My New Friend Jo

What a perfect life.

I try to see myself on a long, desolate, sandy beach with the salty ocean sprays rising fast to meet my bare feet- no, that’s not right.

I picture a girl with dark hair like me, standing on a lush green hill with wildflower bunches tickling her knees and her arms outstretched a la "The Sound of Music-" nope, that’s not it either.

Am I cruising down Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, my hands tight on the wheel of a classic roadster letting the wind whip my hair in every direction? Not even close.

 I’m sitting on my laptop, on a small patio on Second Street, sandwiched between the bustling Lavaca and Colorado streets, hoping that the next gust of wind to blow through the trees is the one that pushes inspiration into my fingertips to word how beautiful today really is.

I am here.
photo courtesy of http://1.bp.blogspot.com

Does everyone feel the same way about their city? Do other people in other cities unknowingly write an “Ode to My City” blog every time they mean to write a blog about an unrelated subject?

But I should correct myself. I feel that Austin and coffee go hand in hand. You can have coffee without Austin, sure, but you can’t have Austin without coffee. We have dozens of local roasters and hundreds of coffee shops; every café has a different claim to fame and a different daily special. No we aren’t the birthplace of Starbucks, that’s fine; We are the birthplace of locality and flair and big business molded into innumerable little Austin gems.

Like this gem. RIP Leslie
photo courtesy of tmdailypost.com

Jo’s Coffee is one such gem. Jo’s is a local chain in Austin with two stores in two hot spots: South Congress and downtown SecondStreet. This place really looks like it has its act together: The store front is polished and painted and the inside looks like an upscale bohemian deli. Jo’s host numerous community events and thrives on the feeling of corporate gone local. I can appreciate a place like this.

Across from me are three suits discussing the latest iPhoneapp and “next-big-thing” as they dine during what I assume is a quick business lunch. The two on the end take a giant first bite of giant hamburger covered in a mountain of steaming, hot fries. Too bad I already at lunch.

But really, too bad I’m a broke college student.

The baristas on staff, and really everyone on staff, is so kind. I ask if I can get a coffee, and the barista retorts that I can if I want one. I tell him I would LOVE a sugar-free caramel, nonfat café au lait in the biggest cup he can find. He obliges.

I watch him whip my drink together with careful attention. It’s ready in a blink of an eye and I’m almost disappointed it didn’t give me more time to peruse the menu and beautifully open café. I grab a seat at the bar and look up to see piles board games and three straw cowboy hats resting on a shelf in front of me, and I find my curiosity lost somewhere between the two.

I decide to begin exploration of the one thing I am familiar with, coffee. I take the introductory sip sans straw to get the first of the signature café au lait foam layer. Perfect.

photo courtesy of i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com

I know I say a lot of coffee in Austin is good- a lot of it is! But I try to be discerning between good and great coffee. I find it no surprise that the coffee shops I categorize as great, brew Cuvee Coffee. This must mean I like Cuvee and the people who know how to serve it. 

I’m not more than three sips in before the friendly barista who crafted my café au lait approaches me to ask if my drink is good. When I say yes he hounds me to see if I’m just saying that because he was asking me: I wasn’t.

Three minutes go by and I hold my breath and lift the lid to see how much of my precious coffee is left, I’ve got more than half. I take a deep breath and sigh in relief.

The caramel is there, but not thick. The coffee is fresh and sharp. I know by the café au lait’s smooth, warm sweetness that it was poured by someone who knows what they are doing. The caramel faintly lingers on my tongue and I continue to swallow to see how long I can savor this flavor; I don’t wait long enough to find out, I’m hooked. The cinnamon spice undertone is a surprise, but a happy one. Who doesn’t love cinnamon?  There’s no separation of flavors in this café au lait, everything is blended as it should be and I don’t feel like I’m just left with foam when I finish (I hate when I’m left with foam, it’s such a tease.)

Okay so Jo’s is only open until 9 p.m. and parking is a vengeful beast downtown but I’m willing to fight what I need to for this coffee. This coffee is worth fighting for.

The food looks pretty good too.

Coffee Drinkers: Anything. Really.

Non-Coffee Drinkers: Grab a cold and local Firemans 4 brew

Store Hours:

Mon-Fri: 7 am - 9 pm

Sat- Sun: 8 am -9 pm

Store Location

242 W 2nd St.

Austin, Texas

78701