The Unseen Bean

Very cool place for a killer cup of Joe. My wife and I were staying at the nearby Hotel Boulderado and needed our early first cup of coffee. They opened up at 6:30 am which was earlier than other area coffee shops. The Barista was friendly, knowledgeable and the place was clean and very Boulder. We had a cup of the two in house roasted brews if the day (Papua New Guinea was one of them) and they were fantastic. You add your own sugar/​Splenda, cream, etc so it’s just as you like. They also have great looking bagels and baked goods. We will probably go back a couple more times before we leave. The owner is blind and roasts his beans by smell and has a knack for his craft. If you appreciate quality, fresh roasted coffee– you are home!

I had a shot in the dark with a bit of frothed milk and it took me to my happy place. The coffee was some of the best I had tasted in… well ever. Coffee mixed with lemon poppyseed bread — faaantastic!

Me: «can you make me a flat white?»
Barista: «sure. Just tell me what your idea of a flat white is»
Me: «strong with not too much not too foamy milk»
Barista: «based on your accent I think I know what you want. You want more of the traditional, Australian flat white»
Me (surprised): «Do I sound like I’m from Australia?»
Barista: «No. But you’re definitely not from Starbucks»
Decent flat white in a cute little bistro :)

One word, three syllables. Cortado. Who knew that I would travel 1,700 miles (from DC to Boulder) to learn how to properly order my coffee? Me, a COFFEE SNOB of snobs who has her own list of baristas BY CITY, never imagined anyone could teach me anything worthwhile about how to order my coffee. As I begin to place my order in my extremely specific way, this unassuming, modest place rose to the challenge with a simple question…“what is your idea of a flat white?” Let me be clear here… No one ever asks me any questions about my order. Ever. They usually just try to get it over with as quickly and pain-​free as possible and shoo me out the door because hearing my entire order is really just horrible for everyone involved. I was thrilled that someone cared enough to try and understand exactly what I wanted and there was even some intense discussion amongst the barista and manager about what exactly my order was and then… drumroll please… turns out I should be ordering a Cortado and NOT a Flat White because they are two very different drinks and indeed they are. The final order was precisely what I wanted and I am so grateful. So come here only if you want an outstanding handcrafted, espresso drink made to order. And the best part is that after I left I found out this place is owned and run by an unsighted man who roasts all the coffee by smell alone. Did I mention my son also has a vision impairment? I am so happy to have supported this incredible little shop. Serendipity at its finest.

Definitely my favorite coffee shop in a 3 – 4 block radius of Pearl. As a downtown employee who works early mornings, I am very familiar with what each shop has to offer. The UB has local charm with a great drink menu, a great food menu, and a friendly staff who don’t make you feel bad for asking for things. A+

My latte and my clients espresso were perfect. Our sweets were also tasty. Not much room to sit but we managed to find a little table. I would certainly go back when I am In Boulder

I stop here every morning and get a cream cheese bagel. Kimi and Julie are cool as hell!

Gerry (the blind coffee roaster) is amazing. When he was told that he couldn’t be a coffee roaster he proved everyone wrong his coffee is awesome! Great coffees and great service.
I have a personal weak spot for their breakfast bagel sandwiches made with toasted Moe’s bagels with a variety of fabulous fillings. It’s my go-​to breakfast when I feel like I need comfort food.
Yes please!

This is a decent coffee place, though nothing too special. It’s a very small shop with only a couple of seats in the front.
I got a latte here that was pretty yummy, but really no different from any other latte I’ve had. I really wanted a latte with art, as I’d seen other reviewers post on here, but I probably should have made that clear when I asked, because they just gave me my latte in the standard cardboard cup. I think the big draw of this place comes from the artisan coffee beans being roasted by a blind man, but honestly, I’m probably not coffee snob enough to tell the difference.
This place also has some breakfast burritos, pastries, and Chobani. I like that they have older pastries on sale for a discount.
The Unseen Bean is a solid coffee shop, and some of their other drinks looked pretty yummy. But since it’s a detour from my usual route to work, I literally wouldn’t go out of my way to come here again.

I was pretty disappointed with the service and food at this little coffee shop. The coffee was a ⁴⁄₅. The food ²⁄₅. Go here if you like microwaved bacon. Part of my order was missing and Mary, one of baristas, was extremely rude when I called as soon as I got home. She refused to give me a credit for food missing and told me to come back in before 3pm to get it made. I will certainly not be returning, boulder has so much more to offer.

Their mint biscotti was surprisingly good. Small coffee shop with small tables and one table outside for two. They have discounted pastries from the day before. I got a regular mocha and was just as good as any.

Love this place, it’s the most friendly coffee shop on or off the mall. I love that I am in and out without waiting for a half hour for a coffee.

While looking for a place to sit and grab some (late) morning eats and do a little work for a couple hours, I went on Unilocal and found this place. I went around 9:30 on a weekday morning.
The food offerings here are more than at many coffee shops– they have pastries and bagels, but then you can also get eggs and breakfast sandwiches made fresh. I got the Boulder Breakfast sandwich and it was simple but really good! They only had two caffeinated coffees out at the time, but I asked one of the baristas and she recommended one of them to me, and it was very good. They also have free wi-​fi, which is a huge plus!
It’s much smaller than I expected it to be– only three two-​person tables and two other chairs inside. However, they do have four small tables outside for the warmer months. This plus the fact that there’s no bathroom was the only reason for minus one star, really. The rest of the ambiance was fine for my needs.
Most people seemed to just come and go with their coffee and food, but there were some who lingered for a while and another small group who stayed for a bit. Very laid-​back place.

A very cool little coffee shop. Good coffees, teas and bagels are all I can attest to, but it looks like they have a little selection of salads, breakfast burritos and other little items. Good for a pick up and go breakfast if you’re on or near the mall.

Amazing coffee (currently enjoying my second cup of cappuchino) — roasted to perfection. Also very fast, free WiFi ;-)

Dictionary definition of great coffees. If you have the chance, buy a pound, take home and brew the best. Pure yum.

Great coffee. Ordered the salted Carmel latte :-)
Breakfast bowls are good too… Fresh ingredients!!!

By far one of the best coffee beans I have ever had!!! While vacationing in Boulder, I ate at a local restaurant and ended my meal with what I thought would be a regular cup of coffee. The coffee was so bold and flavorful I had to ask the waitress what coffee it was. She told me it was from a local shop, the Unseen Bean.
I literally made my husband take me there before we left to make sure I bought some of these amazing beans to take back home. I thought the prices per pound were fair, nothing more than what you would pay at whole foods for this quality coffee. And when I learned the story behind the man who started this place… I have nothing but admiration for him!
Do yourself a favor & check this place out!

I find coffee shops hard to rate because it’s subjective but everyone is looking for something different. To me, it normally comes down to the coffee itself and the ambiance. In this case, there really isn’t anything to be desired to hang out there so it’s really a pop-​and-​go spot. As for the coffee, I had a coffee latte and it was okay. I’ve had better, I’ve had worse. It did the job.

Call me Starbucks-​brainwashed, but when I buy coffee… I’m not only buying the liquid, I’m buying the experience as well.
I’d give this place two-​stars for experience. It’s a tiny little shop — maybe 8 – 10 seats — that seemingly gave little thought as to how to make the space feel intimate as opposed to cramped. You serve yourself via the thermal dispenser in the corner. Like most other Unilocalers have said, this is a «grab-​and-​go» and not a place to linger spot.
Four stars for the coffee quality, five stars for the fair trade practices… and one more thing:
I have to give a shout out to Sean J’s review, as he provides a really cool/​compelling back story on how The Unseen Bean not only gets its name… but also a detailed description of how the beans are roasted.
In summary, if you just want a cup of tasty coffee to go, this is your place. if you want an experience… check out The Cup or one of the dozens of other Boulder coffee spots.