Many coffee shops seem to struggle when it comes to striking the right balance between authenticity and trying to be โon brand.โย Realness is often found in imperfection, in intentionally eschewing some aspect of a full cafe experience. โI do coffee, why would I care whatโs on the walls?โ But some shops can lean too far to the other side and feel overly designed, curated to the point of sterility.
And then there are shops likeย Indy Coffee in San Antonio, Texas, whose brand identity is articulate and flawlessly executed all the while being a genuine expression of owners Alex Lee and Jake Scott.
This brand identity is something that can only be described as West Texas punk rock. Itโs Vans Sk8-Hi hi-tops meets American traditional tattooing, seen through a dusty Midland-Odessa lens. And itโs this aesthetic that brings Indy to life.
Walking in through the back of the shop, I was greeted first by an aroma familiar to anyone who grew up in Texas, that of burning piรฑon wood. As I turn the corner, past the skateboard decks hanging on the wall emblazoned with a radical Virgin Mary, I noticeย the very same adobe tepee incense burner that would emit aromatic smoke daily in my childhood living room. Moving farther into the space, the unmistakable warmth of vinyl can be heard over background cafe chatter of a busy Friday afternoon. Right now itโs Waylon and Willy. Next up is Wu Tang.
Indyโs interiorย is full of Texas iconography: a cow skull hanging on the main wall, Lone Star beer cans repurposed into cacti planters, traditional cotton Texas and American flags. The owners haveย added some personal touches as well, some for sale and some for show. It is these itemsโthe tattoo-ready flash art on the walls, the Zippo lighters Scott has etched with various designs, the hand-stitched patches made in collaboration with Austinโs Die Trying TXโthat elevate the aesthetic beyond simply โWest Texasโ and into something uniquely Indy. And interestingly enough, very few of these designs relate toย coffee.
โAlex and Iย have a lot of interests outside of coffee and we wanted to bring in those other elements and share them,โ says Scott. โWe think of Indy not only as a coffee shop but as a platform to share and showcase all the other things weโre into.ย Everything ties into that Texas/American Southwest aesthetic. We really wanted to incorporate those elements with a well-curated, cohesive collection.โ
But Indy isnโt a slave to brand or ideology. Many decisions about the shopย wereย informed by the companyโs history, in particular, its beginnings as a coffee truck. Back before Lee and Scott opened this spaceโcoming up on two years nowโIndy was a cramped, no-frills affair. This meant serving batch brew instead of pour-overs and only using alternative milks for espresso-based beverages because there was no room for two types of milk. Both remain staples at Indyโs brick-and-mortar spot.
Even their choice of roasterโBrooklynโs Parlor Coffeeโhappened more by chance than by choice. โEarly on in the truck days, we were looking to bring in an out-of-state roaster,โ says Scott. โWe hate over-saturationย and believe it is our job to bring in and share unique products with our city. Alex was in NYC getting coffee at Kinfolk, which worked with Parlor at the time. He had a cup of coffee he really dug, so he brought a bag back, we cupped it, and we loved it.โ
But with the cafe, Indy has room to spread out. This end to their austerity measures comes in the form of a reclaimed Texas longleaf pine bar top created by Adam Young of Old Crow Custom Works using 130-year-old lumber pulled from a defunct Waco schoolhouse. On top of this sturdy piece of Central Texas history sits a two-group La Marzocco GB5 and a black Mazzer Major grinder (adorned with skateboarding stickers of course) that form the espresso program.
Another addition the larger space has afforded is a small but well-executed food program. The menu offers coffee-shop standardsย such asย daily pastries, yogurt and granolas, and avocado toast (though Indyโs version has beenย given a Southern twist with the addition of lime, queso fresco, and red chili flakes). Butย Indyโs originalsย are the best part of the food program:ย a rotating selection of scratch biscuit sandwiches. During my visit, the chorizo and house-made pineapple jam biscuit stole the show; the sweetness and the spice were balanced beautifully and paired exceptionally well with an alternative milk cappuccino.
It would be easy to discredit the quality of the coffee and the service at Indy simply because itsย branding is so on point. I mean, a โrealโ coffee shop wouldnโt burn incense or serve only batch brew or only use alternative milks (and if they did, you certainly wouldnโt hear the end of it), right?
And yet, Indy is a โrealโ coffee shop, and a damn good one. The thoughtfulness that is evident in itsย branding is just as present in itsย coffee serviceโbatch brew includedโand in itsย food selection. Itโs the execution of this thoughtfulness that makes Indy unique. Itโs West Texas punk rock. Itโs Alex Lee and Jake Scott.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network, and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.