The newest addition to Mueller's Aldrich Street corridor opened its doors Saturday without a grand opening, a ribbon cutting, or even a sign — just an unmarked glass storefront, the smell of freshly roasted coffee, and a line out the door by 8 a.m.
Steady State Coffee is the first venture for Amanda Torres, 31, who spent six years as head roaster at a well-known Austin roastery before deciding to build something of her own. The 1,200-square-foot shop at 1905 Aldrich Street offers single-origin pour-overs, espresso, and cold brew alongside pastries from a local bakery, with a small retail section selling whole beans roasted on-site.
The Owner
Torres grew up in Seguin, Texas, studied food science at Texas State, and fell into specialty coffee through a college job at a café that changed how she thought about flavor. "I was a food science major who didn't want to work in a lab," she says. "Coffee is food science you can share with people every morning."
She chose Mueller for its foot traffic and its demographics — "people who walk to get coffee, not drive" — and signed the lease in September 2025 after two years of saving and planning.
What They Serve
The menu is deliberately small: drip ($3.50), pour-over ($5), espresso drinks ($4.50-$6), and cold brew ($5). Torres rotates single-origin beans every two weeks, sourcing from farms in Ethiopia, Colombia, and Guatemala through direct-trade relationships. The current offering is a washed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe with blueberry and jasmine notes.
Pastries come from Bouldin Creek Baking Company — croissants ($4), banana bread ($3.50), and a rotating savory option (currently a cheddar-chive scone, $4.50).
The Details
Steady State is open 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week. The space has 20 indoor seats, a long communal table, and a small patio with four two-tops. Free Wi-Fi, but no outlets — a deliberate choice. "I want people to drink coffee, not camp," Torres says. Parking is available in the Aldrich Street surface lot and along Mueller Boulevard.
Torres plans to add weekend cupping sessions — guided coffee tastings for $10 — starting in April, and is exploring a collaboration with the Mueller farmers market for a pop-up stand.