Noah Phillips
Indie Coffee
Indie Coffee (1225 Regent St., 608-259-9621) is a treasure hidden in plain sight. Located amid auto repair shops, bike stores and other prosaic storefronts, it’s easy to overlook Indie Coffee’s quaint, almost Dickensian, exterior.
The back patio, fenced in and pleasantly green, is another one of the coffeeshop’s many assets. Indie Coffee is well known for its waffles, but I had the house roast coffee, satisfying as well.
Indie Coffee’s house roast is composed of mostly Sumatran beans, blended with some Central American beans. This is a successful combo, because while Sumatran coffee is generally perceived as bold, earthy or even funky, coffees from Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador are generally mild and balanced.
The result is a dark, rich, fragrant cup, with just enough acidity to offset additions like half-and-half or soy milk. Sitting in the cool spring sun on the Zen patio, reading a book and listening to birds chirp, you couldn’t wish for a finer drink.
