The Coffee Roasting Company Set Up Shop In 2011 In The Hopes Of Educating Coffee Lovers About How Their Coffee Beans Are Prepared.
Welcome to Unfiltered, our weekly feature that explores the Dallas coffee scene — and how it often manages to thrive in the most unusual places. Given that we live in a time when Starbucks locations are about as prevalent as the golden McDonald’s arches, when new coffee shops seem to open every other week and when almost everyone uses a ChemEx to brew their coffee, we’re here to show you some alternatives — for when your coffee shop routine becomes monotonous or when you’re just looking for something different in your caffeine endeavors.
All photos by Kathy Tran.
Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters
819 Exposition Ave.
Dallas.
When we first came across Noble Coyote, owners Kevin and Marta Sprague were dishing out high quality coffee beans from their makeshift roastery in a Garland storage facility in 2011.
The two dreamed of having their own space where customers could not only grab a cup of coffee straight from the source, but also learn first-hand how the beans are roasted to perfection. And that dream became a reality when Noble Coyote’s Fair Park location opened in 2015.
With its location in an area that is simultaneously ripe for change and historically/politically against it, Noble Coyote’s presence adds a neutral element by providing a well-loved service that attracts all walks of life while still paying homage to the neighborhood.
“It’s nice to have the front space where people can come in and actually connect with us and try our coffee, because we never had the opportunity to share it at the source besides market,” says Marta about the Fair Park space. “We had been looking [at] several places, and we just really loved the feel of this street.”
The standout feature of the space are the large windows that put the roasting process on full display and removes the barrier between the customers and roasters, allowing for interaction that promotes the coffee knowledge of their guests. And beyond just roasting, the space acts as somewhat of a teaching facility where coffee enthusiasts can attend coffee cupping events and other educational sessions dedicated to the art of the bean.
“It’s a great environment to nerd out on (coffee),” Sprague says.
What’s even more exciting than being able to talk coffee with the folks at Noble is the ability to just grab a cup of coffee. While the roaster provides beans and consulting services through the city, the intimate bar setting and small menu are the closest thing you’ll get to an official Noble Coyote shop.
In order to showcase the best and favorites of the beans in stock, the menu is limited to mostly classic espresso fare. But guests can enjoy special items like espresso tonics muddled with mint and lime, courtesy of the talented barista and resident artist, Tiffany McAnarney. Cold brew lovers can also fend off the warm weather with a glass of the nitro cold brew on tap, as the Sumatran beans make for a refreshingly earthy yet sweet taste.
While you’re finally able to enjoy Noble Coyote drinks at the source, the space serves as more of a showroom than a retail shop and plans to stay that way as the Spragues want to focus on being a coffee support system for up and coming coffee ventures and existing clients.
Says Marta about future plans for Noble Coyote: “I think creating even greater support for our wholesale clients, training baristas and helping coffee shops establish their coffee programs — that’s kind of the direction we’re going in.”