This April, Atlanta really is the capital of coffee. With the SCAA expo, the Re:co specialty coffee symposium, and the US Barista Championships all happening over the space of five days, there’s no better place for a coffee geek to be.

But with all these national and international events occurring, it’s easy to forget that Atlanta has great coffee all year round. Whether you’re coming here to compete, to discover new coffee, or even just for a family holiday, you’re going to love some of this city’s third wave cafés.

So I’ve created a list of five must-visit places. You really shouldn’t leave this global city without stopping by at least one of these.

Why These Five?

With so many blow-you-away specialty cafés in this city, it would be impossible to pick the five “best”. So instead, I’ve opted for five of my favorites – and let me tell you that it was hard to narrow them down.

I’m confident that each one will serve you an excellent cup of coffee, but that’s not all they’ll do. They will also provide you with a unique experience, helping you to see the full variety of Atlanta’s coffee scene. Not one of them is alike.

Treat these five, not as a comprehensive guide to Atlanta’s coffee houses, but as a great introduction.

1. Brash Coffee

This shipping-container-turned-stylish-café is a project of love – and seriously hard work. In 2012, Matt Lud started building a coffee mill on a farm in El Salvador, setting the foundation for what would become an ongoing business relationship. From then on, Matt worked triple time. Literally. He worked locally as a part-time barista, overseas farming coffee, and in the states as a roaster. But today, he runs multiple Brash coffee houses. The Atlanta “Brashbox” is a stylish café filled with natural light, dark wood fittings, and first-rate coffee.

Where	Westside Provision 1168 Howell Mill Road 30318
Style	Perfectly minimal
Espresso Machine	Strada MP
Grinder	EK43
Coffee Offerings	Finca Maputo, Ecuador and Finca El Rosario, El Salvador
Roaster	Diedrich
Must-Try Drink	Espresso or drip, Matt’s roasts are a delight
Food & Other Drinks	Local pastries and a selection of teas
Retail Offerings	12 oz bags of coffee, t-shirts, and brewing equipment

Brash Coffee – a brand built out of love and hard work.

Brash Coffee – this shipping container holds a stylish surprise.

2. Octane Coffee/ Bar

Octane locations are simply a pillar of the Atlanta coffee scene. Tony Riffel opened the original westside location in 2003, bringing great drinks to a pocket of the city where there were none to be found. Thirteen years later and the westside has grown, almost around Octane. Recognised by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and recently visited by Hillary Clinton, this coffee house has quite the reputation! But most days, you won’t find celebrities there – you’ll just find students, creatives, and everyday people hanging out. As for the coffee, Octane began by serving Counter Culture Coffee, but now they roast and sell their own beans.

Where	Three locations: Westside 1009-B Marietta Street. 30318, Grant Park 437 Memorial Drive Suite A5 30312, Tech Village 3423 Piedmont Road NE Suite 100. 30305 (no alcohol)
Style	Relaxed
Espresso Machine	La Marzocco
Grinder	EK43, Robur
Coffee Offerings	Several house blends as well as single origin coffees
Roaster	Probat
Must-Try Drink	Wanderlust Nitro Cold Brew
Food & Other Drinks	Locally sourced pastries, house-made plates, teas, beer, wine, and cocktails
Retail Offerings	Bags of coffee, shirts, brewing equipment, and other wares

Octane Grant Park, the perfect place to hang out with friends.

3. Henry & June

This coffee and clothing boutique is the self-described love child of Jim Chambers and Camryn Park. Featuring clothing and wares from a variety of makers as well as a multi-roaster coffee menu, Henry & June is carefully curated and surely one of the more beautiful cafe spaces in the city. Not to mention it has great staff!

Where	784 N Highland Ave. 30306
Style	Hip and tasteful
Espresso Machine	Gloss white Synesso Cyncra
Grinder	Mazzer
Coffee Offerings	A variety of coffees from Crema, Octane, and other rotating roasters
Must-Try Drink	Seasonal beverages
Food	Local pastries, chocolate bars from XOCOLATL
Retail Offerings	Coffee, brewing equipment, high-end clothing, footwear, and jewelry

You get both style and substance at Henry & June.

Sip on a specialty coffee while you shop for a new outfit.

4. Taproom

You get some coffee, you add some beer – what’s not to like? This coffee and beer bar in the historic Kirkwood neighbourhood is a great place to hang out and enjoy two of the world’s greatest beverages. Come here for an excellent coffee, a refreshing beer, or to attend one of their many events, all centered around a different flavor.   

Where	1963 Hosea L Williams Dr. suite 106 30317
Style	Neighbourhood hangout
Espresso Machine	Linea
Grinder	EK43, Mazzer
Coffee Offerings	Counter Culture Coffee
Must-Try Drink	The Beerspresso, a Japanese style iced coffee dry hopped and pulled through a nitro tap
Food & Pastries	Pastries from Ratio Bakeshop, Rishi Tieas
Retail Offerings	Coffee bags, beer glasses, local artwork, brewing equipment, and coffee wares

Taproom: a space dedicated to coffee and beer.

The Beerspresso, the perfect combination of your two favorite drinks.

5. Spiller Park Coffee

Think a mall kiosk won’t serve specialty coffee? Think again, because you’re in Atlanta. Spiller Park coffee was created by local coffee professional Dale Donchey and award-winning chef Hugh Acheson.  Dale is no stranger to the Atlanta coffee scene… In fact, he created the Rattletrap Street Coffee van in 2010 and opened Steady Hand Pour House in 2011. Now he’s joined up with Hugh. These guys truly know what they are doing, and it shows in the final product.

Where	Ponce City Market 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE. 30308, in the food court
Style	Large mall kiosk
Espresso Machine	Linea
Grinder	EK43, Mazzer
Coffee Offerings	Coffee offerings from Intelligentsia, George Howell Coffee, and  Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters
Must-Try Drink	Check out the offerings with local Treehouse Milk nut milks
Food & Pastries	Sublime Doughnuts and house-made toast eats
Retail Offerings	Brewing equipment, Spiller Park swag

Spiller Park Coffee, serving simply delicious drinks.

Behind the bar at Spiller Park Coffee. It may be a mall kiosk but specialty processes are going to be followed!

Atlanta has so much to offer coffee lovers. If you’ve come all this way, whether for a coffee event or simply for a vacation, it would be a shame to miss some of our wonderful specialty cafés.

These five coffee houses are unmissable, but I encourage you to explore the rest of Atlanta’s coffee scene as well. Because believe me, there is plenty more than what you see here. Come on and see for yourself what we have brewing!

All views within this opinion piece belong to the guest writer, and do not reflect Perfect Daily Grind’s stance. Perfect Daily Grind believes in furthering debate over topical issues within the industry, and so seeks to represent the views of all sides.

Edited by T. Newton.

Perfect Daily Grind.