The folks down at White Rock Coffee may not have known what a Cup O' Joe Award was a week ago, but they do now. A few days ago, the Lake Highlands shop won the award for best coffee house in Dallas from Krups USA, a maker of espresso and coffee machines.
"We're just thrilled. It's awesome to be thought about for top 10 in America," White Rock co-owner Nancy Baker says.
Well, top 15, actually. Krups gave Cup O' Joe Awards to coffee houses in 10 cities around the nation and five in New York.
Baker says there are several things that set her shops apart from other local coffee houses. For one, they roast their own coffee, but someone's gotta brew it, right? As you may recall, Roasted reported one of the shop's baristas advanced to the South Central Regional Barista competition in Austin. Baker says that none of her baristas attended this year's competition, but that they still compete locally in "barista jams" around Dallas.
It takes more than a good barista to pull a shot of espresso, and Baker says the brew is only as good as the beans, and this cafe is in a unique position to provide fresher beans. Since the store has its own bean roaster, Baker says they can buy directly from growers in an agreement she calls "direct-trade."
