I vividly recall scrolling through my Instagram feed in early 2021 and getting an avalanche of #FOMO. I saw Cosmic Coffee's latest partnership announcement with Proud Mary Coffee Roasters, as well the combo's collaboration concoction, 'Cosmic Blend.' Truthfully, it was the coffee's creative that struck me the most. The artwork comprising of elements around Mexican culture, West Texas and vivid color palettes was the coolest I had seen, and it was all beautifully graffitied on coffee cups, coffee bags and social media.
I immediately paused my WFH flow to voyage from Tech Ridge in North Austin to Cosmic Coffee on South Congress for a drip fix and coffee bean re-up of the new blend. Once I secured the bag and returned home, I realized in that moment I wanted to explore other amazing roasters in town, and seek out the hidden gems I have not seen to-date. After researching and asking local baristas, I quickly accumulated a list of nearly 50 Austin/Austin-area coffee roasters (not coffee shops - but roasters).
I knew I wanted to try as many as I could to both taste the different coffee flavors of Austin as well as map a "coffee compass" of the city. The idea of documenting each roaster visually within an art piece appealed to me, so I wanted to create something as an ode to Austin coffee and highlight the amazing folks engineering and making the local Austin coffee engine run. After more than two years (and lots of caffeine), I love the finished product now hanging on the wall in our guest room.
Below are the 32 amazing folks spotlighted in the piece. It was such a fun experience exploring new places in town, getting introduced to new kinds of coffee (such as Tiny House's Barrel-aged beans), and contributing to ATX's amazing coffee scene.
Austin Java
Austin Roasting Company
Barrett's Coffee Roasters
Civil Goat
Cosmic Coffee
Creature Coffee Co.
Cuvee Coffee
Desnudo Coffee
El Tigre Coffee Roasters
Epoch Coffee
Figure 8 Coffee Purveyors
Flat Track
Greater Goods
Lazarus Brewing
Little City Coffee Roasters
Medici Roasting
Mi Mundo
Mozart's Coffee Roasters
Praxis Coffee Roasters
Progress Coffee
Radio Coffee
Redhorn Coffee Roasters
Sightseer Coffee Roasters
Spokesman
Stone Stash Coffee & Provisions
Summer Moon
Superthing Coffee Roasters
Third Coast Coffee Roasting Company
Tiny House Coffee Roasters
Try Hard
Weathered Hands
Wild Gift
Can you spot your favorite coffee? Let me know! Hope you enjoy.
Cheers,
Drip.
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