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| BAD TO THE BEAN: Head to Dunn Bros Coffee, run by Kate and Alan Geddie, for a cup of Java Jampit. photography by Doug Davis |
By now, we have all graduated from Starbucks U. We know our lattés from our cappuccinos. We are primed for the next step in coffee mastery: beans roasted on-site.
Just as some consumers prefer locally grown produce, coffee connoisseurs seek locally roasted coffee.
“Coffee is a fresh food, just like bread,” says Nancy Baker, co-owner of White Rock Coffee Co. “It can go stale.” Coffee shops that roast their own beans sell a fresher product than the pre-packed bags you find at supermarkets and large chains. The fresher the bean, the tastier the coffee; look for an actual roasting date stamped right on the bag. Each roaster has his own style, so you can sample a variety of roasts, from light to dark. These are the new roasters on the block:
Drip Coffee
4343 Lovers Ln.
214-599-7800
Steve Thatcher learned the ropes at Starbucks in Seattle, then spent the ’90s in and out of coffee shops from Austin to Boston.
Bean shelf life: 10 days or less
Espresso blend: a mellow combo of Mexican and Sumatran beans
Exotic bean: smooth, medium-bodied Zimbabwe, $17.25 per pound
Roasting style: dark, like Starbucks
Dunn Bros Coffee
3725 Belt Line Rd., Addison, 972-406-9711
3685 Preston Rd., Ste. 101, Frisco, 214-705-8558
Coming soon: 5040 N. Tarrant Pkwy., Ste. 600, Fort Worth
Dunn is a chain out of Minneapolis, but it has fewer than 70 stores, and roasting is done on-site at each. Alan Geddie and his son Royce run three Dallas-area shops.
Bean shelf life: three days
Espresso blend: 80 percent Columbian and 20 percent Sumatran—heavy and complex with a sweet, malty finish
Exotic bean: smoky, dark Java Jampit, $15.10 per pound
Roasting style: medium-dark
White Rock Coffee
10105 E. Northwest Hwy.
214-341-4774
Bob and Nancy Baker are coffee fanatics with a West Coast pedigree whose passion extends from the story behind each bean to quality of life for the coffee-bean grower. Their store is a certified fair-trade roaster, which sends a portion of the sales back to the farmer.
Bean shelf life: depends on the type of coffee; for example, Ethiopian’s is five days
Espresso blend: single-origin Brazilian, used by the winner of the World Barista Championship in 2005
Exotic bean: chocolaty Cafe Inkaico, grown at a tiny farm in Peru, $12.95 per pound
Roasting style: on the lighter side
These veteran shops were ahead of the roast-your-own trend:
Aah! Coffee (1225 E. Crosby Rd., Ste. A15, Carrollton. 972-820-6181) offers “air-roasted” beans. Addison Coffee Roasters (15012 Beltway Dr., Addison. 972-404-1145) has been roasting since 1983. Coffee Company Inc. (6038 La Vista Dr. 214-887-8688) has been open since 1974. Globex America (2324 Shorecrest Dr. 214-353-0328) serves the Bachman Lake area.
