About one month ago, Mike and Rashelle McKim opened their backyard to about a dozen tasty tourers for a visit to their roasting facility in Spicewood.
You have probably tried Cuvee beans if you’ve ordered a cuppa Joe at Caffe Medici, Houndstooth, Once Over, or Thunderbird.
McKim included lots of interesting information for geeks and trivia nerds alike. His beans come from Central and South America and he purchases one year’s worth during the annual harvest. He told us that most countries harvest once a year except for Colombia.
While burlap bags are the traditional container …

Yesterday was the most awesome tour to date. If you missed out on the first-ever Tasty Up Trailer Tour, co-organized by Addie Broyles and me, you’re about to be jealous.
Since it was a choose-your-own adventure tour, each of the 500 or so attendees had their own unique experience. Below are some highlights from mine taken with my brand new Canon s90 point-and-shoot camera.
Addie met me at around 11:30 a.m. at La Boite before she set off to Trailer Perk. The tour officially began at noon and those two spots were …

Want a little art with your addiction? If so, you are most likely a latte art lover like me. There is nothing better than a barista (aka espresso artist) who creates a beautiful tulip or rosetta with a flourish before sliding a mug of freshly brewed joe across the bar.
Visiting D.C. a little over a year ago, I enjoyed the beautiful latte art creations at M.E. Swing. I’ve also been the recipient of a very cool star at Teo in Austin. I’ve since learned that stars are not admissible in …

I’ve been traveling a lot for work – eating meals on-the-go that have been generally disappointing. My expectations low, I flew back to Austin and stopped off at Sandra Bullock’s new shop, Walton’s Fancy and Staple at 6th between Rio Grande and Nueces, for a quick lunch before finishing off the day at my office. As I entered the beautiful restored brick building, I breathed in the fresh baked smells, took in the relaxed staff and customers, and my shoulders began to lower. Notice Ms. Bullock below in a Google …

On a recent weekday morning, I dropped my car off for an oil change and walked over to Thunderbird Coffee to check my sites (gmail, Twitter, Facebook), eat breakfast, and work remotely.
I’d never been to Thunderbird before but the atmosphere is nice and I think they serve good coffee. The pressed egg and cheese sandwich was nothing special but I enjoyed the change from the usual breakfast taco offering.