The PennZone

DENVER - PennZone -- Blue Sparrow Coffee has been named Best Matcha in Westword's Best of Denver 2026 Readers' Choice awards, the 43rd annual edition of the publication's survey of the city's top people, places and businesses. The award was selected by Denver-area readers, with more than 500,000 total votes cast across 291 Readers' Choice categories.

Blue Sparrow Coffee has built its matcha program around "ceremonial-grade" matcha sourced from Japanese producers primarily in the Kagoshima region. The company prepares each matcha drink to order using modern techniques adapted for a cafe setting, an approach that has earned consistent recognition from customers since the company's founding in 2017. Matcha is one of Blue Sparrow's top-selling menu items across all three of its Denver locations and has been since day one.

When asked for comment on the award, co-founder Jeffrey Knott had a surprising take: "Honestly, we aren't a fan of these awards. We pour our hearts into delivering the best drinks at an amazing value for our customers, but these awards can create unrealistic expectations with tourists, which leads to other challenges. We just want to focus on our neighbors who we see every day."

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Westword's Best of Denver is the longest-running annual survey of its kind in the Denver metropolitan area. The Readers' Choice awards are determined entirely by public vote, with readers eligible to vote once per day during the polling period. The 2026 results were published on March 26.

Blue Sparrow Coffee serves its organic matcha at all three Denver locations: Blake Street in RiNo, Platte Street and Sherman Street in Capitol Hill. The full menu and location details are available at https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/menu.

About Blue Sparrow Coffee Blue Sparrow Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery founded in 2017 in Denver, Colorado. With three locations and a commitment to sustainability through partnerships including Zero Foodprint, Blue Sparrow serves ethically sourced, house-roasted coffee and ceremonial-grade matcha to the Denver community. The company was recognized as one of Colorado's best new roasters in 2025. Learn more at https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com or check out their sustainability report at https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/sustainability-home