Do you remember your first encounter with coffee? I do pretty clearly, though it was less of a singular experience and more of a ritual.

For as long as I can remember, my parents have each begun every single day the same way: with a cup of International Foods’ Cafe Vienna. And while it’s true that Cafe Vienna probably doesn’t technically qualify as coffee, for them, it serves the same purpose. It’s a friendly eye-opener first thing in the morning, something hot and comforting to start the day. So true to the ritual is my mom that she’s toted an electric tea kettle and cans of Cafe Vienna to places as far flung as Sydney and Quito, lest she find herself in a foreign place cut off from her supply.

Though I enjoyed the occasional novelty “cup of Vienna” in high school (I still do when I’m home for the holidays), it wasn’t until I got to college that I developed a steady habit of my own—stopping at the Dunkin’ Donuts in the university’s student union en route to my 8 a.m. critical writing class and before all of my early classes as my college career wore on. After graduation, I blindly jumped on the Starbucks bandwagon. With locations on every corner in New York and Boston, it was practically impossible not to. Since then, my tastes have further evolved, most recently with help from my brother, who moonlights as a seriously skilled, at-home roaster. (He introduced me to Counter Culture’s Big Trouble, for which I’ll forever be grateful.) Now, there are few things I find more thrilling than pouring a cupful of freshly roasted beans into a burr grinder and filling my place with that singular, round, satisfying scent.

One thing I love about Atlanta is its abundance of locally owned shops that cater to customers who crave every kind of coffee under the sun. Better yet, they serve coffee that’s been roasted and ground right here. And like the coffee itself, the characters who make up Atlanta’s coffee community are diverse and come from all kinds of places and backgrounds. So as Atlanta awakens from an unusually busy winter, we thought it only appropriate to help you do the same with our cover story devoted entirely to the caffeinated stuff. I hope you’ll head to your favorite local shop, order a cup and devour this issue—along with a freshly baked treat. Enjoy!

Lindsay Lambert Day
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF