3403 Guadalupe, 467-2326
Open Sunday-Thursday, 8am-11pm;
Friday & Saturday, 8am-midnight
These days, coffeehouses in Austin pop up like ant beds in high summer.
This trend once quickened the pulses of coffee fanatics, but now it’s just as
likely to incite yawns. Why? Because the coffee itself too often proves
disappointing. Espresso runs from overly bitter to bodiless; cappuccinos lack
punch; and, almost universally, drip coffee is blended into oblivion by overly
zealous roasters in distant cities bent on pleasing everyone and offending no
one.
If you know of what I speak, drag your jaded palate to the new Little City
location for a jolt of blessed reality. The downtown location has been a
stalwart since its debut two years ago. But with the opening of the Guadalupe
spinoff in the old Amy’s Ice Cream space, Little City (along with Ruta Maya)
becomes one of the few Central Austin coffeehouses that roasts its own beans.
This is no mean distinction. In-house roasting ensures freshness, which in
turn profoundly impacts the quality of the brew. Coffee reaches its peak within
hours of its roasting and then declines, just as beer generally starts to lose
flavor as soon as it hits the bottle. Thus, small roasting houses are roughly
analogous to microbreweries – places wherein freshness, when combined with
excellent craftsmanship, can produce unbeatable results.
Happily, Little City managed to find an experienced coffee fanatic to run
the roasting machine. Steve Thatcher, a wiry fellow who claims to down 12-15
shots of espresso each day, views the roasting and serving of coffee as a
vocation, a life’s work. He got his start “making cappuccinos for old Italian
couples” at a gourmet shop in Crested Butte, Colorado, and then served a stint
at Starbucks in Seattle (then the Mercedes Benz, now the General Motors, of the
American high-end coffee trade). Next he opened his own shop in that hothouse
of espresso chic, Amarillo, Texas.
Along the way, he developed his professional style, which is to bring all
coffee beans, regardless of origin, to what he calls a “full city roast.” Asked
to elaborate, Thatcher rambled a bit like a basketball player trying to
rationalize a spin move en route to a rim-rattling dunk. Roughly translated,
Thatcher roasts coffee until he thinks it reaches its flavor potential. This
practice creates a roast darker than the usual stuff one finds at most
coffeehouses, but a bit lighter than the traditional French or Italian style.
Coffee roasted more lightly strikes him as “underdeveloped,” and he correctly
notes that the browning process develops flavor compounds. Again beer makes an
apt analogy: “Compare a Budweiser to an oatmeal stout,” Thatcher
implores.
The results of his labors, although a bit pricey in bulk (around $8-10 per
pound), bear out his philosophy. The espresso (95cents for a single shot) is as
thick and rich as you could want it, with the underlying hint of sweetness that
eludes so many of the brews served at rival houses. The drip coffee (about a
dollar a cup) also excels. The store features a daily rotation of varieties
(including coffees from Central America, Africa, and Indonesia) along with the
Little City Blend. The latter, unlike the muddy house blend passed off at most
coffeehouses, is surprisingly focused; it gives a bright, clean acidity and a
spicy finish. The Costa Rican, probably because of Thatcher’s dark-roasting
habits, tasted on one visit less like a Central American than an African coffee
– smooth, incredibly focused, with a long finish. A week or so later, the Costa
Rican had the slightly tangy flavor that I associate with Central American
brews. Both cups were first rate. Be sure and try a cup of Thatcher’s signature
variety: Ethiopian Yergecheffe. This rare strand, which I brewed at home from
bulk beans, starts smooth and complex and builds to a dramatic burst of
bitterness.
Not many of us would want to bear the rigors of consuming 15 espressos per
day. But our town is the richer because Steve Thatcher can maintain this habit;
he knows how to make it worth his while by crafting remarkable coffees. – Tom Philpott
This article appears in June 23 • 1995 and June 23 • 1995 (Cover).