Brown Coffee, Co.

This place rules. Everyone here is really great. Coffee is so good. Always nice and interesting people. Easy to hang on a hot day in here. Very clean, cool. I always get the dirty iced coffee. Slow pours are amazing.

For you trendy retro cool coffee sippers, this place is for you. A place where you can really taste how coffee was meant to drank. Poured over with hot boiled water. Not brewed through electronic machines but a non-​electricity and served straight up black. Be cool and drink coffee the way it was meant to be drunk, without cream & sugar. Hey, and while your doing that why not eat toast without butter the «way» it was meant to be eaten. Cause tasting toast without butter is powerful.
Look, I love my coffee with cream and sugar. Just like I like salted potato chips or salt on my fries.
Coffee ⁷⁄₁₀. Place ⁸⁄₁₀.

Brown’s coffee forward menu is executed at at high level with professionalism and intention from experienced baristas. Regulars meet here to experience excellence and to celebrate the beauty, labors, and people of coffee from farm to cup.

best coffee ever. 4 stars because of hours. rarely actually open and ready to pour at 8.

By far, this is the best coffee place I’ve ever been to. They actually have a revolving coffee bean offering, with each type having different characteristics. My coffee experience here is always a delightful one, and I only buy my beans from here now.

I’m most definitely a regular at Brown and have never been disappointed. I usually get an espresso and beans to brew at home, however, everything they serve is worth trying. If you are a Starbucks regular, you will learn that black coffee can actually be good if you go here.

The first time I visited it was a bit of a strange experience. I hadn’t ever been in a coffee shop quite like this little place. The tiny (cozy) seating area has maybe four tables that sit two each. Adorning each of the three walls are technical charts describing different aspects of ‘coffee science’. Directly behind the small service counter top is the area used for roasting so it looks a bit workshop like. Not warm and welcoming but very purposeful. And the only purpose is to serve up perfected coffee & espresso drinks. Staff is cool, straightforward no frills professional baristas. A different experience but amazing simple drinks at reasonable prices make up for any perceived shortcomings. A must visit for passionate coffee drinkers or anyone looking for a ‘perfect pour’.

Menu is incredibly short, but if you’re looking for REAL coffee this is defiantly the place to go.
Perfect little coffee shop.
Everyone who passes SA or lives here needs to with out a doubt stop by and have a taste of what a really coffee shop is supposed to be.

Don’t be led astray by a short menu with few extras; this is the place to enjoy coffee the way it is supposed to be enjoyed. If you want coffee you will get just that, a perfectly mastered cup of coffee where the grind and temperature are just right. Before you know it you’ll be enjoying a nice cup of smooth coffee.
If you’re looking for an artificially flavored coffee drink then don’t come here you’ll be disappointed.

Interesting place. Not what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised. Small, simple café, in-​house roasting, and a short menu. The way coffee shops used to be, I imagine.

This place makes coffee aficionados question how aficionado they really are. These guys are coffee geeks obsessing over coffee at crazy levels. Don’t expect flavorings or even lattes. Purists don’t play with a such things. The closest thing is maybe a cortave. Try it! If you want coffee at its most refined levels with no frills, this is it.

This is the best place for premium coffee in the SA area. don’t come here for coffee flavored milkshakes or highly customized junk drinks. They do coffee here and it tastes like coffee. If you think you don’t like black coffee or espresso, please come here and have one made by a professional. It will change the way you see coffee.

Brown Coffee sells fresh, perfectly roasted coffee that they roast in house. They also carry green beans at this location for those interested in roasting their own beans. Friendly, knowledgeable staff, and nice, quiet intimate atmosphere. No wi-​fi, cream, or sugar, just like a coffee shop should be.

A place that feels like home. I would recommend this coffee shop to anyone who might want to get away, grab some coffee, read a book/​do homework or just wants to get away from the mainstream places like Starbucks. Enjoy.

Very knowledgeable staff, amazing coffee, and good selection of coffee geek toys for home brewing.

Update: I have officially converted my loyalty. First, Local Coffee Company makes slightly better espresso. Secondly, Brown’s owner has demonstrated extensive public homophobic bigotry.
His politics of hate did not cause me to reduce the five star rating. It is awesome espresso and coffee. Local Coffee Company is just barely better.

I am enjoying the new store front on Broadway just south of Grayson. Great place to sit and sip. I went with my daughter and Aaron even had a drink made perfect for children.
I like that I can tell the staff what I am looking for in my drink and they will create something wonderful.

Pros: this is a place for genuine coffee enthusiasts, you must try the cold brew!
Cons: to someone who does not know coffee, this place may seem a little intimidating
San Antonio has a hardcore, honest-​to-​goodness micro-​roaster. I must tell you that this is a bare bones, real deal setup so know what you are in for (just look at the website and you will understand that Brown is coffee stripped down to what it should be). There are only a handful of tables at which to sit and no flavor syrups or sauces for your latte or cappuccino. This is coffee done one way: the right way. Brown Coffee Company is an expression of the potential of a great coffee bean: that you don’t need hazelnut flavoring to cover up the wretched, bitter, overly extracted coffee that you find at the Green Siren. Brown Coffee is what it is: truly great coffee without distractions or diversions. If you don’t agree, it is likely that you may be a casual drinker. But for those few who enjoy coffee as an art, it is nirvana.
Owner/​barrista Aaron roasts small batch coffees from small producers in Latin & South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. I highly recommend the cold brew. They were nice enough to let me sample some while I waited for my cappuccino. I quickly came to the conclusion that I could do shots of the cold brew all day! Know that Brown only offers lactose-​free milk. No soy or almond milk to adulterate the taste of the bean. No lowfat milk that makes it harder to froth. And, as I’ve mentioned, there are no chocolate sauces or flavored syrups.
Other reviewers have mentioned feeling intimidated by the fact that Brown is a no frills coffee joint, and I can understand why. If you are a casual drinker and want to check this place out, I would recommend ordering a straightforward cappuccino. Introduce yourself to Aaron and ask him a few questions. He is a friendly, nice guy who wants to make others passionate about what good coffee really is.
Brown Coffee Company will soon be opening a new storefront at 1800 Broadway (on Broadway and Grayson).

Brown Coffee Co. does hold on to the «company» portion of its name loud and proud… but a mighty small company BCC actually is. The entire storefront exists inside of a house sort of shop. With children running around and the mini cashier’s register, these details evidence the passion and homegrown appeal behind this «local» operation – not local in the sense of The Local Coffee Shop.
When you ponder upon what a «small-​batch», «micro-​roaster», «anti-​corporate», «stick-​it-​to-​the-​man» coffee production could resemble, look no further than Aaron’s brainchild. They roast out of a small test kitchen with a simple cauldron, no bells and whistles.
For your drinking pleasure, you can select an assortment of brewing methods. My buddy and I tried their Kenyan and El Salvador with the V-​60 Pourover. Pretty solid. Both were very clean, lacking a bit of the oiliness and nit-​and-​grit you get without a paper filter.
In all respects, Brown will transfer you from the undesirable characteristics of the neighborhood into an establishment where coffee is prepared with care and you enjoy your «to-​stay» cup of joe, preferably black, at one of three simple tables. All while feeling like family.

My family grows coffee. Really high quality coffee. As a result, I have had both the blessing and curse of having been around roasters from literally everywhere in the world and trying their coffees, and I can say that Aaron literally does coffee just about better than anybody else I have come in contact with. He is unapologetic in his shop being coffee-​centric, so don’t go there for a latte or some sort of coffeehouse hang out and dink around on your laptop experience.
Go, get a coffee, and bring some home and then do it again next week (or tomorrow!). I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I heard about Brown from, of all places, another coffee shop in town. I found that odd, but then once I went, I got it. This is NOT a typical coffee shop. This is a coffee bean roaster that happens to let you buy some of his brewed nectar.
Don’t expect a large sitting area, a condiment station with half and half, whole milk, and skim or even packets of sweetener. Nope. This is coffee. GREAT coffee. Sure, there are a few options aside from a coffee, but the focus here is clear.
i make sure to buy beans from them fairly often. They are by far the best beans I’ve ever used at home.
Aaron is as knowledgeable as they come regarding coffee. He also has some great viewpoints on running a business in the good ol’ US of A.