Where Lost Dogs are Found: New Coffee Shop Emphasizing “Pour Overs” Opens in Taylor

*Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Oxford Stories.

By Ashley Mills
Hottytoddy.com contributor

Co-owners Josh Faught and Bryan Spillman, who is also the owner of Cups—an espresso cafe located at 1501 Jackson Ave. West in Oxford—met in January and began talking about a new coffee shop. Photo by Ashley Mills.

It’s theorized that every lost dog from Oxford ends up in Taylor, which is why the owners of a new coffee shop decided to aptly name it Lost Dog Coffee.

The new business is 20 minutes outside of Oxford in Taylor’s Plein Air community alongside the chapel, event space and restaurant, Grit. Lost Dog hosted its grand opening Saturday, Sept. 15.

Co-owners Josh Faught and Bryan Spillman, who is also the owner of Cups—an espresso cafe located at 1501 Jackson Ave. West in Oxford—met in January and began talking coffee, which is something both are passionate about. They said they wanted to open a coffee shop that offered new perks like pour overs and specialties. Pour over coffee is when coffee is ground and a brewing system is used to pour hot water over the grounds to produce a fresh cup of coffee, according to the coffee website homegrounds.com.

“It was a dream we talked about one day, and then it went away,” Faught said.

Spillman received a call from Campbell McCool, Plein Air’s developer, after spring break advocating for a coffee shop in the development.

“Bryan left me a voicemail saying that this is everything we have ever dreamed of,” Faught said. “Then, he brought me out [to Plein Air] and showed me the space.”

McCool wanted the space to be brick with pine floors and a rustic interior, which was “the exact coffee shop that me and Bryan dreamed of with an added bonus that it was in Taylor,” Faught said.

Lost Dog can be seen as an escape from a busy college town with its location on the outskirts of Oxford. 

“Oxford has gotten so congested in the past five to 10 years that traffic is backed up,” Faught said. “In Taylor, you don’t have to deal with traffic and game days.”

Another added feature that sets Lost Dog apart from other coffee houses are the pour overs, which creates quality coffee over quantity, according to the co-owners. Photo by Ashley Mills.

Before opening, Faught and Spillman compiled a list of roasters, equipment and items the duo wanted to use for the best quality coffee. 

“We knew we wanted a modular espresso machine because it creates an open space between the customer and the barista,” Faught said.

Another added feature that sets Lost Dog apart from other coffee houses are the pour overs, which creates quality coffee over quantity, according to the co-owners.

“We want to make the highest quality coffee and espresso,” Faught said. “Some of the best coffee you’re ever going to get is not going to come from a drip, but someone manually doing it. We wanted to pride ourselves over great coffee.”

Employee Laura Taylor, a senior at Ole Miss, said the Taylor location is a cozy oasis.

“The wood detail, local pottery mugs, and funky furniture make the place absolutely beautiful and worth the trip,” Taylor said. “The shop is the only one in the area that offers amazing pour overs. They have the best kinds of coffee with new, fun things to try, like coffee sodas with more things to come.”

The co-owners said they anticipate more unique perks as the business grows.

“We will be doing cocktails soon, as well as having three beer taps,” Faught said. “We will be multi-roasting and offering $4 bottomless drip coffee. We are far from done.”

Lost Dog is open Thursdays-Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.