Life in South Florida runs on high-octane energy fueled by a coffee in hand.
Hot or iced, it’s the caffeinated cup of motivation we need to help conquer the daily commute and keep us company throughout the workday. On the weekends, the rich aroma becomes the signature scent of slow mornings.
Sure, you can pick up a coffee just about anywhere, but we wanted to know who the real powerhouses are roasting flavors that are good to the last drop in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. So we asked you, our readers, to tell us your favorite spots to grab your go-to coffee order for the next installment in our Best of South Florida Dining series.
Not surprisingly, we quickly learned through the nomination round that your opinions on java run as hot as an espresso shot. After poring over the entries, we ended up with six finalists (because of a tie). They included, in alphabetical order:
• Expresso Coffee Co., Fort Lauderdale
• NSU Art Museum Café, Fort Lauderdale
• Sip Java Co., Fort Lauderdale
• Tarrazu Coffee Co., Coconut Creek
• Third Place Coffee Lounge, Boca Raton
• Wells Coffee Co., Fort Lauderdale
We put the vote into your mug-clutching hands, and now — just in time to celebrate National Coffee Day on Sept. 29 — we have a winner! When the steam cleared and the results were tallied, the coffee shop that received “a latte” votes to rise above the competition was … Tarrazu Coffee Co.!
Gabriela and Jeff Marder, at center, are owners of the Best of South Florida Dining Series winner: Tarrazu Coffee Co. in Coconut Creek. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The response
“Winning a reader vote means a lot because it comes from the people who actually walk through our door every morning,” said co-owner Jeff Marder said, who opened Tarrazu with wife Gabriela Marder in February 2024. “We’re a small, family-run shop, and knowing our neighbors chose us means everything. We feel like it’s a big win for the neighborhood and city we call home.”
What sets them apart from chains and other family-run shops?
“The biggest difference is the people. Our team has stayed with us since we opened, so regulars see the same faces, and our baristas know their names and their orders before they even walk through the door,” he said. “Our goal is to make everyone feel like family, and that’s easier when we are blessed with a team that we love like family.”
Natasha Villegas prepares a drink at Tarrazu Coffee Co. in Coconut Creek. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
And, of course, there’s the coffee, too.
“Our espresso is a single-origin Costa Rican and we’re obsessive about how it’s sourced and prepared,” he said. “We visited a number of farms during our selection process and use only coffee that is free of pesticides and agrochemicals.”
Tarrazu partners with 360F Specialty Coffee Roasters in Coral Springs, which helps with sourcing and has been roasting for the shop weekly almost since the beginning, according to Jeff Marder.
“They are a family business like ours — they have been roasting for three generations — and we share a commitment to quality and consistency,” he said. “That consistency is the one thing we wanted to borrow from the chains — a couple of them really nail that aspect — but then we combine it with personalized, handcrafted drinks and service that’s impossible for them to replicate.”
Lin Murdoch, left, of the Monday Morning Coffee Club in Coconut Creek, makes a presentation to owners Jeff and Gabriela Marder on the two-year anniversary of her club meeting at Tarrazu Coffee Co. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Coffee shop dream comes true
Long before the couple met, Gabriela Marder’s goal was to her have her own coffee shop. So when they both became burned out in their corporate careers, they decided to pivot, Jeff Marder said.
“‘One day’ quickly turns into ‘never’ if you don’t take that first step, so that’s how this adventure started,” he said. “We also have kids, and like most parents, we tell them they can be anything and do anything. It’s hard to sell that message when they can see you’re tired of what you’re doing, so part of this was leading by example.”
The decision to open their business in Coconut Creek was a practical one.
“We’ve lived here for over 15 years,” Jeff Marder said. “South Florida has a lot of great independent coffee shops, but we always wanted one closer to home, so we built what we wanted in our own community.”
Specializing in Costa Rican coffee, they chose a name that represents two important aspects.
“Why Costa Rica? We wanted to celebrate Gabriela’s family heritage and bring a piece of Costa Rica to South Florida,” he said. “Although Costa Rica has eight distinct coffee-growing regions, Tarrazu is widely regarded as the premier growing region and known for producing some of the best coffee in the world.”
Owner Gabriela Marder poses for a photograph after she was given flowers by the Monday Morning Coffee Club. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Spilling the beans
“It’s kind of a funny story how we first started sourcing our beans,” Jeff Marder said.
Normally, people would start at a local roaster, but instead, the Marders hopped on a plane to Costa Rica to meet farmers.
“We knew we wanted to serve the highest quality coffee possible and couldn’t think of a better way,” he said. “It was probably equal parts good intentions and a little bit of not knowing any better.”
While there, he said, they learned “a ton” about coffee, direct trade and importing.
“It was 100% worth it,” he said. “We walked the farms, picked coffee, learned about how it’s processed, how it’s graded, how it’s roasted.”
Audrey Vollmann steams milk at Tarrazu Coffee Co. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
What’s on the menu?
To start, there are the customer favorites: Coquito Latte, Cookie Butter Bliss and Cafe Bombon.
“Our menu is really just a starting point,” Jeff Marder said. “We keep dozens of flavors on hand, and if you have an idea for a drink, we’ll make it. A lot of our regulars have their own custom creations. We love when someone comes in and says, ‘Can you try this?’ Because that’s how some of our favorite drinks started.”
The boss keeps his order simple, though: a latte with a little honey and cinnamon, or an Americano.
“When I want something on the sweeter side, I go for The Bee’s Knees, a delicious latte with lavender, vanilla and honey,” he said. “Gabriela’s favorite is a maple iced cortado with oat milk.”
Audrey Vollmann makes a pumpkin spice matcha latte at Tarrazu Coffee Co. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Other than coffee, they have organic loose-leaf teas, refreshers, smoothies and frappes.
“As for food, we offer breakfast and lunch sandwiches, empanadas, some baked goods we make in-house, and a rotating selection of pastries,” he said.
For customers who want to brew their single-origin Costa Rican whole bean coffee at home, it’s available in the shop (and online soon), along with “three blends that we created coming over the next week or two,” Jeff Marder said.
Can Tarrazu fans expect expansion plans anytime soon?
“Stay tuned!” he said.
What the fans said
For Coconut Creek resident Daniela Mena, Tarrazu offers “some of the best-tasting coffee in Broward!”
She orders the Dirty Chai Latte or the Cafe Bombon and the Turkey Tango sandwich.
Owner Jeff Marder, right, speaks with a customer at Tarrazu Coffee Co. in Coconut Creek on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
“The coffee is always fresh, smooth and consistently good,” she wrote in her nomination form. “The staff is genuinely friendly and welcoming, the shop is always clean, and it has such a warm, inviting atmosphere. I also love that they bring authentic Costa Rican coffee and culture to South Florida.”
It’s “the kind of local coffee shop you actually look forward to coming back to,” she added.
Another Coconut Creek resident, Mitchell Levey, dubbed the shop a “sanctuary for the senses, making it a bustling neighborhood meeting place where the rich aroma of roasting coffee beans invites you to stay.”
What’s Levey’s must-have menu item? The Caramel Frappe, “served by the most loving staff who makes coming there so very special,” he wrote.
“The menu is a testament to coffee perfection, offering a tantalizing drink for every palate,” he said. “Their cappuccino is crafted like a work of art and delivered with care and love.”
Tarrazu Coffee Co. is at 4863 Coconut Creek Parkway, Coconut Creek. Visit tarrazucoffee.co or call 954-890-0610.
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