No Foam Please
All Things CoffeeArchive for Austin
Kohana Coffee Sampler
I just received a Kohana Coffee sampler thanks to the good people at Kohana Coffee here in Austin. It came in cute packaging and includes quite a few samples to try. You can follow Kohana Coffee on twitter as well.
Kohana Sampler, in case
Once opened, an assortment of roasts awaited me – a few medium roasts and a few dark roasts.
Kohana Sampler, Opened
We tried the Kohana Blend medium roast first, on Mother’s Day morning. The first surprise was the different color beans in the bag. The aroma was fantastic, and the coffee was rich and smooth (at least, it was the way I take it, with cream). We made it in a pretty standard drip coffee maker so you don’t need special equipment to enjoy the coffee, but I do want to try it in a french press sometime. I wasn’t the only one raving about the coffee that morning.
Kohana Blend
I’ve tried two of the dark roasts now (including Austin Rocks), and two of the medium roasts (including Kohana blend), and I definitely prefer the medium roasts – they have a rich flavor without any bitterness – although my wife tells me I just may be making the coffee too strong which might put the dark roasts a bit over the top. The Kohana blend is by far my favorite to this point – but we’re only halfway through the samples! Several more to try over the next couple weeks for our weekend coffee.
Look for another update on this space in a few weeks!
Lola Savannah
On the recommendation of a friend in Austin, I went a little out of my normal routine to try Lola Savannah coffee. Too far away from home and office for a regular pit stop for me, but it does have an excellent location near 360 and Mopac. The only downside I can see is the extremely limited parking (not much of a problem first thing in the morning, but I’ve been to Grove Wine Bar next door and parking at mealtimes is tough).
Lola has a feel that is somewhere between bar and coffee house. The color palette is coffee house, but the bar setup implies you might want to have a glass of wine in the evening. The furnishings are a combination of leather seating and modern surfaces. There are coffee bags decorating the ceiling.
A view from the back of the coffee lounge
But down to the main event. The coffee. I tried a double cafe mocha, and it was fantastic.
A double cafe mocha
It was rich, but without getting overpowered by the chocolate (even at the bottom of the cup). The foam on top was just right (I noticed it, but it didn’t interfere with drinking). They took the time to do a little foam art as well (always a nice touch that says either “you’re special to us” or “we’re just that cool we can do coffee art and still make money”…). There are some pretty awesome looking desserts in the display case, but it is 8am. I had heard (via Yelp) that there were good breakfast tacos, but I didn’t see any, and this blog is about coffee anyway, right?
Bonus points for having power plugs scattered about inconspicuously. And more points for commenting on my shirt (a picture of a coffee cup running on empty with all kinds of warning / danger signs – a bit like your laptop battery display).
Yelp Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The Lola website has a little “virtual barista” to recommend coffees to you if you’re not sure what to order. I’d recommend just consulting the barista though…
Dolce Vita in Hyde Park, Austin
Dolce Vita has been in Austin at least as long as I have, parked next to Hyde Park Bar & Grill, and the Duval Street Barber Shop (formerly Gaitan’s Barber Shop). I first discovered this place for the desserts (gelato and cakes mmm) but after I developed a taste for coffee it became a good stop for that too.
I recently stopped by and was surprised by the half-price coffee drinks before 11am! Take that, Starbucks. I didn’t take a picture of the scene, but there was a film crew shooting a coffee-conversation scene the day I stopped by. This place has a cool vibe and a nice area for sitting outside on the patio – shaded from the heat, but also sheltered against the rain. The inside seating area is pretty small, but if you want an intimate conversation, it’s perfect.
Drip Coffee
A Latte in a to-go cup
The latte was good but not remarkable – they don’t waste any time on decor or flair – just delivering a quick cup of coffee. I managed to resist the dessert display… but it sure was tempting.
Yelp Reviews again are mostly positive.
Yelp Review Filter on Austin Coffee
Yelp is known as a controversial force in the restaurant business. But most of the publicity (lately) has been negative. It also produces positive articles about the restaurants that are reviewed on its site, however.
I recently received a Yelp email reviewing coffee shops in Austin and it gave me a few new ideas to try:
- Austin Brevita
- Anderson’s,
- Geniune Joes
It also recommended Flight Path, which I’ve been to before (back when it really was on the flightpath, and it was so noisy when a plane went overhead that you couldn’t think).
I’ll have to try out the other locations (they’re on my list!).
Vietnamese Coffee at Triumph Cafe
Triumph Cafe isn’t what I would consider a coffee shop per se (they serve Vietnamese cuisine and sandwiches), but they do make coffee, espresso, and best of all, Vietnamese coffee. I had lunch there the other day for the first time in many years, and decided to try the coffee. Since not as many places serve Vietnamese coffee and I hadn’t had it here yet, I thought I’d try it out and report back.
This is a "double" Vietnamese coffee, pre-stirring.
After stirring, it has a nice rich color
From the street or parking lot, Triumph Cafe doesn’t look like much – yet another strip-mall cafe. However, Triumph has a hidden gem of a back patio, surrounded by a lot of greenery and shade – a nice little oasis. In the spring and fall in Austin, its a perfect place to sit outside and talk a bit too long over coffee or lunch.
There are other places to get Vietnamese Pho and other cuisine, and I like some of them better. But this place has a nice laid back atmosphere, and they didn’t look at me funny when I ordered my Vietnamese coffee hot instead of cold (usually people will pour it over ice, but I’ve never been a big fan of ruining my coffee with ice)…
(yelp reviews here, mostly positive, especialy with regard to the coffee)
Real Simple Boasts about 7 Coffees
Looking for something to change up your coffee routine?
Real Simple (the magazine) boasts about “7 Buzz-Worthy Coffees” – giving some recommendations for coffees you can try to change up your coffee routine…
- Pete’s Coffee Uzuri African Blend
- Counter Culture La Golondrina
- Starbucks Pike Place Roast – I have to admit to liking this one myself. But when I buy beans for regular coffee rather than espresso I like to find something different to buy.
- Jim’s Organic Sweet Love Blend
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters Kenya Gaturiri Reserve – molasses and black currant? count me in.
- illy Whole Bean Coffee Medium Roast – All of the illy coffees are fantastic in my opinion. There is nothing quite like the smell when you crack open a tin of illy coffee. Now, for some reason Real Simple says that you can only get it in “ground” rather than whole bean, but the picture says “whole bean” and I’ve never had trouble finding illy whole bean coffee…
- Gimme! Coffee Rwanda Remera
So, if you’ve been stuck in a rut with your daily coffee routine, try one of these to change up the routine… But I’ll add a couple more ideas to the list:
Ruta Maya - a fantastic organic coffee from right here in Austin. The Cubita (black package) has a great aroma. They’ve been in business in Austin for years, importing from Central America. And then there’s Third Coast Coffee, another good local roaster. Or Kohana Coffee (love their website, haven’t tried the coffee yet!)….
Do you have to move to Austin to find these? Of course not! No doubt there is a small roaster in your town (or two, or three, or ten) to try out. If there’s an organic grocery store (Whole Foods, Sprout, etc) or a Costco, those are good places to start looking for alternatives that might be local (at least, they are good places to look for options in Austin, along with HEB and Central Market).
Happy hunting…
Jo’s Coffee
Jo's Coffee on South Congress
Jo’s Coffee, in Austin, TX, is a bit of an institution. It has quite a following at its two locations (which, by the way, have a very different vibe). The one on Second Street feels a bit more upscale, but not still casual enough for the average pedestrian in shorts and flip flops.
The Jo’s on South Congress is basically a shack with open air seating. Jo’s sells beer as well as coffee, and the outdoor seating seems to be very popular with folks who want to have a beer and a smoke, even more than the folks who just want coffee. My latte was good, and so was the Mocha Latte. But the ambiance of the place was left wanting, and I retreated to the Hotel San Jose courtyard to read the newspaper without any smoke blowing my way. Jo’s has free wifi as well, but I didn’t get a chance to test it out.
I think the best thing recommending both Jo’s coffee locations is that they’re located near a lot of interesting stores you can walk to – and if you’re like me, you need caffeine to shop. South Congress, and 2nd Street, are two of the more interesting outdoor shopping streets in Austin (with South Congress being a bit more “hip” and 2nd Street a bit more “upscale”), and both have a collection of really yummy restaurants to complement the coffee shops.
Yelp reviews here…
Texspresso
Since the early 90′s (at least 1995), Texspresso has been serving up their own take on espresso drinks, and they’ve clearly spent more time on the drinks than on the web site or the atmosphere in their Austin location (they have a newer location in Buda I haven’t been to).
The Texspresso Alamocha
They’re located in the North Village Shopping Center in Austin, which is undergoing major renovations. I hear that renovations are coming to the interior of Texspresso soon as well, but for now it has the acoustics of a gymnasium with 20′ ceilings and nothing to break up the sound.
I hadn’t been to Texspresso in 10 years, and I’ve become much more of a coffee fan since the last visit, so I thought I’d try it again… this time the barista recommended that I try the Texspresso or the Alamocha (extra points for clever use of “Alamo”), and so I did. They somehow brew the sugar in instead of stirring it in later, and what they serve is rich and creamy. I went back the next day and had another.
