Above: The Gallup Coffee Company’s mocha-java house blend, $13 a pound.
Sure, mocha-java is a classic blend, but the Gallup Coffee Company’s small-batch roasting reveals the hidden character of each bean variety. Owner Tiffany Benson inspects every sack of raw beans imported from Ethiopia and Sumatra, then tailors the roasting process to them, a mere three pounds at a time. “You get all this cedar and tobacco from the Sumatra, and the Ethiopia has this crisp, citrus floral character to it,” she says.
The coffee shop anchors a renaissance in Gallup’s historic district, where Benson and other energetic entrepreneurs host Downtown Night Out. On the last Saturday of every month, Gallup Coffee Company, Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe, American Bar, Coal Street Pub, El Morro Theatre, and Sammy C’s Rock ’n’ Sports Pub & Grille stay open late, luring crowds with live music, dance parties, costume contests, and food and drink specials.
Bizcochito lattes pack them in at the Coffee Company, thanks to Benson’s custom-made anise-brandy-and-cinnamon syrup. (The shop also serves house-made cookies, pastries, muffins, bagels, and madeleines.) In researching her special latte, Benson tasted dozens of bizcochitos to find the best recipe, then modeled her syrup after it. “There really isn’t anything more New Mexican than a bizcochito latte,” she says.
The Gallup Coffee Company
203 W Coal Ave.
Gallup, NM 87301
(505) 410-2505; on Facebook