Coffee Bean Espresso Bar

Coffee Bean Espresso Bar is a casual neighborhood cafe on S 4th Ave in Yuma, AZ. The menu covers espresso drinks, breakfast, lunch and dinner at a price point that makes it easy to come back often.

This is not a third-wave coffee shop and it does not try to be. It is the kind of place a neighborhood actually needs. Mexican-owned, friendly staff, some house made desserts in the case and a full food menu that runs from soups and salads to hot and cold sandwiches. You can make a meal out of a visit here without thinking too hard about it.

The espresso program is built around a Colombian and Brazilian blend, medium-dark roasted with notes of chocolate, hazelnut and a touch of caramel sweetness. The beans come from Lindsay at The Unknown Ground Coffee, a local Yuma roaster. Whole bean bags are available to take home, which is a nice touch for anyone who wants to support local outside of the cafe. The machine pulling the shots is a La San Marco 100 Touch, a classic Italian workhorse that suits the vibe of the place well.

The latte I had was decent but left me wanting a little more. My gut says it was the shot calibration rather than the beans themselves. Lindsay's blend has the right foundation on paper and the La San Marco is capable of better. It might just be a matter of dialing things in. If you are looking for a geisha pour over or a rotating single origin flight, this is not your spot. But if you want a coffee, a good sandwich and a genuinely friendly room to sit in, Coffee Bean Espresso Bar has been doing exactly that for a long time. Yuma has plenty of chain options. This is the alternative worth choosing.