
For those whose drug of choice offers an easier start to the day or an energy boost between classes, visiting every coffee shop in Fort Collins can help you to figure out who has the best drinks in town. Figuring out the subtle differences between one coffee shop’s drinks and another’s, however, requires a bit more skill.
For those seeking the jitters or just a better cup of joe, the Caffeine Crawl will lead tour groups on four different routes around Fort Collins to 17 local coffee shops and specialty stores on Sunday, August 7.
The Caffeine Crawl was created in 2011 by The LAB, a marketing firm for beverage companies. The goal of the caffeine crawl, according to Sadie Renee, a Colorado coordinator for the LAB, is to connect locals to their coffee shops to educate attendees about a range of coffee-making history and tips.
In addition to coffee shops and tea houses, the Caffeine Crawl will also feature Nuance Chocolate and Revolution Artisan Pops, along with other small businesses.
According to Renee, the Caffeine Crawl actively avoids participating with large chains such as Starbucks or Caribou Coffee. Instead, only small businesses are allowed to participate.
Along with a tour pass, ticket holders will receive a Fort Collins Passport, a coupon book for alcoholic drinks in town, and samples at every stop along the tour. The passport will only be good through Labor Day.
In its 5th year in Colorado, there will be four routes for caffeine-lovers to take across Fort Collins, two that can be walked with a group, and two that can only be accessed by bike or by vehicle. All four routes will take multiple hours to complete and will involve consumption of multiple caffeinated drinks – Renee advised that crawl-goers drink plenty of water to prevent headaches and other harmful effects of drinking too much coffee in a short period of time.
All four routes are detailed more extensively online at the Caffeine Crawl site – tickets are $28 for each route.
Collegian Executive Editor Erik Petrovich can be reached at editor@collegian.com or on Twitter @EAPetrovich.