You are starting at the top, in my opinion. Be prepared to be let down more often. Seriously, I have been telling anyone who will listen about JP's for at least a year! Babbo's on west 38th rivals JP's. Most all of the baristi are really into making great espresso. They texture the milk right and even have a couple of budding latte artists. It is a totally different atmosphere and prefer the Casa Espresso. The other is an imported italian espresso that doesn't suit my palate. Peets just opened a store not to long ago. I stopped in once, but I didn't get espresso. I am not sure how well they do coffee there, but I have tried some really great coffees from Peets in the past.
Its not really a cafe, but I highly recommend visiting Texas Coffee Traders. (4th and Comal I think...) They are super friendly. Always eager to share a cup of whatever they are making at the time. (always great) They have great equipment, great advice, and great fresh roasts. Austin cool and a great way to run a business.
btw no connection. just a happy customer. Now I gotta go find this JP's....
cellocoffee Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2004 Posts: 195 Location: Austin, TX & Taiwan Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: think espresso Drip: think espresso Roaster: not yet
Posted Sat Mar 20, 2004, 10:54am Subject: Re: favorite Austin coffee shop?
EspressoDude Said:
You are starting at the top, in my opinion. Be prepared to be let down more often. Seriously, I have been telling anyone who will listen about JP's for at least a year! Babbo's on west 38th rivals JP's. Most all of the baristi are really into making great espresso. They texture the milk right and even have a couple of budding latte artists. It is a totally different atmosphere and prefer the Casa Espresso. The other is an imported italian espresso that doesn't suit my palate. Peets just opened a store not to long ago. I stopped in once, but I didn't get espresso. I am not sure how well they do coffee there, but I have tried some really great coffees from Peets in the past.
Hi Mike, Glad to hear about your thoughts. For a while I thought there's no one drinking coffee in Austin anymore. I finally went to Babbo's yesterday after a concert rehearsal. I got a cappa and got SIX more free shots. So totally 8 shots I had. My husband couldn't recognize me when I was done. I didn't finish them all. THe CASA blend was a bit too bland for me. The Palazzo(?) had a bite to it but was siting in the grinder for 5 days. The owner was very into talking (looked tired and sleepy, poor entrepreneur) about his coffee which was fun. They have a rosetta photo posted right next to their LM but the girl there didn't know how to do it. So we are gonna try Babbo's again on some weekends in hope of meeting some better barista.
At JP's. We got several very consistent excellent cappas and espressos and one time on a weekday night was not as good.
EspressoDude Senior Member Joined: 17 Mar 2004 Posts: 55 Location: Spring, TX Expertise: Professional
Posted Sat Mar 20, 2004, 1:01pm Subject: Re: favorite Austin coffee shop?
Sorry to hear about the average experience @ Babbo's. My rule for coffee houses is the same one I use for restaurants. I like to try a place 3 times because you never know what night the chef called in sick:-) I know for a fact that they are capable of serving quality, but by all means, stick to what you fancy.
cellocoffee Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2004 Posts: 195 Location: Austin, TX & Taiwan Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: think espresso Drip: think espresso Roaster: not yet
Posted Sat Mar 20, 2004, 1:53pm Subject: Re: favorite Austin coffee shop?
3 times visit..hummm. It is a good rule to get to know a coffee or eating place. I guess I was just trying to say how much difference an individual barista can make. It looks like Peet's is right near UT. Is it? Anyway, I am going down to check it out now. Let's go, baby. Ciao,
Found another lovely place in Ausint!! It's called 360 UNO, located in an upscale shopping strip mall on Westlake +360 Texas Hiway. The owner seemed to be Italian. They serve Segafred with an automatic. Their capucino is ok but espresso is pretty good for a quick lunch at work. I just found out they actually ship their desserts DIRECTLY from ITALY. Crazy! No wonder they look so different from domestic cakes. Beasides cakes, they serve soup, salad and grilled pannino. It's a wonderful option for a quick escape from your office.
Sorry to hear about the average experience @ Babbo's. My rule for coffee houses is the same one I use for restaurants. I like to try a place 3 times because you never know what night the chef called in sick:-) I know for a fact that they are capable of serving quality, but by all means, stick to what you fancy.
Hi how's it going. I've been busy with cello stuff. We finally made it to Peets. The machine was a beauty. The cappa was fine but I expected some more characters. I am trying to get ready for my Seattle coffee trip. Take care, cellocoffee
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