It's been half a decade since the last thread about shops and roasters in Atlanta. I wasn't into coffee at that time but have explored a lot of the ITP shops over the past few years and would love to hear what others in the area think

Aurora - Nostalgic for me as this is where I started getting into coffee as a hobby. I'll often be passing by now and would like to stop in but the parking and Moreland traffic dissuade me more often than not.

Banjo - They brew Cafe Campesino which is solid but not as interesting as a lot of other roasters. Love them more for the consistency and lazy days where I don't want to cook and have slacked in restocking.

Brash Buckhead - Only been a handful of times but I've always had great espresso and the barista there has remade shots that looked to have some strangeness in the extraction without my requesting it.

Brash Westside - Been here even less than the Buckhead location but equally good espresso both times.

Dancing Goats Decatur - If I'm looking for a cafe in Decatur I'm probably picking somewhere else depending on if I want food. Never had bad coffee here but I'd say similar to Banjo which has more substantial food if the kitchen is open.

East Pole - Always had a great experience here with the baristas and espresso, lighter more 3rd wave style shop similar to Radio and Brash.

Joe's - Despite living just down the street for a few years I only went to Joe's once. Cozy inside, but I wasn't into espresso at the time so I can't comment on that it recall the cup of coffee.

Radio Roasters - Close by me and great specialty shop. Creative seasonal drinks and usually at least two of their roasts to choose from. Lighter roasts done well for espresso.

Revolution Doughnuts - I'm usually getting iced coffees here or just grabbing doughnuts (which are phenomenal by the way) but it's been a coin toss with espresso, equally good and eh.

Spiller Park Toco Hills - Their iced cortados are refreshing, no obvious imperfections in the shots, but I've never had straight espresso here.

Valor Alpharetta - High energy and fun crew here which I only discovered after I stopped needing to go up north as often. Their spro over is a nice way to change things up and they have a lot of interesting seasonal drinks

Great List!!!

A few more that comes to my mind:

Chattahoochee Coffee Company - The riverside location, tucked inside a gated community has a great lawn and fantastic river view. They recently opened a new location in Smyrna (Eddy) that looks great but I have not yet tried.

Rev Coffee - This one is in Smyrna but I try to go there every time I am in the area.

Saint Germain French Bakery - The west side and the Buckhead village locations are great. Solid coffee and great pastries.

You can also check out https://www.atlantacoffeeshops.com/atlanta-coffee-map

I've heard good things about Rev but haven't had the chance to try them out yet!

Funnily enough the only times I've been to Brash Westside is when I've gone to the Interlocken St Germain location. I guess I'll need to try their coffee next time.

Has anyone tried Thrive Farmers based in Roswell? Only asking because I met Ken Lander (founder) in 2010 when he had a coffee farm and cafe in Costa Rica. I blame him for my deep dive into coffee...JK...thank him.

First time hearing of them, looks pretty interesting. Are they exclusively online? I couldn't find much about a storefront/cafe

I visited their roasting facility in Roswell about 5 or 6 years ago. I know they supply Chick-Fil-A so they must put out a decent amount of coffee. While Chick-Fil-A is not a place I ever go to, I was surprised to hear that they landed a contract that big.

The founder that I met in CR told me he hated the fact that all of the margin was on the roaster's side of the business and that farmers needed to get paid more so they could pay the pickers more and help their communities. The fact that he bought a farm and started a cafe in rural CR, for me, proved that his words were more than just words. He also got to see first hand how the local co-op fell apart and the impact of that on the farmers revenue.

Does this mean their coffee is good? I honestly don't know. Give them a call and ask if you can visit their roastery. I bet they say yes and maybe even give you some coffee to try.