STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

It’s 10 o’clock in the morning and a small cadre of cross-country skiers are lined up at the counter of Lizzy’s Fresh Coffee, ordering Americanos and lattes before heading north to ski.

In the back the coffee shop’s namesake Liz Roquet is testing small packets of coffee sent to her by growers in Colombia and other countries in a high-tech foot-tall sample roaster that costs $6,000.

“It’s part of trying new things,” she says of the price tag. “We would have to test five pounds of coffee at a time if we used our regular roaster.”

Testing coffee beans is serious business with Roquet. Her experimentation led to five award-winning coffees in the 2023 Golden Bean Awards and eight medals at the 2024 Golden Bean Awards. Her success qualifies her for the World Roasting Competition in Guatemala. But it also benefits her customers as they get to enjoy those award-winning coffees for themselves.

“We’re so proud to see our coffees recognized,” said Roquet. “It’s exciting to roast these coffees alongside my son Cooper. And, really, the whole team gets a role in fine-tuning these coffees from roast development to cupping sessions.”

Roquet and her team consider such cupping attributes as fragrance and aroma, aftertaste, uniformity and body—the tactile feeling of the liquid in the mouth. Then they consider additions, such as hazelnut for a nutty flavor; dried fruits for a fruity flavor and such spices as anise and pepper.

“It’s a team sport,” said Roquet. “It starts with a farmer growing beautiful beans. Then it involves a roaster roasting coffee beans just right. Then the barista has to put it all together.”

Lizzy’s Fresh Coffee earned one silver and seven bronze medals at the 2024 Golden Bean, the world’s largest coffee roasting competition. The coffees were evaluated for sweetness, acidity and body and balance. This year’s award-winning coffees:

Summer Burst, which won a Silver in Pour Over Filter

Colombia Tabster, which won a Bronze in Pour Over Filter and a Bronze in Espresso

Costa Rica El Venado, which won a Bronze in Pour Over Filter and a Bronze in Espresso

Sun Chaser, which won a Bronze in Milk-Based and a Bronze in Pour Over filter

8411, which won a Bronze in Milk Based.

Roquet has long loved connecting with curious coffee drinkers who love exploring a spectrum of flavors whether at Lizzy’s coffee bar or at home where they can concoct their own coffee with one of her blends.

“This year we did silver medal one with passion fruit, which we featured in our Gem Edition—rare coffees in small lots. I didn’t know if people would like but they loved it,” she said.

For the holidays she concocted a coffee with hints of cherry and rum and a Christmas coffee built from the flavor profile of the gingerbread recipe her Austrian-born father Fred Pendl made at Pendl’s Bakery, which formerly sat in the heart of Ketchum’s downtown.

“I created one of sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar and cinnamon as my anti-pumpkin flavor this fall. People were sad when it was gone,” she said. “I love to give my customers some amazing coffee experiences—to have something they wouldn’t normally try. I like to create a beautiful product and share it.”

While Roquet loves to accommodate the curious coffee drinker, she also tries to accommodate the cautious coffee drinker.

She offers customers a chance to deconstruct a cup of espresso in an experience she calls “Espresso Under the Loupe. The experience involves having a cup of straight espresso next to a cappuccino. Customers are invited to stir the espresso and taste it.

Roquet suggests they consider the fragrance and aroma; the acidity which might reveal itself as berry or citrus; the body, which could be buttery and creamy or thin or heavy, and the aftertaste that remains on the palate

They then taste the coffee with milk in cappuccino form, which reduces bitterness and enhances the flavor. Lizzy’s incorporate air to create a microfoam that gives it a velvety texture.

“A lot of people are intimidated by espresso. They don’t think they will like it. We give them the  opportunity to taste it on own, talking them through It as we put a magnifying glass on espresso. Then we pair it with milk,” she said.

“They may end up not liking espresso, but it will give them an experience and knowledge—a different vocabulary about coffee.”

Natali Tekila, a former Sun Valley resident now working in Las Vegas heads to Lizzy’s whenever she’s back in the Wood River Valley.

“I have not found the consistency of coffee in Las Vegas that you find at Lizzy’s,” she said. “In Las Vegas I pay $7.50 for a 20 oz.-coffee, but I can never count on what it’ll taste like. At Lizzy’s the espresso is never too cold, never too hot. It’s always perfect.”

For children and others who prefer hot chocolate, Roquet offers an experience in premium cocoa, as well.

She invites customers to “sip your bar” by popping one of her chocolate bars, which include a Dark Chocolate Mocha Bar made with chili peppers and a Chocolate Peppermint Mocha, into the microwave and adding milk.

“Our chocolate bars are like having a mocha in your pocket,” she said.

Many of Roquet’s coffee beans and other items come in attractive bags or cannisters featuring local icons, such as Baldy, Sun Valley’s Roundhouse Restaurant or the red Sun Valley barn. She even sells Lizzy’sbeanies and ball caps and mugs depicting scenes from local landscapes.

“People like having things from this area.”