COFFEE TALK: Chaparral Coffee provides Lockhart, Caldwell County with more than just espresso drinks

Taylor and Austin Burge, owners of Chaparral Coffee. Photo by Laurel Coyle/LPR

By Miles Smith
LPR Editor

There are no shortage of college students who take a job at a Starbucks in college while they’re trying to make enough to help cover rent and tuition.
But for Austin Burge, who owns Chaparral Coffee in Lockhart with his wife, Taylor Burge, the college gig was the beginning of an eventual career that led the couple to own what they say is Caldwell County’s only commercial espresso machine.
The shop will celebrate its second anniversary in April and has come a long way since it first opened its doors at 106 E. Market Street.
“We just wanted a place we could open up for 40-50 hours a week that would provide a job for Austin and get to know people in the community while serving good coffee,” said Taylor, whose artistic tendencies and appreciation for art are evident in the narrow downtown space that has been the former home of businesses including barbershops, boutiques and more. “I think you’d be surprised how many people are excited about good coffee, and a coffee shop is a great place to get to know your neighbors.”

Read the full story in this week’s Post-Register.