Golden Pine Coffee Roasters

Golden Pine sits on Black Forest Road in Colorado Springs and is run by Ryan, a hands-on owner who walks customers through bean selection at the counter like a sommelier walks a table through a wine list. That description sounds like a stretch until you go in and find him doing it. A monthly shipping customer in Florida calls in five-pound orders by phone because they want Ryan picking the bags personally.

The Forest Mist Blend is the house signature. The Red Stallion Espresso is the pull-shot bean. The Nicaraguan single origin is what to order if you want something with more character. The Red Eye is the drink for people who came to wake up, double-shot espresso poured into drip coffee, no apology.

The space is small and cozy. Wi-Fi is good enough to make it a working stop. Monthly bulk shipping in five-pound bags is the model for out-of-state customers, which is how Golden Pine ended up with a Florida regular who's never set foot in the shop. The phone-order route is unusual and worth knowing about; it's not on the website as a feature, it's just how the business works for the people who use it.

Two operational notes that matter before you drive over. The shop is not open Thursdays. Sunday hours aren't always clearly posted, and at least one customer drove out to find the doors closed. Check the schedule. Call ahead on Sundays. Both of these are normal small-roaster realities; both are the kind of detail you only learn the hard way if nobody tells you.

Who this is for: Colorado Springs locals who want a one-on-one coffee education before they buy a bag, home brewers who do pour over or French press and want a roaster who pays attention to their preferences, and anybody in another state willing to call a phone number and have Ryan pick out the bags. Skip the drive on a Thursday.