Caffeine addicts have no trouble getting their fix

BOULDER COUNTY ? My name is Caron, and I’m a coffeehouse-aholic. Not that I’m trying to end my addiction. I’m simply stating the facts.

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a café break after a hard day in front of the computer, an hour at the gym or a phone conversation with my mom.

This time of year you’re likely to find me in a coffee shop surrounded by logo-ed shopping bags as I reward myself for an afternoon of fulfilling my holiday shopping list.

Last week I kept a diary of my sipping experiences as I gave my credit card a rest.

Day 1 — After a few hours at Flatiron Crossing I headed over to the Caffé Solé in Superior. This place had the available wireless local area network (LAN) feature of its sister store in South Boulder, but lacked its ?hipness.?

The other customers were a couple of families and two pre-teen girls sipping hot chocolates. At the South Boulder location I’ve rubbed coffee mugs with hipsters like gonzo marketing guru Christopher Locke and Caffé Solé’s LAN architect Archer Sully.

Despite the view — Rock Creek homes for as far as the eye could see — the seating was comfortable and the latté was superb in its fat white mug. Plus the music was to die for. How often do you get to hear Squeeze, Hall and Oates and even the Miracles’ Love Machine in public?

Day 2 — While I was in Lafayette picking up few repair jobs at Eric Olson’s jewelry shop I popped into Java Java for a respite. The best thing about Java Java is the fabulous mugs. Tall and bright blue with a soothing matte finish, these mugs enhance the café’s excellent brew.

I sank into one of the comfy chairs and enjoyed Steely Dan on the sound system while a couple of teen-agers surfed the Net on the free Internet terminals at the back of the shop.

Day 3 — My friend Kim loaded her 4-month-old son Julian into a Snuggly and the three of us walked into downtown Louisville to look at lefty guitars at Wildwood Guitars. Then we walked across the street to Vic’s Louisville for liquid refreshment.

The establishment resembled its North Boulder counterparts down to the curvy bar and small area of bench seating. But it was much more family oriented — Kim and I could talk while Julian cooed at a single dad and 6-month-old son at the next table. Vic’s in Boulder is typically full of hipsters on coffee dates.

This Vic’s seems like an outdoor café since it’s in the Heritage Bank lobby and has a lot of open space around it. Between the streetlike ambience and the non-stop Dixieland jazz on the sound system, I thought I was in a Woody Allen movie.

Day 4 — Shopping at Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont is a little like watching Twin Peaks the TV show — eerie, fun and emotionally exhausting. The Tea Train was the perfect place to chill out and mull over the experience.

The Tea Train doesn’t serve coffee. But the barrista, who turned out to be owner Paul Cattin, recommended a drink called the Locomotive to replenish my caffeine tank. He explained it as a lattélike blend of maté and black tea with steamed milk.

According to Cattin, maté is an energizer and tonic while black tea is an antioxidant. It was so energizing that I could only down about half of the elixir before my fingers and toes were tapping.

The tapping also could be ascribed to the lively music including Louis Armstrong jazz, assorted ballads and some New Age electronic music.

Day 5 — Shopping at Water Street has definitely improved with the introduction of Bobas. Bobas is renowned for serving pearl tea, an iced drink laced with tapioca ?pearls.? Since I had enjoyed the Locomotive so much I decided to give it a try.

Imagine a sweet, cool drink in a clear plastic cup in which you can see black gummy balls about the size of blueberries swimming around. Then imagine impaling the plastic lid on that drink with a huge straw through which you suck down the gummies. I was afraid I would aspirate one and require the Heimlich maneuver, but the gal behind me in line requested double pearls because she ?was addicted.?

Despite the fact that I didn’t care much for that strange brew, I felt very much at home at Bobas. A student owned and run establishment, it resembles a student lounge with many small conversation areas, a library of books and games, a wireless LAN, a few guitars and a TV blasting the football game.

Day 6 — Antiquing in Niwot isn’t complete without a trip to the Eye Opener. I enjoyed my latté (at last!) seated in the Niwot Emporium lobby to avoid the generic rock and roll droning from the sound system.

Day 7 — On my credit card’s day of rest I hung out at the granddaddy of all Boulder area cafés, the Trident. An institution for more than 20 years, the Trident is where the hip come to socialize, philosophize and write their manifestos. They also come to relish the album-oriented music selections ranging from the Beatles to Bob Marley to R.E.M.

As I quaffed the best latté in town I remembered seeing the best minds of my generation gossiping with Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso at these tiny tables. Contact Caron Schwartz Ellis at (303) 440-4950 or e-mail at csellis@bcbr.com.

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