The Spanish word tinto can mean a deep red color, and is often used in reference to red wine (vino tinto). But in Colombia, everyone knows that tinto means piping hot, inky black coffee. Tinto is made from affordable beans and sipped at cafes with friends or in the kitchen with family—it’s a part of Colombia’s culture and love for coffee.
Tinto Coffee brings the spirit of its titular drink to Bellis Fair. It opened in October 2023, filling the empty kiosk in the middle of the food court where there used to be a Starbucks. Instead of mass-produced recipes, this local small business makes their own syrups from scratch! The Tinto Latte comes with a double shot of espresso, house-made panela sauce (panela being unrefined brown cane sugar), and a brown sugar garnish. Their house blend Colombian coffee, Sierra Nevada, is brewed for drip, cold brew, and Cafe de Olla (Sierra Nevada drip infused with brown sugar and cinnamon). Familiar with Abuelita Mochas and Horchata? They’ve got that too!
Photograph by Kristen Boehm
In addition to their craft coffee, they also carry sweet and savory treats. They often have original, chocolate, and marble coconut alfajores (indulgent cookie sandwiches), milhojas (thin flaky pastry and dulce de leche), flan, peruvian danish, cakes, arepas, ham and cheese butter bread, Jarritos and Colombian sodas.
Drinks at Tinto are made with care and patience. Freshly-ground beans, attention to measuring, espresso extraction, and ingredient distribution, and an overall lack of shortcuts guarantee that each drink is made to Tinto’s high standards. On your next visit to Bellis Fair, start at Tinto to fuel your shopping spree, or hit them last for a drink to relax with.
1 Bellis Fair Pkwy., Bellingham, tintocoffee.us
