Hello fellow Javadventurers! Recently my family and I were passing through Alabam, and as always, I was on the look out for great coffee. This time, I was on the hunt for artisan coffee shops in Birmingham. Let me share with you what I found.
Domestique Coffee Shops in Birmingham
While there are a number of great coffee shops in Birmingham, a quick Google search lead me to a young, fresh coffee establishment called Domestique. There is one roastery and two coffee shops downtown – Panache and Saturn.
Panache by Domestique is a wonderful little artisan coffee shops in Birmingham, AL. Things I love about this tiny coffee stop:
- Great pour-overs – I love pour-over coffee, so I love finding coffee shops that not only offer this option and do a great job producing a quality brew.
- Aeropress options – I have not seen this option at many coffee shops, so it is a surprise and delight to come across a cafe that will provide an Aeropress option. If you are an Aeropress fan, check this place out!
- Fantastic light roast – artisan coffee is all about the unique flavors in the bean, and for me, I want to taste fruity, berry notes. I asked my barista for the fruitiest option she had, so she selected a light roast she described as tasting like Fruity Pebbles (why don’t more people put tasting notes like that on coffee bags!). I was a little skeptical as a lot of times roasts are not as fruit forward as I like, but I was not disappointed here! Definitely got the Fruity Pebble taste!
- Friendly staff – Aside from giving me a great pour-over, my barista was very nice – we chatted about the beach (I was on vacation) and she even gave me try some of the batch brew they had made up (also delicious).
Finding the entrance to the shop is a little tricky as well. It is not street facing, so you have to go halfway down an alley to get there. It took me a couple of minutes to figure it out, but they had a sign own in the alleyway that I eventually saw. It was well worth the effort!
The cafe itself is a little small, (especially when you add in Covid regulations) but there are a couple of outdoor tables as well as some booths on the back wall that are currently closed due to Covid.
I also love that they provide single origin coffees. I love knowing exactly where my coffee is coming from and tasting the unique flavors native to the region and the bean. This is not an experience you get as fully with blends, so I always excited to see single origins offered!
So if you are looking for good coffee shops in Birmingham, AL, check out Domestique!
Seeds Coffee Shop
Second on my list of coffee shops in Birmingham to try is Seeds Coffee. If I had to sum up the vision of Seeds in one word, I would pick community. Their vision is greater than the bean itself, it is how coffee brings people together in community throughout the world. Cafes give people a place to live, work, and commune with one another. A place of belonging.
Beyond that, Seeds connects with the community to the coffee farmer. Like many other specialty coffee roasters, Seeds purchases its coffee well above the commodity price to both acquire higher quality coffee as well as sustain the lives of coffee farmers. If coffee continues to be commoditized, coffee farming will become more and more unprofitable, driving people away from the industry or deep(er) into poverty. Seeds connects us with artisan coffee while giving the coffee farmers their fair share of profit.
If you look at Seeds’ website you will find a nice array of single origin coffees, including an interesting label from Laos – I don’t see that very often, but it is usually pretty interesting coffee when I do. Seeds is almost always listed among the top coffee shops in Birmingham, so it’s on my bucket list for my next trip through Alabama.
Revelator Coffee Shops in Birmingham
Revelator doesn’t fit my typical mold when looking for artisan coffee shops. When I searching for a coffee stop, I am usually hunting for a small, local artisan roaster. Revelator doesn’t match that profile.
Revelator has four coffee shops in Birmingham, and has spread into Georgia, Louisiana, and California.
So why did I add it to my list?
- If you research artisan coffee shops in Birmingham, you are going to get tons of recommendations for Revelator. Reputation alone makes you take notice – reputation that Revelator is a leader in the artisan coffee scene in Birmingham.
- Revelator is committed to high quality coffee and close relationships with its farmers/suppliers. They offer seasonal single origin coffee, which is usually a good sign to me. If a coffee shop relies solely on blends or flavored coffee, they are probably not what I am looking for.
Despite being bigger and more chain-like than most of my choices, Revelator is built on the foundations of high quality artisan coffee, fair treatment of farmers, and simplistic design. If you are looking for artisan coffee shops in Birmingham, give Revelator a look and let me know what you think.
So there you have it, my short bucket list of coffee shops in Birmingham. I know there are others to consider, but these are the three that caught my eye on the way to the beach. If you too are passing through on the way to Gulf Shores, see my blog about artisan coffee in Gulf Shores, AL.