Doppio Pours Double Shots on Colfax

Mother and son Dhiana and Davyn Kho love coffee so much that they teamed up to open Doppio Coffee at 1245 East Colfax Avenue.

"We love coffee. [My mom] has been to every single coffee shop in the Denver metro area, not even kidding," says Davyn. Dhiana, who moved to Denver from Indonesia in 1998 to attend school, went back to school at Seattle's Barista Coffee Academy to prepare for the shop's opening.

The Kho family purchased the business, formerly Corner Coffee Bakery, in April, and planned to close the shop for three weeks to rebrand and remodel. Those three weeks turned into two months; the biggest holdup came in obtaining the appropriate permits for the garage door, which resulted in a delayed opening, but they were finally able to reopen in mid-August.


For the Khos, running a business is the family business. In addition to the coffee shop, they own a real estate company and a senior assisted-care living facility. But according to Davyn, adding on the business of a coffee shop required them to step out of their comfort zone. "We are an Asian family owning something that a typical Asian family wouldn't own, which is very fun," says Davyn. "We are discovering new things outside of our culture."

Davyn, a recent graduate of Arapahoe High School, is now a full-time college student studying biology. When he isn't in class, he helps his mom manage the coffee shop and its Instagram account.

The family's Asian roots can be found in various menu offerings, primarily the matcha tea flavors and coffee beans that they bring over from Papua New Guinea. They also serve two types of layered crepe cake — tiramisu and matcha — made by a family friend whose pastries can only be found at Doppio. Other pastries come from Revolution Bakery, and croissants come from La Belle French Bakery. The rest of the syrups, sauces and food are made in-house, including the pumpkin-spice concoction called "Autumn." Standard breakfast fare like burritos and avocado toast round out the menu, along with standouts like a coconut chia bowl and a chicken pesto sandwich, all made fresh to order.

For the name, they chose Doppio, which means "double" in Italian, as a nod to the coffee capital of the world. And at Doppio, the baristas only pull double shots. They use Corvus coffee because Dhiana prefers the Denver roaster's selection of light-roast craft coffee. In addition, Doppio uses beans from Papua for its drip coffee because of its very smooth texture and flavor, and naturally sweet coffee from Indonesia.

Doppio slings double shots all day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.