Bldg 6, El Paso, TX
216 Cincinnati Ave, El Paso, TX 79902
I was just so stinkin' surprised by El Paso. I've never thought of El Paso as a particularly pretty part of Texas (reference Coffee Box post); but, it really is beautiful in its own right! El Paso has much to offer and I'm not just talking about their margaritas and Mexican food. Although, these two things are pretty awesome... The mountainous terrain and pretty cacti feels give off somewhat of a New Mexico meets California vibe. I liked it a lot! As I learned, Cincinatti Street is the place to be on weekend evenings. However, I'm going to amend that and say it is a good place to be the entire weekend - to include Saturday morning as well!
Believe it or not, El Paso does have a coffee culture and it is fairly dominated by BLDG 6 Coffee Roasters.
I mean, when you're the prime focus at El Paso's Whole Foods as a local roaster, then you've pretty much made it, right? There are two BLDG 6 store fronts in El Paso, with the original and slightly larger shop located in the Vista Hills area and the newer shop located nearby the University of Texas El Paso Campus. While I was near Cincinatti Street, I made it a point to drop in and check it out!
Just by the looks of this location, you can tell that it's fairly new. Cincinatti Street plays host to a number of restaurants and fun places to pop inside. BLDG 6 is a little nook within a plaza that may be easy to miss if you're driving by. But it's oh so cute inside.
I almost always get a cappuccino or pour-over, but I went outside my norm and ordered a cold brew during this visit. The Almond Cold Brew - cold brew concentrate with organic almond milk - sounded like a good choice. I can't usually drink cold brew without a touch of almond or soy milk, but I appreciate that I could still get at the coffee flavors in this almond cold brew.
Even though this is a tiny shop, they still had a full coffee menu and had all the options - espresso based drinks, pour-over and cold brew.
BLDG 6 imports green coffee beans and roasts in small batches. They're passionate about testing the quality of each roast through techniques such as cupping to ensure the taste and excellence of every batch. A person is always behind the roast at BLDG 6 and they're a proud supporter of creating local jobs for the people of El Paso! The roaster is housed at the Vista Hills location.
The Cincinatti Street shop hosts about 5 two-person tables. There were a couple of folks meeting a friend for coffee and a student posted up on his MacBook. The opening of this location is pretty ingenious; it's less than 10 minutes from the University of Texas El Paso Campus. The food options are very limited - mostly consisting of toast so come with a full stomach or nearby hearty food options in mind if you've got a hungry belly. Hit up BLDG 6 while you're walking downtown or if you're in need a good pick-me-up! If I were a UT student, I'd be here often!
