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☕👽 OutKast’s coffee collab

Waseem Abbas

Table Talk: OutKast’s Local Coffee Collab

Oct. 29 — Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the table! 

In today’s “Family Meal”, I’m bringing you a story behind the most Atlanta coffee collaboration ever involving a local roastery and legendary hip-hop duo OutKast. 

 Plus, I tell you why ordering the Reuben on offer during lunch at Spiller Park Coffee in South Downtown is the move. And Rough Draft Dining Reporter Sarra Sedghi shares a recipe for the rose chai waffles soon to be available on the menu at the upcoming Chai Box Cafe in Buckhead. 

Cheers!

 Beth

Portrait Coffee X OutKast Produces
the Most Atlanta Coffee Blend Ever

Photo by Erin Fender

 If you haven’t run into OutKast’s André 3000 playing the saxophone or flute at an Atlanta gas station, or been lucky enough to witness one of his random pop-up gigs, you’re missing out. Like the many John Lewis sightings over the years at the airport or within Congressional District 5 before his passing, spying André 3000 out and about in his native ATL has become a right of passage for locals. 

(I still chuckle about the younger folks who attended André 3000’s Jazz Fest flute performance at Piedmont Park last year thinking they were getting an OutKast concert. Those of us who’ve seen the incomparable style icon and music artist in action recently knew what we were getting that evening: a weirdly beautiful jam session filled with storytelling.)

 André 3000 and his OutKast counterpart, Big Boi, have become part of Atlanta music lore ever since their first studio album, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”, dropped in 1994. Their second studio album “ATLiens” and song of the same name were unofficially adopted by the city and its sports teams. And Atlantans often use the ATLien moniker when referring to themselves. 

It wasn’t until the release of their fourth studio album, “Stankonia”, in 2000 that OutKast really broke loose and the world took notice, bringing their distinct “Dirty South” sound and lyrics, as well as Atlanta, to the fore. 

This year marks 25 years since the debut of that groundbreaking album, culminating in OutKast’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 8. 

 But André 3000 and Big Boi are far from the only Atlantans lifting up the city’s name and culture. If you’re a coffee lover, you’ve probably sipped a few cups of Atlanta-based Portrait Coffee at local cafes. Or maybe you’ve indulged in the Aunt Viv float at Big Softie, made with the West End roastery’s Founder’s blend, brown sugar-cardamon syrup, and Big Softie’s vanilla or chocolate soft serve. Like me, you could be a weekly recipient of Portrait’s coffee beans via its subscription. 

Portrait Coffee, a Black-owned coffee company founded by six Southwest Atlantans nearly seven years ago, has always been about collaboration. The mission behind the Westside Atlanta roastery is meant to spotlight the contributions of Black people in coffee, starting with the origins of coffee in Africa more than a thousand years ago. Portrait regularly partners with local coffee shops to produce limited edition blends, and it works to connect coffee producers with small, independent coffee farmers. 

But the company’s latest collaboration with OutKast is by far its biggest and most Atlanta yet, one that involves a limited-run coffee blend honoring the 25th anniversary of “Stankonia”. 

 Earlier this year, OutKast’s team reached out to Portrait about producing a special release coffee celebrating “Stankonia”. 

“Marvin Duncan, our head roaster, and I spent the summer tasting around 20 coffees while listening to ‘Stankonia’ and talking about how its sound could translate into a cup,” Portrait Coffee co-founder and CEO Aaron Fender told me. “After narrowing it down to our top three [coffee blends], we went back and forth with the OutKast team, got their notes and feedback, and landed on the blend that felt most true [to the album’s] creativity.”

While tastings and cupping sessions were conducted by Duncan with the Portrait team, Fender said André 3000 and Big Boi provided the vision and some feedback throughout the process.

 The result is Stankonia Coffee, a medium-roast blend of beans from Rwanda and Colombia with notes of tart green apple, strawberry, and brown sugar. Fender calls the coffee “bright, layered, and a little funky—just like the album.”

You can purchase the special release coffee online or at Portrait’s West End coffee shop. While Stankonia Coffee won’t be part of the subscription service, I’m long overdue for a visit to Portrait and for one of the shop’s vinyl listening sessions. 

 To celebrate 25 years of “Stankonia” and the coffee collab, Portrait Coffee and OutKast will host a 21-and-up launch party at Cascade Skating Rink on Oct. 30. The party is free to attend and will feature DJs, food, coffee giveaways, and a few special guests. Whether the night will also include an André 3000 parking lot performance remains to be seen, but ATLiens know it’s not out of the realm of possibility. 

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The Move:
The Turkey Reuben at Spiller Park Coffee

Photo by Beth McKibben

 When Dale Donchey opened the South Downtown location of Spiller Park Coffee last year, he wanted the menu to include at least one deli sandwich. At this location, Donchey’s fourth in the city, the sandwich menu will eventually expand, catering to the Capitol and justice center crowds, as well as to people attending games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium across the bridge.

While Donchey has yet to expand beyond one sandwich, the Reuben on offer here is worth the trek to the Mitchell Street coffee shop, which is now open on Saturdays.

Served on buttered rye bread, you can order the Reuben ($16) with either pastrami or turkey. It comes dressed with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and a generous spread of zingy yellow mustard before being slapped on the griddle to toast up. I opted for turkey — think tangy turkey grilled cheese in the best way possible.

 On Nov. 3, Donchey will open the long-awaited Midtown location of Spiller Park Coffee on Peachtree Street. And I’m told that the Mitchell Street Reuben could make its way onto the Midtown menu, too.

Recipe: Rose Chai Waffles From The Chai Box

Photo by The Chai Box

 This week, we’re sharing a recipe for the rose chai waffles soon to be found on the menu at the new Chai Box Cafe on Howell Mill Road in Buckhead, from Atlanta-based chai producer The Chai Box.

Chai means “tea” in Hindi.

 The most important step in this waffle recipe is infusing the milk. During colonial rule, the British indoctrinated Indians to drink tea with milk and sugar. “Indian street vendors basically took tea dust and milk and then added spices to them,” said food writer and historian Leena Trivedi. “Today, [milk is] also very emblematic of masala chai. There’s something about the way the chai tastes creamy after you let the milk boil up two or three times that is a key characteristic of chai.”

In addition to The Chai Box’s online store, you can find its chai blends at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on Saturdays. The Chai Box founder, Monica Sunny, also recommends sourcing chai from a local Indian store, such as Shivam Imports in Marietta or Cherians International Groceries in Decatur.

 This waffle recipe calls for The Chai Box’s Hill Station blend, but you can use any chai masala blend or a rose black tea with some added cardamom. Sunny says you can also use The Chai Box’s masala chai concentrate, which is available online and at Costco. Just substitute the 1 1/2 cups of milk called for in the recipe with a mixture of 1 1/4 cups of milk and 1/4 cup of the chai concentrate. This will still allow for the signature chai flavor without compromising the waffle batter’s texture. If your chai concentrate is sweetened, you can reduce any added sugar elsewhere in the recipe.

Makes 4 to 6 waffles Ingredients

Infused Milk

  • 1 1/2 cups of milk (The Chai Box uses 2% dairy milk)
  • 4 Tbsp of Hill Station chai blend

Waffle Mix

  • 2 cups of your favorite store-bought buttermilk pancake or waffle mix (The Chai Box uses Publix brand)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
  • 1 tsp crushed Hill Station chai blend (crush with a mortar and pestle)
  • 2 tsp rose water

Optional

  • Whipped cream
  • Rose petals for decoration

 Directions

  1. Infuse the milk: Bring milk and chai blend to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce and let simmer for about 4 minutes. Strain and let cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  2. Make the batter: Combine store-bought mix, eggs, oil, crushed chai blend, rosewater, and cooled infused milk in a large bowl. Stir or whisk until smooth, but not thin. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.
  3. Cook the waffles: Grease a waffle iron and add desired amount of batter. Bake until golden brown per waffle maker’s instructions.
  4. Optional: Top waffles with whipped cream and rose petals. Serve with a cup of chai.

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The post ☕👽 OutKast’s coffee collab appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

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