The first coffee stop as you walk onto Burro Avenue from the west end — and the one that rewards sitting down rather than taking the cup with you.

Crystal & Nathan Tompkins · specialty coffee · upstairs seating · petite gallery inside

What I'd order

Your first visit
"Honey chai or the strawberry rose matcha. This is where Black Bear shows its hand — a seasonal drink you won't find down the hill, on the current spring menu per their Instagram."

Seasonal drink (current menu)

An hour to yourself
"Coffee and a cookie, upstairs. This is the move the shop is actually built for — cozy, quiet, and exactly the kind of Cloudcroft morning you want to slow down for."

Coffee + cookie, upstairs

Taking Cloudcroft home
"A bag of beans at the counter. The roasting program is the real retail layer — and if you can't carry a bag, they'll ship it home for you."

Bag of beans · in-shop or ship-home

Wednesday – Sunday

Hours

Open Wednesday through Saturday from 8 AM to 4 PM, and Sundays from 8 AM to 3 PM. Closed Monday and Tuesday. A quick phone call or Instagram story check still helps before any off-season visit.

Current hours

Wednesday – Saturday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Monday – Tuesday: Closed

Hours can shift seasonally. If a specific day matters, a quick call or Instagram story check is the surest way to confirm.

200 Burro Ave

Where you'll find it

West end of the Burro Avenue strip — the first meaningful coffee stop as you walk into town from the west. Walkable from anywhere in the village, and a natural first or last stop on a Burro stroll.

Address & directions

200 Burro Ave
Cloudcroft, NM 88317

Get directions →

Contact

Phone: (575) 682-1239
Web: mybbcoffee.com

Follow @blackbearcoffeenm for the current seasonal menu.

Decision aid

Good for · skip if

What this shop actually does well, and when to aim somewhere else on the Burro Ave strip instead.

Good for

  • A first-stop coffee walking onto Burro from the west end
  • Settling in upstairs with a book or a friend
  • Seasonal drink fans who want more than a standard latte
  • Beans to take home — or to ship home
  • Gluten-free, dairy-free, or sugar-free drinkers
  • Anyone who prefers a shop that rotates local art

Practical notes

Hours, seasons & calling ahead

Posted hours are Wednesday through Saturday 8 AM to 4 PM, Sunday 8 AM to 3 PM, closed Monday and Tuesday. The shop runs a morning-to-early-afternoon coffee rhythm — weekends are the most consistent window.

Hours can shift seasonally. Before making the drive up off-season, a quick call to (575) 682-1239 or the most recent @blackbearcoffeenm Instagram story is the surest way to confirm.

Sit-down vs. grab-and-go

This is a linger-and-socialize shop, not a morning-rush espresso bar. The upstairs seating area is the reason — a cozy space suited for a friend, a book, or just settling in. Locals treat it as a gathering room, not a drive-thru alternative.

If you're on a tight schedule, you can absolutely take the cup to go — but you'll be leaving the best part of the experience on the stairs.

The gallery & local art

Co-owners Crystal and Nathan Tompkins run a petite gallery space inside the shop with a monthly featured artist rotation. Crystal is a working photographer — Cloudcroft Reader has specifically identified her as the shop's October featured artist — and her own work is displayed alongside the guest rotations.

It's a small cultural layer most Burro Avenue retail doesn't have, and it's part of why the shop rewards sitting down.

Beans, merch & ship-home

Roasted beans are sold in-shop for home brewing, and the shop's website supports ship-home ordering — so Cloudcroft coffee doesn't have to stay in Cloudcroft. Merchandise (mugs, tumblers) is typically stocked near the counter.

If you're carrying gear from a full trip and can't fit another bag, order a pound online at mybbcoffee.com and have it arrive at home a few days after you do.

Editor's take

"Black Bear is the Burro Avenue shop that reads like a local coffee room that happens to welcome visitors, not a visitor coffee room that tolerates locals. The seasonal drinks tell you the kitchen actually cares; the upstairs seating tells you the shop expects you to stay; the petite gallery tells you it's doing more than pouring coffee. If the hours line up, it's the shop to start the Cloudcroft day at."

More on Burro Avenue

Three peer stops on the same walkable strip — or jump back to the full dining guide for all 19.