Kopi Coffee puts focus on quality brews

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While in Indonesia, Ahmed Orozco and a colleague tried a shot of aceh, a coffee bean that grows in the mountain basin of Lake Tawar and the town of Takengon. He describes it as taking a shot of tequila, a burning sensation lingering in his chest. “It was some of the best coffee I’ve ever had,” Orozco said. That shot of aceh set Orozco on a journey of learning more about coffee-making that eventually led him to open his own shop in El Paso in February. Orozco is the owner of Kopi Coffee, 205 Cincinnati Ave, in El Paso’s Cincinnati Street entertainment district.

A creamy heart enhances a cup of freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee from BLDG 6 Coffee Roasters in east El Paso.(Michael Marcotte/Borderzine.com)

New craft coffee culture brewing in El Paso

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EL PASO — Wake up and smell the craft coffee, El Paso. The national craft coffee craze has slow-dripped its way into town, and three entrepreneurs hope locals perk up, take notice and embrace the new brew. Sales of craft or specialty coffees have given the U.S. industry a jolt, helping to drive up revenue 7.4 percent last year to $11 billion, according to the research firm IBISWorld. The trend of drinking a $3-$8 cup of java made from premium, exotic beans from around the world and lovingly roasted on the spot by certified artisans has been piping hot in cities such as Seattle, Portland and Dallas. In the last year, the trend has percolated into El Paso where it is slowly catching on.