OGDEN ― With a population of just under 87,000 residents, this mountainside city boasts its fair share of unique coffee shops.
Kaffe Mercantile
“We have a really strong coffee community in Ogden and everybody has their own kind of specialty that they all do, which is cool,” said Nick Morris, who co-owns two Kaffe Mercantile locations with his life partner Lance Smith.
Their east bench neighborhood shop at 1221 26th Street, opened in 2009, with the second South Ogden spot at 930 Chambers Street sprouting in 2015. A third downtown site succumbed to the Covid pandemic in 2020.
In addition to several interesting coffees, Kaffe Merc also serves up caffeine-free hot drinks such as Turmeric Chai and Roby Ginger Latte.
The Turmeric Chai contains organic turmeric. Also cinnamon, black pepper, cardamon, and clove, while the Ruby Ginger Latte has beetroot, organic coconut milk, cinnamon, ginger and ashwagandha root.
Morris anticipates brisk holiday foot traffic through the holidays.
“From (Thanksgiving) on, it’s just go go go,” Morris said. “A lot of people are getting out of the weather, studying, or just taking a break.”
In addition to drinks, Kaffe Merc offers vegan food options and fresh pastries.
Coffee Links
The family-owned Coffee Links at 287 Park Boulevard in downtown Ogden also serves up food and unique, seasonal beverages.
Manager Mauricio Araujo said that customers tend to seek out hot chocolate, peppermint or pumpkin-flavored drinks as the temperature drops. But Head Barista Eric Bond also invented two noteworthy seasonal favorites.
The Grinch ― which began as a Christmas beverage ― contains white chocolate and Creme de Menthe flavoring, while Cupid’s Kiss substitutes raspberry flavoring for the mint.
“He (Bond) loves his job, he loves making coffee to make people happy,” Araujo said. “When you have that kind of passion, you get a lot of ideas.”
Araujo said they first opened in 2013 at a more remote spot before relocating to Park Boulevard in August 2017. Loyal customers considered them a hidden gem and followed them there. The cafe’s culinary fare includes sandwiches, quesadillas and salads.
Daily Rise Coffee
Daily Rise first opened a drive-through coffee spot at 2865 Washington Boulevard in 2004, then a second drive-through in Layton in 2008. And in 2012, owners Jeff and Beth Furton launched their own Layton-based roasting company.
Ogden gained its second Daily Rise at 2314 Washington Boulevard in the fall of 2018.
Barista Kate Cline said she’d worked there for three years and business is brisk. And yes, with the weather growing frosty and the holiday season almost in full swing, Cline said that hot beverages rule the day ― including their signature coffees, lattes and caffeine-free hot chocolate.
“We make our own special house-made mocha mix,” Cline said of their hot chocolate. “It’s a secret recipe, and it’s absolutely divine.”
This summer, a Daily Rise employee opened another location in Park City.
The Daily Rise roastery at 1989 Antelope Drive in Layton is woman-owned, and sells twenty different whole-bean options. Customers can also find crepes, several varieties of toast and breakfast burritos at Daily Rise.
Cuppa
Natalia Ferrada & Sarah Adams launched Cuppa at 552 E 25th Street in 2017. The coffeeshop/eatery features vegan fare and beverages.
“We’ve got hot chocolates and tea lattes that are pretty popular,” Ferrada said.
And unique as well. Take the London Tea Latte, for example. The black tea beverage includes lavender, vanilla, and the customer’s choice of steamed alternative milk.
“All our tea lattes are steeped so they’re all timed and portioned out, then blended together fresh to order,” Ferrada said, touting the large number of tea and milk options Cuppa offers.
Adams mentioned another Cuppa latte ― this one caffeine free ― sure to chase the chills away: “Our Golden Milk Latte is really good,” Adams said. “We make our own spice blend ― turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg ― we steam it in with the milk so it’s a little bit spicy. So it warms you up for sure.”
The cafe features wide-ranging vegan food options and house-baked pastries, and live music is expected to make a comeback for Sunday brunch in December.
Bean-a-Colada
Bean-a-Colada first opened inside the Pleasant Valley branch of the Weber County Library system in 2009, and now has cozy cafes at the Library’s Main and Southwest branches as well. Heather Jensen took over ownership of all three locations this July.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and it seemed like the right time,” Jensen said. “I got the chance to jump in and take it over.”
Their customer traffic took a hit during Covid, but Jensen said “it’s slowly picking up as we go, so that’s definitely helping out.”
Along with coffee, its cold-weather beverages include hot chocolate and a peppermint option. And for customers who crave a little caffeine in their lattes, Bean-a-Colado serves up the Dirty Chai.
“It’s just like our chai latte, but it has an espresso shot too,” Jensen said. “They’re really delicious and are one of our very popular drinks.”
Food fare at Bean-a-Colada includes salads, sandwiches and wraps. Weber County Library locations are listed on its website.
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