Question 1

What is Made for Milk?

Accepted Answer

We get it, things are tough right now and coffee isn't cheap. We've racked our brain to create a product that's more affordable while maintaining a level of quality we're happy with. We developed this iced coffee to stand up to a splash of milk without tasting sour or watered down (like other modern light roasted coffees), and while it's great on it's own, it's Made for Milk.

Question 2

What is Japanese iced coffee?

Accepted Answer

This is by far the most asked question in the coffee shop. Japanese iced coffee is brewed hot, and flash chilled over ice to "lock in" the more delicate notes of the coffee. For a more in-depth discussion and how to make it at home, check out this article by Rohs Street Cafe. Or this article by Food52.

Japanese Iced Coffee has been on our menu from our first day open in early 2017 and has been both a crowd and barista favorite for many years. While we can't say we created the method, we're proud to be the ones to bring it to Denver and inspire many local shops to follow in our footsteps over the years

Question 3

Do you have nitro cold brew?

Accepted Answer

Not only do we have  nitro cold brew on tap made with Broad Strokes, our cold brew specific blend, but we also have Strava Gold nitro iced coffee on tap. If cold brew isn't your thing consider Japanese iced coffee or Made for Milk.

Question 4

What coffee do you use for espresso?

Accepted Answer

We're serving up our signature Headliner espresso, but that may change from time to time.

Question 5

Do you offer any pour-over coffees?

Accepted Answer

We've decided to focus on our filter coffee instead. We have (and continue to) spend hours calibrating our equipment and adjusting our settings to each coffee. This allows us to provide the highest level of quality, consistency, and in a timely manor. We have our featured roasters on filter alongside our own blends, bringing you coffee grown and roasted in all corners of the world. Spheres have corners right?

Question 6

What are your caffeine-free options?

Accepted Answer

We can make all of your favorite espresso drinks caffeine-free with Low Pressure, our decaf espresso. Other options include hot chocolate made with local DAR Craft Chocolate, herbal teas from Tea with Tae, kombucha from Cliffhouse Kombucha, or the barista favorite--our golden latte made with Golden Root. So no more need to google "how much caffeine is in coffee"

Question 7

What are your food options?

Accepted Answer

We are currently offering pastries from Hearth, a local bakery handcrafting world class pastries. We take pride in everything we do, so you can rest assured that all of our products are made fresh every day.

Question 8

Do you offer any dairy-free or vegan options?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We offer Oatly, oat milk and Pacific almond milk for those who cannot, or chose to not have dairy. We also carry Vegan and Gluten free "cookies" by Dan the Baking Man

Question 9

Are you a dog friendly coffee shop?

Accepted Answer

Blake St. Location:
Even though we can't technically allow pets inside we do have a patio and a rooftop patio where you can hang out with your furry friend(s). 
 
Platte St. Location:
Our Platte st. location is connected to a lobby of the office building we are located in, and pets are allowed both inside the lobby and on our patio outside.

Sherman St. Location:
 Our Platte st. location is connected to a lobby of the office building we are located in, and pets are allowed both inside the lobby and on our patio outside.

Denver health code doesn't allow pets of any kind in an eating establishment unless your pet is a licensed service dog. If you have other questions, refer to the City of Denver’s guidance brochure

So the short answer is Yes, we are a dog friendly coffee shop!

Question 10

Do you have wifi?

Accepted Answer

We do! Both locations have free  wifi available.
 
Blake St. Location:
The entire Backyard on Blake property, inside, outside, and the beautiful rooftop is covered in one network. If you're sitting inside we recommend connecting to the open network "Blue Sparrow" and if you're sitting outside in our courtyard or rooftop we recommend you connect to "BackyardonBlake"
 
Platte St. Location:
Our Platte St location also has great WiFi that works in our space, on our patio, and in the building lobby where there is more seating. Connect to "Blue Sparrow" for public access.

Question 11

Do you have outlets?

Accepted Answer

We do have outlets at some but not all of our seats at both locations.

Question 12

What is the Single-Use Initiative?

Accepted Answer

Last year we launched our Single Use Initiative to create our very own “Sustainability” Fund. The plan was to collect $0.10 from every single-use cup sold in the hopes that it would encourage a change in customer behavior towards reusable products. We wanted to make sure it didn’t just feel like a sneaky up-charge so we committed to using 100% of the proceeds to fund "sustainable" initiatives we wouldn’t otherwise take on. Turns out it was much more work for our team to account for accurately and ended up being so burdensome to track it was slowing down the implementation of our initiatives. We’re learning from our mistakes, scrapping that plan, and starting over with our alternative milks.

Why Alt-Milks? Well a glass of dairy milk produces close to x3 more greenhouse gas (GHG) than its alt-milk competitors (oat, soy, and almond). We acknowledge there are other areas for improvement in the alt-milk arena, but GHG's drive climate change so we are most interested in reducing their presence in our stores.

Let’s do some quick math. We used to charge $0.65 for alternative milk and when our prices went up this year we calculated the new cost at around ~ $0.75. But when you buy a drink with alt-milk at Blue Sparrow the charge is $0.50. That’s where the new "Sustainability" Fund comes in. We decided to subsidize the cost of alternative milks with our fund to keep prices low on lower impact options within our store. 100% of our single-use charge will go to keeping alternative milks cheaper, in the name of "sustainability".

Question 13

Can I bring in my own cup?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We encourage you to bring in your own cup to reduce the number of single-use products going to our landfills.

Over the years we have also worked on various sustainability projects working towards reducing the use of single use cups. You can read more about Project Gandy here, and look forward to a new program launching later in 2024 to help us reach our 2024 goal of 27% of all drinks being served in a reusable cup.

Lastly, as always welcome you stay and enjoy your coffee in the cafe with us!

Question 14

Do you offer any local or industry discounts?

Accepted Answer

To keep it simple and to thank our entire neighborhood we have punch cards for everyone. For every 8 drinks you buy, your next one is on us, so go crazy!

Question 15

Do you have public restrooms?

Accepted Answer

Blake St. Location: 
A shared bathroom is available to all patrons of Backyard on Blake within the courtyard on the ground level of the property. Check with the baristas for access.
 
Platte St. Location: 
Bathrooms are available in the lobby, near the parking garage entrance.

- BLUE SPARROW COFFEE -