Anderson's Coffee Co

The counter at Anderson's Coffee Co. tells part of the story. Tucked into Jefferson Square on 38th Street, it has been here since 1972 — the year Jamie Anderson opened a traditional coffee bean store in Austin when few Texans knew what one looked like. Anderson trained under Alfred Peet of Peet's Coffee & Tea in Berkeley, California, which placed Anderson's within the founding lineage of American specialty coffee before the term had currency in Texas. That connection gave the business a roasting foundation that has outlasted fifty years of shifting trends. More than fifty years later, Anderson's operates out of Jefferson Square Shopping Center at 1601 W. 38th St. — a neighborhood retail location that has stayed true to its original purpose. This is not a café designed for lingering over lattes. It is a bean shop in the truest sense: a place to buy freshly roasted coffee, brewing supplies, and loose-leaf tea, and to leave with something worth taking home. The philosophy here traces directly to the classic American specialty coffee movement. Anderson's roasting approach favors craft, consistency, and depth over novelty. The lineup reflects that heritage — signature blends like the Red Sea Blend, Jakarta Blend, and Italian Espresso sit alongside decaf, chicory, and a custom blending tool that lets customers build their own house favorite. Origin trips, including visits to Costa Rica, have informed sourcing over the years. Decades in, Anderson's remains the kind of Austin institution that doesn't need to advertise. Word of mouth has carried the business nationally, with out-of-state customers placing regular bean orders and former Austinites restocking by mail. For anyone who wants their coffee from a roaster with genuine history and a straightforward purpose, the answer has been on 38th Street since 1972: a bean shop with real roots, still roasting in Austin.