Prodigy Coffee
Hello from Prodigy Coffee!
Drinks: Chai for the win!! As I've mentioned in different coffee spills, I tend to stay away from ordering chai at most coffee shops since they usually make them sweet as opposed to spicy (and I like them more on the spicy side of things, if you know what I mean). My friend ended up getting their "Housemade Chai" and it excelled. Seriously, like wow. It had the perfect hint of sweetness to it but was overall spicy and the closest thing I've ever tasted to authentic chai at an American coffee shop. I tried their "LAVANILLA" latte which is a vanilla latte with lavender (I ordered this with oat milk, of course). If you don't like the taste of lavender overpowering and strong, then I don't recommend this drink unless you ask them to decrease the amount of lavender they put in there. Otherwise, I thought it was pretty good - something new to break me away from my usual order of a vanilla or matcha latte.
Food: I didn't try their food items, however, they had a selection of pastries, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and lunch paninis.
Space: This is one of the biggest coffee shops I've come across in Denver. It's very spacious with high ceilings, a private meeting room of some sort, and tables all around. They have booth-type seating which is super comfortable for those who come to do work, study, etc. The space itself is different overall as it has a "garage" aesthetic. There are, quite literally, garage windows that open up per-request, but you'll usually find them open when it's warm outside. Speaking of outside, they have plenty of outside seating as well. One thing I enjoyed about this space is how it's secluded in an area on its own. Most coffee shops are usually in between some kind of shopping center (which usually doesn't bother me), but it stood out to me how, probably due to its bigger size, it stands alone and in a quieter area. Last, but certainly not least, they have such a beautiful mural painted all over the outside of the building, which adds to the aesthetic of the place.
Vibes: Forget aesthetic for a second, because it has that. BUT... the mission. The mission is extraordinary. While most coffee shops tend to be fairly community based, this one is on a different level. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was how young the baristas looked. As I waited for my coffee and roamed around, I noticed different timelines across the walls of its interior. As you can see from the left photo above, they have the definition of the word "prodigy" clearly visible; "a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional abilities." The photos placed all across the timeline in the shop portrayed younger adults, most likely college students and young professionals. So, once I got my coffee and cozied down - the first thing I searched on my laptop was "prodigy coffee". My heart warmed up so much when I clicked on the "about" button and read their mission; "Through high-caliber professional development and hands-on learning in a Prodigy enterprise, disconnected young adults develop mindsets and skills for sustainable careers, economic mobility and, most importantly, to go forth and enrich their city."
This coffeehouse is built to mobilize our youth, create sustainability, professional development, and economic mobility. To see a coffeehouse so invested in the future of the youth is phenomenal, you don't see very much of that in this day and age. One thing I noticed while spending time there, is how the majority of the individuals having meetings/doing work in the space were young professionals. With that being said, I highly recommend this coffeehouse. For me, it was beyond the coffee and space - it was more about the idea and the incentive the establishment held.
Till next time,
Ayah