With a name like Kick Butt, you’d think the atmosphere in these coffeehouses would lean toward assertive—-or at least jittery. “Kick back” is far more descriptive. Unpretentious and un-corporate, Kick Butt Coffee is the creation of Austin’s renowned Tai Chi and Kung Fu master, Thomas Gohring. Here you’re just as likely to bump into artists, musicians and poets as you are entrepreneurs, office workers and bean counters.

The art of latte-making has been mastered. Deliciously original “samiches...