Azul Cafe

Some coffee shops surprise you the moment you walk in. Azul Cafe is one of those. From the outside it looks like an older unassuming building. But step inside and it flips on you. The place is big, bright and spacious with plenty of tables. White smooth ceiling, tile floors, light wood tables and brown cushioned seating. Minimalist and modern. And it is clean. Really clean, bathrooms included.

Azul is a small local brand with a few locations around Yuma. The others are buried deeper into town, but this one sits just a few minutes off the highway, which quietly makes it a great Starbucks alternative if you are passing through.

Now, the coffee. The beans actually come from Over The Road Coffee, a Yuma rooted roaster that stays active in the community and pops up at local farmers markets all the time. That is a cool local connection. The only catch is that nobody behind the counter knew it. When I asked about the beans, the best I got was "house blend" of dark or medium. And look, when the baristas cannot tell you where the coffee comes from, that is usually not a great sign, even when the answer turns out to be a solid local roaster.

I had a small hot latte with whole milk, and it took me right back to the old school Starbucks latte. Not bitter, not sour, not watery, just kind of quiet. The bean character is muted. To their credit, they put different shot counts in the different sizes, which tells me someone is at least thinking about balance.

The real action here is the sweet stuff. We tried the coconut cream mocha, which had a lovely sweet coconut cream, though the mocha itself was so sweet it fought the coconut. Pleasant, but I would not reorder. Then there was the cherry cheesecake matcha, which arrives with actual cheesecake crust crumble on top. This thing is a dessert wearing a drink costume. Really good as a sweet treat, with a decent (if slightly synthetic) cherry note. Just do not expect it to taste like matcha. Most of the drinks here lean on commercial syrups, so go in knowing that.

While I didn't try the food, the shop also provides house made flan and fresh croissants that are displayed in a pristine pastry case.

So here is the deal. If you are hunting for a serious single origin pour over, this is not quite that. But if you want a spotless, airy space with friendly sweet drinks and an easy stop off the highway, Azul delivers.