Over-the-Rhine Coffee Shop serves Colombian coffee and culture | Food and Drink Features | cincinnati
This story appeared within the Nov. 1 print version of CityBeat.
Over-the-Rhine is a central attraction in Cincinnati recognized for its small retailers, bars, eating places and far more that the realm has to supply. OTR continues to draw crowds regardless of the time of day, as the companies have one thing to supply whether or not you are searching for espresso within the morning, or some fancy cocktails throughout an evening in town. On the sting of the OTR, new Colombian-inspired café Coffia just lately opened at 32 East thirteenth Avenue.
Coffia is owned by married couple Edna Quiroga and Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez initially owned a café in Colombia, however after assembly his spouse in New York, he determined to convey a Colombian café to Cincinnati. The couple moved to Cincinnati to nonetheless benefit from the metropolis ambiance with out the excessive prices of New York. Quiroga determined to call it “Cofia” after the flower from which espresso comes. espresso.
Gonzalez sometimes does a lot of the work inside the shop, resembling serving to within the kitchen and being a barista, whereas Quiroga handles a lot of the work outdoors the shop, resembling communications and planning. Nonetheless, they each labored collectively to ascertain the enterprise, menu and in depth imagery.
“We needed a central place the place individuals may go to discover, and OTR is the place most individuals go,” Quiroga explains. “It is also near Kentucky, so you discover various kinds of individuals. Lots of people come from totally different elements of the nation to get married or go to a marriage, or every kind of occasions that occur downtown. It is a good place to mingle and meet different varieties of people that We are able to affect them via espresso and café.
At Coffia, every thing is impressed by Colombian tradition. With the opening of the café, the couple’s essential aim was to share their tradition with anybody the café may attain. Except for Colombian tradition, the couple took inspiration from locations they’ve traveled and locations they prefer to go for Coffia’s menu and ambiance.
“The concept is usually to convey Colombian espresso, the tradition, the meals, the sensation of the forest, the place the place you choose your beans in Colombia, to Cincinnati,” Quiroga says.
The quaint café is lined with brown tables and tall inexperienced crops. A pink neon signal studying “Kofia” catches the attention within the heart of the shop. The menu is a contemporary message board that may be rearranged as gadgets range. The counter service store not solely gives a espresso menu, however an intensive breakfast and lunch menu and an ever-expanding Colombian menu.
The primary dietary characteristic of Cofia is tapas. Tapas is Quiroga’s tackle a Spanish plate, with a Colombian twist. They arrive in about 10 totally different types. Quiroga quickly hopes so as to add extra Colombian meals to the menu, as she wasn’t aware of Cincinnati’s expansive Latino group earlier than opening Coffia.
“We’ll add some very genuine Colombian meals as a result of we did not understand that there are such a lot of Colombians right here, so many Latino individuals right here, they usually’re sort of hungry for his or her tradition,” Quiroga says. “Additionally, People are very hungry to study a distinct tradition and eat various kinds of meals. It is fascinating how a lot individuals care about it.”
On the espresso aspect, Koffee makes use of espresso, sourced from Colombia, which has a purposeful fruity contact. “The espresso may be very fruity. “When you attempt our chilly brew, you may style fruit in it, with chocolate typically, however you may nonetheless style the totally different flavors,” Quiroga explains. “It is a medium to darkish roast. So we attempt to make it as caffeinated as attainable so individuals get the vitality they want within the morning, or within the afternoon.
At the moment, the preferred espresso on the menu is the Café Increase Increase, which is 2 pictures of espresso combined with sweetened condensed milk, topped with foamed milk or skim milk. A well-liked non-coffee drink is matcha lemonade. The candy drink blends in with matcha, whereas nonetheless containing caffeine. Coffia just lately began serving alcoholic drinks as effectively.
One of many massive initiatives Coffia is presently engaged on is the Nomad Wall situated straight contained in the café constructing. With the assistance of curator and pal of the couple, Alejandro Munera, the homeowners show murals by worldwide and nationwide artists on Nomad’s wall. The format is exclusive, because the home windows will also be used for murals, so the area can be utilized to showcase totally different artists as quickly as attainable.
“Espresso is like sharing vitality, sharing love, sharing roots, sharing plans, sharing fruit, sharing birds,” says Gonzalez, when explaining his motivations behind this enterprise. “The espresso base is across the bushes, across the flowers, across the birds, across the communities. I believe the espresso is, or absorbs, the sands and the scent of the flowers of that space, but it surely additionally absorbs the non secular vitality. And I actually assume individuals imbibe that vitality. These are constructive issues about “Espresso.”
Each Gonzalez and Quiroga are very enthusiastic about increasing the shop. They’ve just lately began promoting their recipe espresso in espresso luggage in retailer and shortly on-line, and can be increasing the menu subsequent. Coffia is for anybody searching for one thing new or acquainted within the coronary heart of OTR.
Covia, 32 E. thirteenth Avenue, Over-the-Rhine. Info: instagram.com/coffiacoffeeshop.
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(Tags for translation)Cincinnati Cafes
