Specialty coffee in Austria

Specialty coffee in Austria grew up beside Vienna's Kaffeehaus tradition, as Kaffeefabrik and Jonas Reindl brought third-wave standards to the city. Vienna's coffeehouse culture is centuries old and shaped the city's intellectual life, but its cups were not always its strength. From around 2008, when Kaffeefabrik began roasting, a new generation set out to change that while keeping the coffeehouse habits of communal tables, newspapers and unhurried visits. CoffeePirates reimagined the traditional coffeehouse in a modern space, and Jonas Reindl grew into a multi-location roaster with a focus on barista training.

Vienna holds the large majority of the country's specialty cafés and nearly all of its roasters. Outside the capital the scene is small: Salzburg has a group of cafés, and Innsbruck, Linz, Graz, Villach, Bregenz and Dornbirn each have a few; Sankt Pölten has a roaster.

Roasters that shape the Austrian cup include Jonas Reindl Coffee Roasters, Kaffeefabrik, CoffeePirates, Alt Wien Kaffee, Kaffeemodul and Süssmund. Expect espresso and filter at the specialty bars, and cafés that, like the old coffeehouses, invite you to sit rather than take away.