Let me tell you a thing - this place is just the cutest. Everybody already knows that I have a favorite coffee shop in Austin, but I decided that I could have a south Austin favorite and a north Austin favorite, but the south Austin favorite is still number one. Wait, maybe they can be tied for first because I don't want either of them to feel second best.
It doesn't matter what time of day I come here - the staff members are just straight up adorable. They ask you about your day and they care about your answer; heck, they'll even have a full on conversation with you! The standard, "Hi, how are you?" is not just an automated response here; it's a genuine question backed by real curiosity. Call me a sucker for human warmth, but, well... okay, I'm just a sucker for that kind of thing. (When I worked in retail, I tried to do the exact same thing because seeing someone's face light up when they see that you are actually engaging them as a person instead of treating them as yet another customer is positively wonderful. It's the little things that matter most, you know?)
They serve Cuvée coffee here, which is my favorite type of coffee and pretty much the only coffee I will drink. I went from never drinking coffee to only drinking one specific brand of coffee. My brain is so silly sometimes. The one time I ordered a hot chocolate, I asked if they could sprinkle cinnamon on the top because that is my favorite way to drink hot chocolate, and they informed me that they use a Mexican chocolate that already has cinnamon in it. They did not lie and that hot chocolate just might be my favorite hot chocolate in Austin.
Then there's the story of how I went on one of the cutest first dates ever - I suggested Epoch because it was centrally located to my office and his apartment. As we were ordering, I mentioned that this was our first date and the barista said, "No way. You're kidding, right?" I laughed and told him, no, I was not kidding. "I never would have guessed. It seems like you two have known each other for forever." I took this as a good sign since I had literally met this guy not one minute before that exchange.
The date went very well and we stayed there chatting for some time. At some point, maybe two hours in, the same barista walks to our table with a slice of cheesecake and says, "Because it seems like your first date is going well." My heart melted right then and there. How thoughtful is that? He brought us a slice of cheesecake because our date was going well. I just can't get over how sweet that gesture was.
I just can't even with how cute this place is and how warm and fuzzy it makes me feel inside. Everyone here is so thoughtful and kind and genuine and there's something about that that I just love. I live for those connections, however small, because it's those connections that keep us all going at the end of the day, and any place that makes my inner social worker sing has found a forever fan in me. read more