Explore the Differences Between Light, Medium, and Dark Roasts

Barrett’s Coffee Roasters roasts and serves its own coffee out of the Highland neighborhood, alongside breakfast tacos and easy walk-up ordering. We had an espresso made with their Ethiopian beans and a drip made with their Timor beans.

Texas Coffee Traders calls itself Austin’s original Eastside roastery, roasting since 1994. We ordered an espresso and the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe drip.

Simona’s Coffee + Cocktails is inside the Colton House Hotel, with an elevated upstairs room and weekend mimosas. We ordered a drip and a double-shot espresso, both from Proud Mary Coffee.

Funky Sol Coffee pours out of a retro Airstream trailer, with a “coffee for dreamers” personality. We had the Space Cadet drip and an espresso made with the Dreamer blend.

Mazama Coffee Company has been family-owned since 2012, roasting in-house in historic downtown Dripping Springs — worth the short drive west of the city. We ordered the house espresso blend and a single-origin Ethiopian drip.

SquareRüt Kava Bar is an alcohol-free lounge built around traditional South Pacific kava that also pours coffee and espresso. We’ve been back more than once, and the banana tea cake is why.

Black Rock Coffee, at the Lantana Place location, is a chain known for its sweet “Fuel” energy drinks alongside its house drip. We ordered a Mai Tai Fuel and a Steel Bridge dark roast drip.

Spokesman Coffee in the St. Elmo Arts District doubles as a comedy and vinyl-listening venue. We tried the Gatomboya Washed Kenya drip plus double shots of a Guatemala espresso and a Colombia decaf.

Doxa Coffee Roasters is a calm, plant-filled space with Moorish-style archways, roasted on a closed, ventless system. We had a Brazil and a decaf Colombia pour-over.

Radio Coffee & Beer on Menchaca roasts under its own RCB Roasters label and runs food trucks and live music alongside the coffee. We ordered a black drip coffee.

Radix House Coffee is a food truck that supports PTSD awareness and local animal rescue causes. We ordered an espresso and a drip.

Whipped Bakery & Cafe on Anderson Mill Rd is an elegantly decorated bakery best known for its desserts — our favorite was the pistachio fatcaron. We paired an Americano and a peppermint tea with a plate of them.

Bougie’s Donuts & Coffee (technically Sunset Valley, and everyone including us calls it South Austin) keeps vegan and gluten-free options on hand. We had an Americano, since the drip was out that day, with three donuts.

Rise Coffee & Bakery bakes its cupcakes in-house across 30-plus rotating flavors. We kept our order simple: one small regular drip and one small decaf.