some reason. The used books are way over priced anyway and when I addressed this problem with the owner he didn't even look at me as if I did not exist. Stay away from this place it is too hostile and prissy for folks that just want a place to hang out at night.
