Numinous Coffee Roasters brews new life into local spot, energizes Marble Falls

Alex Payson and his coffee roaster — It was important for Payson to not hide his coffee roaster in the back of the house, the way most coffee shops do. “It’s a beautiful machine, and it should be part of the customer experience,” he said.

“When my wife and I moved to Marble Falls in 2013, I worked at Save the World Brewery for two years to help Dave and Quynh start their business,” Payson said. “Around that time, the last local coffee shop closed down, and I felt like this was a town that needed a good coffee shop and a good hangout.”

Payson relied on his background as a biologist and his restaurant experience in the Northeast to become a coffee connoisseur. He and his wife, Kathy, were finally able to fulfill their dream of owning a local business when they opened Numinous Coffee Roasters in October 2015 in a little 1960s white brick house off of Farm to Market Road 1431.

“Before this became Numinous, [the building] had served five different purposes,” Payson explained. “It was someone’s home for 10–15 years, then a women’s shelter, then an attorney’s office, accountant’s office and doctor’s office. Which I think gives it character, and it adds to our story and to the community’s story.”

What sets Numinous apart from other coffee shops is the fact they roast their coffee beans in-house, meaning your drink order in the morning is as fresh as it gets. They receive their beans from ethically sourced, sustainable farms from all over the world and have genuine relationships with many of the farmers they buy from, too.

Numinous Coffee Roasters staff — Payson and his employees are very in tune with their community of coffee drinkers. They know 50 percent of their returning customers’ drink orders by heart and sometimes have them ready as soon as the regular walks into the shop.

Numinous runs on the skills of its roasters, baristas and bakers. Every single treat is made from scratch and follows the philosophy of “simple and fresh.” Their cinnamon rolls, breads and best-selling sausage kolaches are all made from a sourdough culture named Lucy, which is “fed” outside every morning in the Marble Falls air, lending a true Hill Country flavor.

At the end of the day, Numinous doesn’t just serve coffee and baked goods; they serve as a blank space for the community to gather. Numinous provides a meeting place for a pair of friends catching up over coffee or a book club gushing over their favorite chapters. These moments overwhelm Payson with joy and fulfill the goal he set out for himself to provide a divine setting in Marble Falls.

“When there’s 20 different conversations going on in the shop and it’s buzzing with energy, that’s the absolute best,” he said. “We have always wanted to be a reflection of what the community needs, and I’m honored to provide a space that unites that magical and spiritual feeling.”

Whether starting up their roaster in the wee hours of the morning or baking their scones to perfection, we’re proud to say that Numinous Coffee Roasters and the Paysons are powered by PEC.

Not close to Marble Falls? Buy a bag of their coffee beans online, and learn more about their business.

latte art — The Numinous staff is encouraged to be creative and develop ‘beary’ good latte-art skills.