I think the coffee I had there was good enough to give them a shout out in their own thread. Also their rapid expansion in that market shows a well funded effort to bring good locally roasted coffee to the ?th largest city in the USA. At the Pearl location I had a very tasty americano from their single origin Kenya espresso. At the Broadway location I had that same espresso as a doppio which was quite delicious and nuanced like a lungo style single origin I might pull at home. The Peru (currently the SOE they are using for milk-espresso drinks) was not quite as rich but made a satisfying americano nonetheless. Both spots have spacious and very well appointed cafes. I did not make it to the Santerra/Sigma location (wheretheheckisthat?) but when I return here in a few years or whenever I'll go check out their upcoming Medical Center location, with modbar so they barista told me today.

I would also mention that they still bring on some great national roasters like Madcap, Sweet Bloom and Bow Truss. As good as they seem to be roasting, the list of roasters they rotated through before was quite excellent. So that's a plus for the Local scene.

They had a write up earlier in the year in a local publication in which it was claimed that they brought specialty or third wave coffee to San Antonio. I object to such an error. Wildfire now MIldfire and Brown brought 3rd wave coffee to San Antonio and I don't know which one was first. And I suspect Brown has kept up the high quality even if they don't have the expansion zeal of Local. I was only in town 3 well now 5 days (but that is another common airline story) and my wife prefers Local.

Also I'm getting to the end of the bag of Colombia coffee from Merit Roaster (the name of the Roaster associated with Local Coffee). What a tasty coffee for pourover Hario V60: caramelly, malty sweet! Lunch time coffee break has been very pleasant this week thanks to Local Coffee.

Hi Chert -- I love to see San Antonio getting some love on here! It's one of my adopted home towns, a place I was fortunate to live for many years and develop great relationships with the owners of those shops you mentioned. San Antonio is deceptively large. Currently, it sits as the 7th largest city in the US, but a large portion of the northwest quadrant is not included in its census data (which would make it the 5th largest city in the US--NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston,... San Antonio)!

The city is having quite the coffee boom recently. Initially led by Brown Coffee Co, San Antonio now has many great options, to include Local Coffee, Fairview, Indy, Theory, and Press (with others in the works). I met Aaron (owner of Brown Coffee Co) when he was competing in the Southcentral Barista Competition years ago. He placed second in that competition and represented the region well at the US Barista Comp. Local and Brown are the two most well-established brands in town, with some of their "offspring" splintering off to open the other ventures I previously mentioned.

Jeremy

sc_jeremy wrote:Hi Chert -- I love to see San Antonio getting some love on here! It's one of my adopted home towns, a place I was fortunate to live for many years and develop great relationships with the owners of those shops you mentioned. San Antonio is deceptively large. Currently, it sits as the 7th largest city in the US, but a large portion of the northwest quadrant is not included in its census data (which would make it the 5th largest city in the US--NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston,... San Antonio)!

The city is having quite the coffee boom recently. Initially led by Brown Coffee Co, San Antonio now has many great options, to include Local Coffee, Fairview, Indy, Theory, and Press (with others in the works). I met Aaron (owner of Brown Coffee Co) when he was competing in the Southcentral Barista Competition years ago. He placed second in that competition and represented the region well at the US Barista Comp. Local and Brown are the two most well-established brands in town, with some of their "offspring" splintering off to open the other ventures I previously mentioned.

Jeremy

Thanks for the tips. There is a [closed] thread about San Antonio, which would be a great place for you to elaborate on them. I also lived there some years, long before coffee came to town, except ethiopia - cuahtemoc blend at Liberty Bar. Back then it was the best cup in town.