On a cold winter day after some Christmas shopping, I was in the mood for some hot chocolate. A quick web search pointed me to a nearby ice cream parlor. When I arrived, I found out that they had hot chocolate flavored ice cream, but not the beverage itself. The clerk did me a favor, though, and directed me to a coffee shop a block away. I can’t comment on their coffee, but Overwinter Coffee has fabulous hot chocolate.

Overwinter Coffee is a labor of love from Ben Trojan and Joshua Halliman. They opened Overwinter in 2018. Halliman, with a background in programming, had no prior coffee experience. But Trojan had been working in the industry for a decade. Their goal was to democratize access to amazing coffee by making it available to everyone.

Overwinter’s menu is straightforward. They have six kinds of coffee: regular, pour over coffee, Espresso, Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, and Mocha. Additionally, there is a variety of teas, with Chai Latte heading the list. An assortment of pastries can be found on the counter; they looked amazing.

But I was there for the hot chocolate and that is what I ordered. I chose a small. A large was only 75 cents more, but that would have been too much for me. At many places, the hot chocolate is just chocolate colored sugar water. Not at Overwinter. Their hot chocolate is rich and creamy, with a deep chocolate taste. I also loved the leaf decoration the barista made in the foam.

The decor at Overwinter Coffee is worth noting. The chairs are all black, and each table has a centerpiece. One had a ceramic tea pot, which gave the impression of a Japanese tea house. This was reinforced by the Japanese style seating in the window area. Overall, the ambience is elegant. Despite being near closing time, there were a several people around, enjoying their drinks and reading. If you are looking for a comfortable coffee shop with great drinks, I recommend Overwinter Coffee.