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

Coffee From a Box

South Lamar isnt really the street you frequent to find solace. South Lamar is quirky and has a little something local for everyone. Its entertaining, sure; purposeful? Most definitely. But peaceful is not in the description: unless we are talking about La Boite café.*

*La Boite is French for "the box."

                     

La Boite Cafe
photo courtesy of foodiswhatilove.com

Positioned atop a lush green hill, La Boite overlooks the busy street of South Lamar. The street is buzzing with the sound of hundreds of cars whirring down the road. Faintly, I hear the steady chirping of birds in the distance;  Although I can’t see them, I know by the sound they too have found peace in the middle of this popular boulevard. 

I am sheltered beneath a canvassed fabric stretched from the top of La Boite to the ends of its cracked stone and gravel patio.

The sitting area is much like the inside of La Boite’s trailer. It is small, unassuming and confident. La Boite isn’t shrouded in local art or fancy lights. The walls are a paintless cement covering everything in the trailer permanently except for the unfinished wood ceiling. The menu is two small pieces of paper bolted between two chalkboards with the daily specials. The pastry case is small but delicious looking. Word on the street is that their macarons are too. die. for.

When I order my iced hazelnut latte with nonfat milk I am told by the friendly barista that La Boite has run out of ice (#foodtrailerproblems). I still order it cold and hope for the best.

Literally seconds later my latte is waiting for me on the counter- I grab it and head outside. Perched on a chair in the shade, I take a good look at the Austin skyline and go in for my first sip.

The hazelnut flavor is just right. It tastes as though my straw has pierced right through the center of a hazelnut and found some cream and sugar along the way.

The first sip is the same as the last. The after taste is the same as the before taste. This is seriously good coffee. 

The coffee peeks through the hazelnut syrup. It is not overshadowed by the hazelnut flavor, but thinly veiled. Make no mistakes the espresso taste is there and strong; lattes from La Boite are not for the faint of heart.

The milkiness of my latte, is very much unlike other lattes; the milk isn’t heavy like I find whole milk to be, but it certainly is rich, especially for being skim milk.
 How do they do it?

Did I mention La Boite makes their own syrups?

I don’t know how flavoring syrup is made, or what goes into one- but I do know a good one when I taste it. La Boite expertly makes delicious syrups

Everything here is taken very seriously. I overhear the owners casually talking with a potential business partner about the design and engineering of a shipping package for La Boite’s macarons. Yes, they are discussing the importance of how their macarons will be sent through the mail. Dedication to detail at its finest. Every minute facet of this tiny trailer has been carefully thought out and executed.

I'd wrap these babies up good too.
photo courtesy of texasmonthly.com

I am so comfortable right now watching Austin life hurry by, while I steal time to enjoy a perfect iced hazelnut latte.

Moments like these, I know that there will never be another city quite like this one. You can keep your overcrowded New York and overly-tan Los Angeles-

 I’ll stick to the gentle city noises and flamboyant quirkiness of Austin.


Coffee Drinkers: Go for the cappuccino. 
Non-Coffee Drinkers: House-made Macarons. Duh.



Store Hours:
Mon-Fri: 7:30 am- 4:30 pm
Sat-Sun: 8 am- 4 pm


Location:
1700 S. Lamar
Austin, Texas
78704
512.377.6198

The Curious Case of Summermoon Coffee

In another life I must have been a private eye.


A real gumshoe, you know.


I'm not sure what sets me off, but every time I happen upon a fishy story I spiral out of control searching for leading clues, interrogating innocent bystanders and humming ominous background music.


Maybe its the thrill of the chase that fuels my curiosity, or maybe its the odd comfort I take in knowing that something in the world is yet to be discovered.

Or maybe it's because I'm a sucker for guys in orange ascots.
photo courtesy of cartoonnetwork.co.uk

Either way when I found myself in a daze sipping on a latte at Summermoon Wood Fired Coffee, I knew there was a mystery to be solved. 


From the moment I stepped inside this modest coffee shop off of South 1st, I felt as thought I had been let in on a great Austin secret.


It's likely you drive right past this establishment often without even knowing. Residing in a plaza that also houses a salon and a physical fitness center, it's not a typical spot for a cafe.


After opening the door I felt a quick push of warm air against my face; I looked around and heard a mix of spirited conversations between friends and saw people hunched over laptops furiously typing what might just be the next great American novel.


The people here are regulars. Some park just to run in, grab their usual and head out to whatever the day brings them.


I asked the barista to give me what Summermoon does best. Without hesitation he told me the best drink is named after the shop itself: the Summermoon latte.


He explained that the Summermoon latte is a mix between their house espresso and an unique, sweet Summermoon milk. Talk about vertical integration...


I opted for the half as sweet one, appropriately named the half Summermoon.


As he gingerly prepared my drink I asked him about the shop owned by his father-in-law. Apparently Summermoon has the only wood-fired coffee in Austin. What's more is that they roast their own coffee too.

Summermoon's personal wood fired oven
photo courtesy of woodfiredcoffee.

That's right, Summermoon has been roasting its coffee beans in its personal wood-fired oven for over seven years now. What does this mean?


Not only is Summermoon local, but its unique. There are about three major roasters in Austin that coffee shops in the area get their beans from, and all of these roasters use a gas oven.












Wood-fired is not necessarily better than gas roasting, it's just different. My barista describes its as "smoother." I feel good drinking these beans because it feels more natural.




Now there are two mysteries to Summermoon Coffee.


The first mystery is that of the Summermoon latte; I don't know what it is! The latte is sweet and at the risk of puzzling you all, custard-y. I watched my drink being crafted and I saw everything that went into it. As promised, the half Summermoon latte is a careful blend of skim milk, Summermoon espresso and Summermoon sweet milk- that's it.


But the taste is much more complex. As I mentioned above, there is some sort of custard hint to it- a sort of thick, easy vanilla flavor. I would know if there was sweetened condensed milk in it because of its characteristic heaviness, and because of its mysterious ability to tighten my waistband; but although it is a dense drink, it is not heavy.


The Summermoon latte is of a natural frothy consistency. It sips creamy and cool and effortlessly masks the assumed bitterness that follows a latte with four shots of espresso. After I indulged my coffee for almost two hours, I feel full and alert- but not jittery.


I also felt sad; very, very sad.

the latte can't ALL be gone?!
photo courtesy of findairfreight.com

The second mystery of Summermoon to be solved is its popularity. With a homegrown philosophy and bewitching brews, people should be lining out the door to get a taste.


This is not to say Summermoon does not have a steady flow of customers, but I am surprised that the small coffee bar isn't brimming with eager caffeine addicts searching for outlets.


Sure, there are numerous positive reviews on yelp.com about this place, but why are yelp users the only people talking about it? Why haven't I been here before?


Why aren't you there now?


The space isn't big, so don't bring your entire social circle expecting a place to sit- keep Summermoon for your inner circle of friends.

Summermoon
photo courtesy of austinrealestatehomesblog.com

While the front patio is nothing to ride home about (its pretty small with bare, mismatched seating), the inside is quaint with eclectic chairs and tables and colorful lanterns dangling from the ceiling.


Stop by Summermoon right now. And tell your friends about this well kept secret.


As for the unsolved mysteries? The only reason I can think of why this place isn't packed full of yuppies is simply due to its hidden storefront and odd location.


And the Summermoon latte's curious sweetness? Summermoon sweet milk is magical. That's all there is to it. I challenge the world's most expert chemists to find another solution.






Summermoon is sensational. Case closed.


Coffee drinkers: try their espresso straight up. My guess is that it is fabulous.


Non-coffee drinkers: the full Summermoon Latte. Sweet, with a hidden jolt.




Location:
3115 S. 1st st.
Austin, TX, 78704
512.804.1665


Hours:
Mon-Fri: 7 a.m. - 12 a.m.
Sat: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Natives of Thunderbird Coffee: UNITE!

THUNDERCAAAAAATS.

video courtesy of youtube.com

No, I did not visit a ThunderCats themed coffee shop.

But that would have been AWESOME.

I did however find myself at a similarly named Eastside coffee spot: Thunderbird Coffee. 
(NOTE: there are no Thundercats memorabilia to be found inside Thunderbird, despite its name)

Everything about Thunderbird Coffee is Eastside. Parking is found on the winding streets of a charmed, vintage neighborhood. The front patio borders Manor Road with a wire mesh fence draped in Christmas lights. A long string of light bulbs envelops the patio in twinkling light. Sitting at Thunderbird is like sitting on the back porch of your best friend's house. Patrons play indie music from personal speakers and discuss novels as they sip on their espressos and ice cold tap beers. 

Thunderbird Coffee's front patio
photo courtesy of tx-coffee.com

Yes, I said beers.

Thunderbird Coffee sells beer, bottled and tap, in addition to their locally roasted Cuvee coffee. That name may sound familiar; many coffee shops in the area get their coffee directly from this local roaster, known for its personal relationship with their farmers and growers. If a coffee shop touts its fair-trade philosophies and local-focus, its more than likely they get their beans from Cuvee Coffee.

The inside is again, standard Eastside: dim lighting, mismatched seating, nondescript, bare walls and soft alt-rock beats thumping.

The lone barista complimented the coffee house nicely in a checkered button-down, skinny jeans and a lopsided black beanie. 

I gave the him the standard spiel, "Hi, I'm writing a coffee blog about coffee shops here in Austin. Can you give me what [insert coffee shop name here] does best? What's your signature drink? blah, blah, blah"

Right away he asked me what coffee shops I had been to; and at that moment I knew I was being tested. He wanted to know what kind of coffee drinker I was, so I didn't dare to name drop Starbucks (I'll save that  for another blog). 

About three things I was absolutely positive:

1. Thunderbird was for serious coffee drinkers only: habitual Starbucks-goers need not apply.

2. With the above kind of haughtiness, Thunderbird must have good coffee.

3. This is an embarrassing Twilight reference.

a perfect cappuccino

         I settled on a cappuccino since the barista insisted this was the only true test of a coffee shop's quality. After I was handed my espresso I stalked slowly outside to my table, so as not to spill the delicate cream leaf atop my drink. 

My first sip was bitter. My second sip was bitter. And my third? Bitter. But a good bitter. 

I've mentioned in an earlier post how all too often the natural bitter taste of the coffee is overshadowed by sugary sweeteners and syrups. Now don't get me wrong, I love my sugar and my sugary lattes, as evidenced by previous posts, but sometimes it's nice to sit back and smell the coffee, real coffee.


There's a tang to this cappuccino that I quite enjoy. The espresso is clean, you can taste the roasted beans and the milk- that's it. The subtly sweet undertone lingers on my tongue long after I have finished swallowing. Its the kind of drink you order when you don't the coffee flavor (or buzz) to end.


I've got to hand it to Thunderbird. Not many coffee shops will put their lone espresso up to bat with the bases loaded; most pump up their drinks with hazelnut and sugar as a sort of safety.


Its a bold move, but Thunderbird has definitely hit a home run.

good to the last drop

Coffee Drinkers: Get the Cappuccino. But prepared to stay awake for 4-6 hours after consuming.


Non-Coffee Drinkers: The Honey Nut Latte was delicious. A great cinnamon flavor, without too much spice.


Location
2200 Manor Road
Austin, TX
512.472.9900

Hours
Mon - Thurs: 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Fri: 7 a.m. – 12 midnight
Sat: 8 a.m. – 12 midnight
Sun: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.

I Heart East Austin

An open love letter to East Austin,

You dazzle me, Eastside. Every time I trek across I-35 I am reminded of how un-cool I am. I get the overwhelming notion that I just don’t belong in this relationship.

Too cool for me. Although I do love Weezer.
photo courtesy of cracked.com

I don’t wear 1950s reminiscent horn rimmed glasses; my body is free of anti-establishment indie band lyric tattoos and I drive a big, gas guzzling Ford F-150.

Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t kicked me out of your city limits yet.

But I think that’s why I love you, you have yet to close your cluttered streets and independently owned shop fronts to the likes of me. I don’t look like your “type,” but you welcome me anyway.

I know I don’t visit as often as I should. Sure I do the occasional walk of shame to Juan-in-a-Million for the liked named hangover-curing breakfast tacos, but its not enough.

So today I thought of you when I stepped outside in the beautiful Austin, Texas weather. Where else in the world is mid-February shorts season?

You’ve changed East Austin. Actually, you’re always changing. You find a way to surprise me and make me fall in love with you all over again each time I see you.

View of Austin from Progress patio

I’m writing you from the narrow patio of Progress Coffee on San Marcos street,  overlooking the metro rail and looking up to the geometric Austin skyline. It could be the latte I’m savoring talking, you know what sugar does to me, but I can’t imagine going another week without seeing you again.

In the meantime I figure I should tell you why I feel the need to profess my love right now. I’ve found another great coffee shop in your ‘hood.

Studying up online I learned that Progress Coffee is one of those forward-thinking businesses that really value making a positive impact on its patrons over making money; weird, I know. They compost their trash and use recyclable materials, in addition to providing only fair-trade coffee and local organic food.

I approached the bar timidly, waiting for the barista to throw up his arms and point me and my corporate branded clothes out, bellowing “YOU SHALL NOT PASS.”

He didn’t, so that’s good news. Actually he was very friendly. I asked Rick, his name I later learned, “what does Progress Coffee do different?”

He answered without skipping a beat, “We’re sexy.”

uh, yum.

After I let out a snort of laughter he pointed to his coworker and asked him to pose for me, proving their sexiness. At this point, I had to hand the title of sexiest Austin baristas over to them.

When we finished discussing the exact magnitude of sexiness the Progress Coffee baristas exude, I asked Rick what I should order.

He first offered me the very popular Progress “Iced Lightening,” which is an iced coffee with hazelnut and chocolate syrups topped off with sweetened condensed milk. With the impending doom that is bikini season looming, I laughed and asked what else he could give me, despite how deliciously decadent it sounded.

We settled on another popular drink to this café, the Eastside latte; nonfat of course. The menu explains it as an iced latte with Ghirardeli chocolate, cinnamon and Mexican Melipone Vanilla. I consider myself a bit of a connessuier when it comes to Mexican chocolate drinks; a lot of people do them, but few do them right. Usually the drink is way too thick and sweet, as a result of too much chocolate (usually milk chocolate, unfortunately) and the spice is minimal.

Sting. The best word to describe how I felt upon my first sip.  The espresso in my cup is made known with a definite vanilla taste. I don’t usually like vanilla lattes- they taste fake to me, this tastes real; almost as if the beans are stored with actual whole vanilla beans.

Some coffee shops try to be different with their menu that they make their drinks a contrived sugary concoction of syrups; a red velvet latte with a pump of Irish cream, topped off with a chocolate drizzle, for example. Progress Coffee doesn’t resort to this surface level superficiality. Progress does what it does, well. No false pretense here.

First the dark chocolate hits your tongue in the Eastside Latte and then dissipates into a poignant vanilla, only to fizzle out with a bit of cinnamon. You can’t forget the cinnamon.  

When I finish my drink I feel like I’ve been let in on yet another Austin secret.

And to think you’ve been hiding this from me, East Austin! You should be ashamed.

Alas I love you still. I can’t resist the cultivated charm I find within independently owned cafes such as this one.

Thanks a latte for the memories,

Kelcey  

p.s. special shout out to the smokin' barista Rick- thanks for your help!

Hours:

Mon-Fri: 6:30am-7pm

Sat: 7:30am-7pm

Sun: 7:30am-5pm

Location:

500 San Marcos

Austin, TX 78702

512.493.0963

Welcome to the Future

Can I be honest with you?

I'm actually pretty afraid of an eventual robot take over. You can't really blame me.

Robots are working for us, fighting wars for us, solving the unsolvable for us and even feeling for us. That's right, scientists have created robots with emotion and human-like morality.

So imagine my shock/embarrassingly loud scream when I came across this on the University of Texas at Austin campus:

I spy a creepy robot eye
photo courtesy of coffeebreak2day.com

The first, and currently only Briggo coffee shop is located on the University of Texas at Austin campus inside the Flawn Academic Center. A massively large box sits in the corner of this study hot spot for UT Austin students, and inside is a very technical and very intelligent barista; Briggo coffee and tea is procured by a robotic barista.

No human hands touch your drink (except yours, duh).

This is how it works: a caffeine-craving customer places his customized drink order via smartphone, internet or at the actual Briggo touch screen and then waits as his drink is crafted within the time estimated at check-out. When brewed and ready, the coffee emerges from two tiny silver doors and the customer's name appears on a large flat screen, informing the patron of his order.

video courtesy youtube.com

Brewed coffee can be ready in less than 30 seconds and espresso and chai drinks take no more than 180 seconds. If a customer's wait time is longer, it's simply because there are drink orders ahead of them.
Talk about coffee-on-the-go.

Take a moment and let the meaning of all this sink in.

Imagine having to switch planes in a busy airport. Your first flight was during your usual morning coffee break and you are in serious need of a jolt, especially since the kid behind you wouldn't stop kicking your seat on the plane; quickly, you whip out your phone and place an order for a soy caramel double shot latte with two Splendas, and by the time you deboard, your coffee is ready and waiting for you at the Briggo stand.

Briggo's easy to operate menu
photo courtesy of briggo.com

No more desperate scouring of the airport for the nearest, grossly over-priced coffee shop. No more pleas for a Divine intervention that would make the Starbucks line shorter so that your next flight isn't missed. No more caffeine headaches from having to forego your daily dose of coffee.

Pending Briggo's success, coffee-lovers can expect this robotic barista to appear in hospitals and airports and schools across the country.

Gourmet coffee, not turn-and-burn brews, under three minutes and for a nominal cost.

Briggo has been on the UT Austin campus for a few months now but due to my well-founded fear of robots, I kept my distance. But when I received a coupon for a free coffee I figured I might as well face my coffee-maker and try out Briggo.

I walked up to this new-age coffee shop and prepared myself. I was a little over-whelmed at first.
The robot is so simple its confusing. As a frequent coffee shop goer, I am accustomed to a thousand and one terms for a latte and a million different ways of ordering one. But at Briggo you are shown a simple screen of the drinks they offer, how long it will take to make it and all the customization options- how great is that?

Briggo the coffee robot
photo courtesy of dearcoffeeiloveyou.com

I ordered a double shot latte with one caramel syrup and one vanilla syrup. It was divine. It was the flan flavored latte I was hoping to receive at Dominican Joe's. My robot creation was caramelly but not overwhelming. There was a cool kind of sweetness about the drink and simple smoothness. There was no muddling of flavors; I enjoyed it very much.


Bottom line: Trust these robots with your coffee, but maybe not the future of the world.

Coffee Drinkers: Have at it! 


Non-Coffee Drinkers: The hot chocolate is the next thing to try on my list.




Hours:
Mon-Thur: 7am-12am
Sat-Sun: 10 am-10pm
Extended hours during finals


Location:
Flawn Academic Center at the University of Texas at Austin

The Dojo of DoJo's

I’ve never been to the Dominican Republic. But when I picture it in my lack-of-real-life-experiences American mind, I picture gorillas, bananas and coffee. I don’t actually know if any of those are accurate exports except for coffee, so I’ll talk about that.

Coffee beans from the Dominican Republic carry a certain flavor; they are bold but subtly, sweet and have very low acidity, as compared to some high-acidic European coffee beans. Depending on your personal palette, you may prefer high acidity: I don’t.

Dominican Joe’s off of South Congress gets their coffee beans on direct trade from farmers in Columbia and has them roasted locally in Austin. What’s more is Dominican Joe’s pays fair-trade prices to the bean growers and donates to the area’s local underprivileged schools, Makarios and DoulosDiscovery School. And they don’t stop overseas; Dominican Joe’s also donates a portion of their profits to Austin non-profits.

All the buzz about their charitable reputation from loyal customers on yelp.com enticed me to check out DoJo’s, as it is affectionately nicknamed.

DoJo's Art

I descended the staircase (yes, they have a staircase) and my eyes peeled around the room absorbing the jungle atmosphere. Big, leafy potted trees were abound and the tall colorful walls were covered in local art. 

A moment of panic spread through my body as I looked for a place to sit; DoJo’s is as popular as it’s made out to be online. My anxiety subsided when I spotted open tables outside.

The patio is surrounded by flora. If it weren’t for the police sirens and Austin skyline you would really feel as though you were sitting at private table in the Caribbean.  I caught myself half hoping a scantily-clad cabana boy would burst through the bushes wielding a daiquiri and a bottle of tanning oil.

He'll do.
photo courtesy of romancebandits.com

Sigh. A girl can dream.

My misguided delusions behind me, I approached the counter and ordered a flan latte. After waiting for what seemed like hours (but was really about 20 minutes too long) I took my first gulp.  I can’t say that I was wildly impressed by the coffee. It was flavorful to be sure, and it definitely warranted me finishing my cup; although I wouldn’t slurp the remnants. It tasted more like a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks than a carefully crafted Mexican masterpiece.

I was impressed with the sweet, burnt undertone that emulated that of the caramelized topping found on flan, but overall was disappointed with the execution. I expected more vanilla and less spice.

Nevertheless, I appreciated it for its awakening powers, it would be a long night.

This may be the first coffee shop I’ve explored where I like the décor more than the coffee. I will however, be returning to DoJo’s; I loved the music and the atmosphere. It’s one of those places where you can go to study but still socialize without feeling judgmental eyes boring into the back of your head.

Check out Dominican Joe’s (maybe don’t order the flan latte) and get lost in coffee paradise.

Dominican Joe Coffee Shop

515 S. Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78704

(512) 448-3919

Hours:

Mon-Fri 6:30 am - 11 pm

Sat-Sun 7 am - 11 pm