Steaming Bean Coffee Co

Great cozy little place to grab a cuppa and even a pint if you like. Hidden away to keep tourists out which is also nice. Real mugs for your brew and not all paper cups is also nice and spoons instead of plastic stirring sticks for the environmentally conscious. Quiet and perfect to plug in and write while you wake up.

Over the past few years, I have watched coffee shops blow up and get big and then crash and burn. The Bean is one of the first stand-alone coffee shops in Durango, but it doesn’t feel that way anymore. After their move to the musty, dark basement of the Irish Pub, they have started to lose themselves. It seems that their coffee, baristas, and general positive energy has slipped away and turned into a mediocre location with improperly-ratioed espressos, over-steamed milk drinks, and generic coffee flavors. We loved the Bean, but as they moved to their new location, it has felt like they needed a revamping and renervizing. We hope they turn it around.

The Bean has improved greatly in the past five years, and they are almost there! The environment has become my favorite in Durango since they remodeled. Comfy couches, a variety of seating arrangements and plenty of 120v outlets! Excellent lighting and the best people watching. My only complaint is that they, like the Durango Coffee Company, have in the past offered regular priced small espresso drinks starting with 1 shot of espresso, which is probably against the law in cities like Seattle and the like. Not sure if they have changed this as I stick to the drip at the bean now, but the board suggests americanos start at a single shot of espresso, which to put in perspective is equivalent to a half cup of coffee or less. This is the difference in 3 stars to 4 or 5.

I'm a local. I work from home / at coffee shops or library, and I'd like to give The Bean regular business. But each time I've visited, I've had terrible customer service -- zero acknowledgement from the staff when waiting at the counter, baristas with their backs turned, 100% ignoring customers. Sorry, but it's pretty simple to offer good customer service at a coffee shop, and plenty of other places in town are able to. I'll go there instead.