Try This Couture Coffee Shop the Next Time You’re in Aspen – 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Inside Felix Roasting Co. Photo by Reagan Petrehen, courtesy of Felix Roasting Co.Eat and Drink

Felix Roasting Co.s first outpost beyond New York City offers a highly curated coffee experience, from their hickory smoked smores latte to their branded sugar packets.

Walk into Felix Roasting Co., and youll smell coffeegood coffeemixed with a hint of hickory smoke and sweet, house-made pastries. Youll hear the hum of conversation, the pattering of fingers on keyboards, and the intermittent buzz of the espresso machine. Your eyes wont know where to land as they devour the velour couches, the brazen wallpaper, and the handsome raised panel oak bar. And thats all before youve had the first taste of your latte, matcha, or whipped ricotta and fig toast.

Theres no question: Aspens newest coffee shop offers a veritable feast for the senses.

Situated inside the towns historic Hotel Jerome (though with its own storefront), the custom roastery opened its Aspen outpostthe first location outside of New York Cityin early September. And despite its maximalist experience, it aims to be a source of respite in the midst of a guests busy day.

From ingredients to dcor, Felix is a bean-to-cup operation. The coffee is sourced directly from the farmer, chosen for its seasonality, and roasted by Felixs in-house team. The nut and oat milks are made just for Felix. Even the aestheticright down to the sugar packetswas meticulously crafted. We try to really curate the entire experience from A to Z, says founder and CEO Matthew Moinian.

Among the most elegant examples of this highly detailed process is the signature hickory smoked smores latte, which, at $18, is the most expensive coffee drink on the menu, but it comes with a show (and is sure to boost your number of Instagram followers). A barista makes the decadent caffeine hit to order, mixing steamed, graham-cracker-infused milk, and a shot of espresso. Its served in a dark-chocolate- and graham-cracker-rimmed martini glass and garnished with a hickory stick and marshmallowthe latter, a treat the barista torches while the latte smokes. All of the ingredients (as well as the smoker and serving glass) are personally sourced or made in-house. These are all the things we like to do that are above and beyond the traditional caf experience, Moinian says. Its sort of my ode to coffee.

Moinian remembers how, when he turned 30, my vitality just fell off a cliff. He felt tired throughout the day and had gained some weight. It was coffeea shot of instant java, to be exactthat gave him enough of a caffeine jolt to get to the gym one morningand many mornings after that. Coffee changed my life, he says. It made me feel younger, more energetic. It really made a dramatic shift.

Back then, Moinian was working as a lawyer for his familys business, the Moinian Group, which ranks among the largest privately held real estate investment companies in the world. Moinians own $60 million project, Hotel Hugo, had just been received to high acclaim. But in 2014, his corner office overlooking Central Park began feeling a bit stuffy. I decided that an office wasnt the place for me, and I wanted to be a creative person, he says, likening it to the clich of the successful businessperson who leaves Wall Street to buy a Napa Valley winery. Felix is my version of that.

It took Moinian four years to put together his dream team, including the in-demand interior designer Ken Fulk and a James Beard Awardnominated chef, who created the companys Insta-worthy coffee cocktails. I only wanted the best, Moinian says of Felixs inner circle. When they were ready to do it, thats when we started.

Choosing Aspen as the first location beyond the Big Apple was a personal choice on Moinians part (he proposed to his wife on Aspen Mountains Silver Queen Gondola), but hes also confident the towns clientele will appreciate the Felix experienceand not just those flying in on their private jets. With most of their beverages in the $5 to $10 range, its approachable for locals, too.

Alberto Nieto Williams, the Aspen locations manager, hopes Felix will become the obvious choice for Hotel Jerome guests as well as for employees on their way to work and remote employees vying for office space along with a cappuccino. This corner, from being not too well known, is becoming Felix, he says.

No matter how long a guest stays, whether its five minutes or a couple hours, the goal is to offer a transformative environment at an approachable price point, Moinian says. Whatever youd like to do, were there for youand the price of admission is a latte.

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Try This Couture Coffee Shop the Next Time You're in Aspen - 5280 | The Denver Magazine