APRIL 10, 2025 | OPINION | By Nalani Wood
Coffee: the lifeblood of creativity, pumping the beating heart of productivity. Some may argue that a love affair with coffee is built purely on the chemical pull of caffeine, but I know that’s not the full truth. A cup of coffee hastily poured in the fifteen-minute reprieve from a three-hour lecture certainly gives our hard-working brains a boost, but that boost pales in comparison to the joy of that first sip of the best cup of coffee ever to grace your tastebuds. The eternal question of where to acquire the perfect cup in Colorado Springs is answered here for diligent readers of the Catalyst.
Kawa Coffee, a family-run cafe and coffee shop founded in 2012, is tucked at the back of a small strip mall past the BJ’s Velvet Freez on Union Boulevard. While hard to find at first, it is oh-so-easy to find your way back to this cozy cafe and the scrumptious coffee waiting inside.
Some readers may be thinking to themselves, “Gosh, this place seems like a hassle to get to; why don’t I just go back to Switchback or Good Neighbors?” Well, let me tell you a little something about syrup, and you may start to come around. Kawa’s homemade syrups pair flawlessly with their perfectly roasted brews; no syrup is too sweet or too smothered by the flavor of coffee. The flavors in a cup of Kawa coffee are always perfect, right down to the last sip; Butterscotch, Orange, Blackberry, Black Walnut, Irish Cream, and even a flavor called Harry Potter are just a few of their unique syrup flavors. My personal favorite is the butterscotch latte. It tastes like sitting on a perfectly cushy red velvet couch in the sunshine, listening to the gentle sounds of plants rustling in the breeze outside your window. It’s so good that I rarely deviate from my regular order.
Good coffee can always be made even better with a good breakfast, which Kawa makes easy for you with their $9.50 steamed bagel sandwiches. Wrapped in a shiny cloak of foil, your bagel sandwich comes to your table just after you take the first few sips of beautiful, energizing coffee. Some of my personal favorite Kawa creations are the Sam I Am sandwich and the Kawa coffee cake. The Sam I Am is a classic bacon, egg and avocado combo welded together by pepper jack cheese, all packed into a jalapeño cheddar bagel. This miraculous sandwich manages to stay a little crispy on the outside, with a perfectly soft, steamy, gooey inside. For those inclined to a sweeter breakfast, the coffee cake is fluffy and rich, with little crystals of sugar and coffee glaze swirling throughout the fresh, hot dough. Kawa’s scones are up there with the best I’ve ever tried; I highly recommend the raspberry orange scone. Somehow, Kawa’s kitchen magicians whip up the flakiest and most voluminous scones embedded with red raspberry gems. These delectable dough bundles are infused with orange zest and topped off with a mouth-watering glaze.
Whether you’re looking for a place to study, write a paper, take a special someone on a date, or read your favorite book, Kawa is the place to go.
