Austin Food & Drink
XL cover story
The grande experience
Coffeehouses are where we work and play and sometimes start a revolution, all to the sound of beans being ground and milk being steamed
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Judging by our coffeehouses, we are not one Austin. We are many.
We are students who smoke, discuss and study while downing coffee no matter how late. We converse in Spanish over migas and free refills in East Austin, and we meet with our church families for Christian rock in the suburbs.
Photo gallery
Caffeine culture
What's important when choosing a coffee house?
- Coffee quality and convenient location: 70 percent
- Friendly and knowledgeable staff: 40 percent
- Variety: 35 percent
- Price: 25 percent Source: Specialty Coffee Association of America
Brian K. Diggs
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Drive-through latte? Why not? Sara Pawlowski hands Diane Guffey her coffee at Sorrento's Coffee.
Brian K. Diggs
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Ava Cole, left, and Russell Pickavance are staging a revolution at Spider House . . . well, not really, but he's asking people: 'Should everyone on Earth have enough to eat?'
Brian K. Diggs
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Andy Sharp works in the relative quiet of Progress Coffee. The East Austin cafe is close to downtown and roasts fair-trade, organic beans.
Brian K. Diggs
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Victoria Menchu kicks up a coffee concoction at Ruta Maya International Headquarters.
We accessorize with those paper cups with plastic lids. We introduce by way of a hug. We talk of an unimpeded life where money has no meaning and coffee is bartered.
We are also a community that laments our loss of community. Technology, fear, hectic workdays. Who knows why we've changed? But in the past decade or so, a community-building establishment appeared in the most unlikely of places: corporate coffee.
Whine about the dominance of the cookie-cutter marketing genius all you want; before Starbucks, no one could predict how horribly dire the need for a grande caramel macchiato soon would be.
Coffeehouses have been around since before the 1500s, when men gathered to satirize their rulers in Mecca. That government became the first of many to declare coffee suspect to the political order.
Leave it to America to turn a place of rebellion into a corporate empire.
Leave it to Austin to feel guilty about it.
Scot Markland orders a venti iced coffee from a Starbucks drive-through in North Austin and then tells me he should make his own at home. Although not partial to Starbucks, he's on his way to work, and it's just so easy.
"I like supporting local businesses," he says, to make sure I note it. "But sometimes at the local places, the coffee is not as good."
Markland and the dozen others waiting at the drive-through are after neither political discussion nor ambience.
Don't think Starbucks patron Michele Holt wants to be known as a Starbucks patron. This is a woman who shops at thrift stores and prides herself on supporting local businesses. Imagine her embarrassment at being caught amid corporate conformity at its most jazzy and hip.
"I used to be so judgmental about drive-through coffee," she says. "How lame could you be?"
Then her son, Finnegan, now 2, came along. "With him, I'll sit at the drive-through for 15 minutes rather than go inside."
Drive-through gourmet coffee: the fast-food nation's stamp on a centuries-old tradition. But for our work-dominated lives in car-dominated Austin, speed is key.
With about 50 Starbucks stores in the Austin area and six Seattle's Best Coffee retailers (which Starbucks owns), you'd think local guys didn't have a shot. However, the Specialty Coffee Association of America reports that 60 percent of the coffee retail market is made up of independent coffeehouses and small chains.
In the past 15 years, coffeehouses in America have multiplied from just more than 1,000 to more than 20,000. Much like the societies of before, we've tweaked the coffeehouse concept to make it our own.
As explored in both "The Coffee House: A Cultural History" by Markman Ellis and "Uncommon Grounds" by Mark Pendergrast, coffeehouses evolved as the concept spread from one country to another. The British turned coffeehouses into symbols of egalitarianism; regardless of class, men could not be refused a seat, although women were not allowed. In Vienna, women and men found a place to speak socially without social stigma. The Viennese made the coffeehouse a catch-all for hanging out: the breakfast crowd, game-players, readers, the post-theater crowd all showed up.
We might never create the grass-roots coffeehouse buzz that developed into a revolution as it did in France. Our coffeeshops might never draw the consistent crowds that bars do. Our revolution took root in taverns.
If convenience is what America has contributed to coffeehouse culture, so, too, have we added work.
Dean Kakridas, a vice president of a software company based in Norway, sits in front of his laptop at Austin coffeehouses for about six hours a day.
"As Americans, we have different modes — productive mode and social mode," Kakridas says, after he decides the subject is worthy of breaking his concentration at Progress Coffee off East Fifth Street. "When we're in productive mode, don't bother us. We're trying to make a million dollars."
You know the workers by their laptops, earphones and papers strewn on the table. Students usually add a book or two. They are in it for the long haul. Fast-food restaurants send a message to customers by way of uncomfortable chairs: "Thanks for coming. Don't stay too long." Surely coffeehouse owners aren't thrilled when a squatter buys a plain cup of coffee for $1.80, then takes up an hours-long residence at a table. And yet that same coffeehouse provides plush chairs ideal for loafing — and lingering.
Or working, rent-free.
But when the coffeehouse is your office, you face many "what ifs." When you have deadlines and finals and you rely on coffeehouse Wi-Fi, service had better be constant. Kakridas and his type won't wait around for it to get better, and they won't return after too many dropped connections.
In the morning, Kakridas wonders, "Am I going to come here today and find a table with a plug?" Then, "Will the espresso machine whir at the very moment a client calls?" He wants to start the next coffeehouse phenomenon: rental spaces that would ensure a quiet spot conducive to working — but with a social area close by.
We use coffeehouses for more than convenience and work, though. Even at Starbucks.
On the fourth Monday morning of each month, Florence Lind and her retired pals gather at a Starbucks in Northwest Austin. These women can talk. About everything.
"Who would buy jewelry in Union, N.J.," Lind asks me. She's from Union, and she still wonders why so many jewelry shops lined the main street. (The correct answer, I learn, is that no one would buy jewelry in Union. That's why trains go into New York.)
The Monday morning coffee group shrinks and grows depending on the week and year. Members of the group collect newcomers as they encounter people of a certain age who need to get out. "I always come," Lind says. "Even though I never know if anybody's coming."
Coffeehouse culture differs even from Starbucks to Starbucks. Ever been to one close to campus? Or gone late at night to one next to a movie theater? Each emits vibes that fit neither Lind nor Kakridas.
Coffeehouses have become a third place for us, often separate from home and work. But our individual natures and "be who you want" attitudes in Austin mean we don't go to just any coffeehouse down the road — although that's always an option.
We are individuals with diverse needs that one third place alone cannot fill. We require options beyond tall, grande and venti.
alorenz@statesman.com; 246-0008
Sound off
What are your favorite Austin coffeehouses? Post your comment.
Comments
By Bill Hood
August 28, 2006 10:55 AM | Link to this
Why limit the list to just a few of the many coffeehouses in Austin. Surely you realize that omission is just going to create a flood of comments.
What about Cafe Mundi, Flipnotics, Caffeine Coffeehouse, Genuine Joes, Triumph Cafe, Little City, Mozarts, Lava Java, Clementines, The Hideout, 360 Primo, Texpresso, Bouldin Creek and so many others?
Let’s get the list complete, folks!
By Sterling Price-McKinney
August 21, 2006 12:15 AM | Link to this
Just have iced venti no classic black tea waiting for me when I get to the counter and I will eventually fall into the clutches of your urban assembly line approach. I am committed to the Starbucks cult for at least the foreseeable future. Or until deprogrammers drag me back to Flipnotics or other competing temples of caffeine tea.
By Zenobia
August 16, 2006 04:32 PM | Link to this
Looking for a great coffeehouse to hold a book club meeting. Know of one?
By William
August 13, 2006 01:39 AM | Link to this
No the best place in Austin for coffe is Triumph Cafe. It is located in a generic looking strip mall in North Austin but the coffee and tea is wonderful. They serve not only great coffee and chai, but excellent Vietnamese food. One of the few places in town where one can order both great coffee and actual food, not just pastries and premade sandwiches.
By Jeff
August 12, 2006 08:34 PM | Link to this
I like Genuine Joes on Anderson Lane in North Austin.Nice old building.
By Fred
August 12, 2006 05:40 PM | Link to this
Are you kidding me? No mention of Flipnotics or Little City, the granddaddy’s of Austin’s coffeehouse scene. Flipnotics with its killer live music & patio? Little City on Congress? Flipnotics has the friendliest barista’s in town!
By Steven H
August 12, 2006 08:22 AM | Link to this
please stop mentioning cafe caffeine. it is by far my favorite coffeshop because it isn’t busy like crazy (spiderhouse). let’s just forget it exists. thankyou.
By Mike Simons
August 12, 2006 07:35 AM | Link to this
How did you miss Mozart’s.
Tables inside and out, perfect views of Lake Austin, very good coffee, Internet?
Mike Simons
By Matt
August 12, 2006 01:48 AM | Link to this
I’m a big fan of improv comedy, so the Hideout Coffehouse on congress is always fun. I grab a latte and a pastry and head upstairs for some funny when I need to decompress
By George
August 11, 2006 03:01 PM | Link to this
My three favorites in order are: #1)Cafe Mundi, turn right on East Fifth Street off of Chicon.
2) Lava Java on Dean Keeton Blvd. at Medical Arts in the shopping center with Kinko’s and #3) Clementines on Manor Rd. next door to Hoover’s Home Cooking. Thank you.By Jim
August 11, 2006 01:52 PM | Link to this
360 Primo is a European style coffee shop wih outstanding coffee drinks and wonderful deserts including gelato imported from Italy. Its salads, pannini sandwiches and croissants are the best in any coffee shop.
By Margaret
August 11, 2006 12:36 PM | Link to this
Try Little City (several locations, my favorite is on the west side of Guadalupe between West 26th and 27th Streets, next to a tattoo shop).
By Michael
August 11, 2006 12:19 AM | Link to this
I am very proud of my sister Kelle Lewis and her husband Chad for going out on a limb and opening a drive thru coffee stand. It took guts, lots of sweat and borrowing of money to do what they did.. Go get a drive thru espresso from them.. its local people who took a risk.. REWARD THEM!
Kelle Lewis’s brother,
Michael Morgan
ps.. they have 2 cute kids too!
By Spence
August 10, 2006 11:40 PM | Link to this
Yeah, sure … great article, as far as it goes; however, howsabout usins that live (work, play, etc.) outside Austin city limits, esp. those of us not fortunate enough to have lived hereabouts forever? Suburbia equal time/consideration? Spence
By jo mama
August 10, 2006 06:23 PM | Link to this
I’d bet on Starbucks being akin to McDonald’s “hamburgers”—sure it tastes good, but what the heck is IN it? McD’s tastes good only because of all the chemicals they add to grade F meat/TVP filler. How long before someone discovers that Starbucks tastes good because they add dioxin to the coffee, or some other outlandishly evil substance that kills people? Suck Farbucks thank you. JM ps,even if I was on a 2 day coffee craving headache,I’d shun Starbucks.
By mike
August 10, 2006 05:42 PM | Link to this
I’ll take good, clean Starbucks over Austin’s hippy-dippy, hole in the wall coffee haunts any day.
By Carlos
August 10, 2006 05:16 PM | Link to this
That girl in the photo looks awesome. I think she is the world’s first Eco-model….
What is an Eco-model?
Eco-models use their skills (photogenic and intellectual) to promote the Eco-lifestyle. Organic clothes, organic food/beverages and organic household and personal care products. Don’t forget about renewable energy, recycling, community participation, education and of course peace.
Did I leave something out?
By Monica Ferguson
August 10, 2006 04:44 PM | Link to this
You guys are nuts if you think Joe’s Bakery is the place for coffee. You might as well mention McDonalds and Burger King. Politicians meet there too.
Forget those fly by night places. Texpresso is the place to be. They’ve been around for over a DECADE.
By victoria
August 10, 2006 04:17 PM | Link to this
Ruta Maya is the best! Well, I guess I’m quite biased since I’m the girl in the picture, but from a workers perspective, Ruta is a wonderful place to call home. We buy organic coffee beans directly from indigenous cooperatives in Chiapas, Mexico which makes us feel quite proud of what we are doing as a local business. Another unique thing about Ruta Maya is that we are a large music venue. Check out the Rolling Stones hoot night this Saturday for a taste of Ruta Maya flavor!
By Leticia
August 10, 2006 03:36 PM | Link to this
My vote : I like Austin Java. Hardwood floors, great food that isn’t expensive, good coffee that is cheaper than Starbucks (and I think just as good), and plugs all along the wall for your laptop! And of course the great deck. I’m talking about the one on South Lamar close to 10th street, but there are other locations!
By Giselle
August 10, 2006 02:19 PM | Link to this
Hey!…
The Soft Serve at dhaba joy is VEGAN!!!!
Where else can you get Vegan soft serve and stroll through the groovy toys at Toy Joy?!!!
By Renee
August 10, 2006 02:11 PM | Link to this
Flightpath would be my number one for studying purposes. The floorplan lets you keep an eye on your laptop while you order, and the lighting is bright enough to actaully read under. Also, there is a variety of seating (ie: couches, tables) to choose from and a deck outside if you have to talk. But don’t go ruining it for the rest of us by holding a group meeting or cell phone conversation inside- the intellectual silence is it’s best attribute.
By Spain
August 10, 2006 01:42 PM | Link to this
Hands down, my favorite coffee shop is Bouldin Creek. Their coffee is great, the staff is way friendly and their food is really tasty and cheap. The patio is dog-friendly and the inside is cozy. Can’t be beat!
By Chris
August 10, 2006 12:06 PM | Link to this
I agree with Gerardo that Cafe Mundi is the best coffee place in Austin. It has the best vibe and the best iced coffee in town.
Clementine is just awful and posery, which irks me to no end since I walk past it each day. It’s worse than no coffeeshop in my neighborhood at all.
By Jessica Cassidy
August 10, 2006 12:04 PM | Link to this
I dig Progress. The lighting is ideal—bright and cheery; it’s easy to ride my bike there; and I’d rather contribute to the east side economy than the typical undergrad haunts.
By Carolyn
August 10, 2006 10:04 AM | Link to this
My favorite coffeehouse is Clementine off of Manor. It’s new and it is awesome. Great tables, great interior, fun place to go play or work.
By Giselle
August 10, 2006 12:45 AM | Link to this
Dhaba Joy on 29th and Guadalupe now open!
Organic Espresso drinks, Blended beverages and Juices.
Also serving Organic Soft Serve!
The door is open to Toy Joy and the manager, Christian Bowman, was an actor on shows like LOST and 24!
By Gerardo Torres
August 10, 2006 12:25 AM | Link to this
How could you? Why didn’t you? It is amazing, but you’ve forgot one important coffe houe in Austin. That is Cafe Mundi on 5th Street, close to Plaza Saltillo. Here is where my friends and I talked and planned to build our web site, which by the way, it is dedicated to news and events happening here in the Capital. I’ve seen other kids, well, most of them students, that also gather there, remember, it is called Cafe Mundi, on 5th Street. Yep, they not only sell coffee, but also chocolate and tea.