Fourteener Coffee Club
At a glance
- Roasts inDenver, CO
- Founded byJay DeRose
- CafesDenver
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Middle State Coffee is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Colorado: an independent roaster based in Denver. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Middle State is owned by roaster Jay DeRose, who opened its cafe and roasting space at 212 Santa Fe Drive on May 31, 2019, after almost a year of permit delays with the city. The roasting side moved into the building about a year before the cafe opened. Half of the space is given to production, and a glass wall lets cafe guests watch the roasting. DeRose built or designed most of the furniture himself, and the opening menu included an espresso tonic and espresso with Coca-Cola alongside pastries from local bakers.
The team tastes a large number of coffees, picks its favorites and then works with those growers directly. Middle State looks for small lots from small farms that show where they were grown and how hard their growers worked, and it tries to roast so that the character found on the cupping table carries through to the cup. It favors coffees that are complex, clean, bright and sweet, and it says people and their quirks are why specialty coffee exists at all.
Most of its single origins are named for the grower or the washing station, and both cafes also pour natural wine. A smaller second cafe, LiddleState, runs in the Highlands on West 32nd Avenue.
What they roast
Single origins on the list when we checked: Ethiopia Landspeed, Ethiopia Yukro, Ethiopia Buku Sayasa, Ethiopia Genji Challa, Mexico Ozolotepec, Colombia Jose Vasquez, Guatemala Jose Ramirez, Guatemala Francisco Morales, Kenya Kamagogo and Peru Benicio Gastelo. Decaf Colombia; method not stated on the listing. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
The Santa Fe Drive flagship is a cafe and roastery in one space, with a glass wall between the roasters and the cafe; open daily 7am to 3pm.
- Flagship cafe and roastery: 212 N Santa Fe Dr, Denver
- LiddleState (Highlands): 2622 W 32nd Ave, Denver
Address
212 N Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO
Flagship cafe and roastery.
Why buying from Middle State Coffee matters here
The roastery and flagship cafe sit on North Santa Fe Drive at 2nd Avenue, in a converted warehouse space. The cafe opened with pastries from Reunion Bread Co and pop tarts from Sugar Bakeshop, both Denver bakers. The Highlands cafe, LiddleState, brings the same food and coffee pairing to West 32nd Avenue.
Every bag bought from a Denver roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Colorado, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Middle State Coffee is part of the club.
Are you Middle State Coffee? Email roasters@fourteenercoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Colorado roasters
- Pablo's Coffee, Denver
- Wagon Coffee Roasters, Denver
- Corvus Coffee Roasters, Denver