When it comes to talking about coffee, I am not shy. I am naturally an ambivert—a solid mix of being intro- and extroverted—but if you get me talking about something that I love, like local coffee, it will be tough to shut me up. So when my new friend Nico Pennisi invited me to talk with him about our amazing local coffee shops and the launch of Batch Issue 2, it was a no-brainer.

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WRTV: Meet the Indianapolis Coffee Guide, the man trying to connect you to Indy’s coffee scene

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YouTube: Meet the man connecting you to Indy’s coffee scene (WRTV Indianapolis)

Follow along to Stop No. 1—Tinker Coffee at The Amp

The morning after the Batch Issue 2 launch party, I woke up bright and early to meet Nico at Tinker Coffee at The Amp. We hung out for an hour or so, just talking about coffee, the magazine, and why it is important to support local coffee. 

I always have a good time talking about why local coffee is important to me and the community, especially to people who don’t regularly hear the story of the Indianapolis Coffee Guide. Sharing that with the viewers of the WRTV was really special, and watching Nico’s eyes light up as I gushed about coffee was really special. 

Stop No. 2— Amberson Coffee + Grocer

After we wrapped at Tinker, we headed over to Amberson Coffee + Grocer in Fletcher Place. When sharing specialty coffee with folks who are new to the community, Amberson is a great place to send them because they really put the ‘special’ in ‘specialty coffee.’ Plus, the cover of Batch Issue 2 is Hugo Cano, who is the owner of Amberson, so it just made sense!

While there, I got to tell Nico more about specialty coffee, and he got to interview Friend of the Guide, Luke Speers, who is a massively talented artist and barista who works at Amberson and organized our launch party latte art throwdown. Luke was gracious enough to talk about how the Coffee Guide helped him discover our amazing local coffee community when he first moved to Indy.

Stop No. 3—Quills Coffee downtown Indianapolis

Our caffeine journey then took us to Quills. The new Quills space downtown Indianapolis is really beautiful, and it just so happens to be conveniently located near the WRTV studios. Quills was one of the first places I truly discovered specialty coffee in town, and it has been amazing to see them transition into their beautiful new space on Meridian. 

At Quills, we ran into Friend of the Guide, Jody Galadriel Friend, a barista at Quills and a massively talented musician (@_publicuniversalfriend). They got to chat about local coffee and the camaraderie that comes with a welcoming coffee community.

Batch Issue 2

Backing up just a little bit. Just in case you’re new here (hi!), Batch is our high-end coffee table magazine that is dedicated to the amazing local coffee scene here in Indianapolis. We published our first issue in March 2021, and our second issue was released November 2022.

Batch is our love letter to the local coffee shops and roasters that make this community what it is. It is 128 beautifully designed pages of words, poetry, photography, art, and so much more. We worked with over 30 local creatives to bring this issue together, including art direction from 2nd Street Creative, photography direction from the incomparable Jes Nijjer, and editorial direction from the amazing Patrick Soltys-Curry (hi, B!).

You can learn more (or purchase a copy) at BatchMag.com.

I love this community

I love this community so much—the local coffee community and also Indianapolis. This city has done a lot for me since I moved here in 2011, and it is truly incredible to be connected with all of these amazing people. 

The biggest thanks to Nico and the WRTV team for seeing the importance of our little community and telling this little part of our story.