Cold Backed Coffee House brews up community and comfort in Magdalena

“Cold Backed Before Coffee” is the motto Magdalena rancher and entrepreneur Charity Saulsberry has built her new café around.

Cold backed is an expression form when a horse is a little persnickety about being handled first thing in the morning, a sentiment that Saulsberry said is true of her, too, until she’s had her coffee. A lot of other folks probably feel the same way, which is why she decided to open Cold Backed Coffee House a month ago.

“There was no place for all the locals to come and have coffee or breakfast anymore since we lost Magdalena Café,” Salisbury said. “I saw a need and I filled it.”

The coffee house opens early Tuesday through Saturday, serving up from-scratch comfort food and specialty coffee drinks that rival any big-city café. The menu includes everything from caramel mochas and cookie butter lattes to hearty green chile breakfast burritos. But Saulsberry’s signature offering might just be her mini donuts, made fresh every day.

The donuts come by the basket—about 14 to an order—with toppings like turtle (chocolate, caramel, and toffee), cookies and cream, strawberry banana, or maple bacon.

“They look like fair food,” Saulsberry said. “I love fair food, so that was my inspiration.”

Every Friday is biscuits and gravy day, featuring her southern-style “butter swim biscuits” made from scratch. Saturdays bring rotating specials—stuffed waffles, mini breakfast casseroles, and creations like a triple berry breakfast bake.

“I look for things we can’t normally get here,” she said. “Home cooking is something people miss, I think.”

For Saulsberry, food is just part of the recipe. The other ingredient is connection. Inside her shop—decorated with old black-and-white photos of Magdalena’s ranching past—ranchers and artists, retirees and newcomers share tables and conversation.

“I’ve got ranchers sitting with hippies, and they’re all talking,” she said. “That’s what I want people to do. I want them to come in and talk to each other.”

That sense of community is rooted in Magdalena’s history, something Saulsberry takes pride in preserving.

“Ranchers built this town,” she said. “When people come here, I want them to understand the history—how Magdalena came to be.”

The old stockyard photos on the walls spark conversations and stories from longtime locals.

“Some of the older folks come in and say, ‘Oh, I remember running across that catwalk when I was little,’” she said. “And then all the stories start.”

Despite running four other businesses—including a ranch, a clothing brand, a printing company, and commercial property inspections—Saulsberry pours herself fully into the coffee shop. She starts her mornings around 4 a.m. to make the dough, start the coffee and prep for the day.

Saulsberry also envisions Cold Backed Coffee as a space for creativity and fun. She plans to host “sip and paint” nights, kids’ donut-decorating workshops, and even “steak nights” on the patio in spring, complete with live music.

“I want to bring people together again,” she said. “We’ve lost that—just sitting down, talking, and remembering we’re all human beings at the end of the day.”

With her blend of home-cooked food, caffeine, and community spirit, Saulsberry has brewed something truly special in Magdalena—a place where stories rise like steam from a fresh cup of coffee.

Cold Backed Coffee is located at 1006 First Street in Magdalena. Doors are open Tuesday through Thursday from 6–10 or 11 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m.–2 p.m.