Manual Brewing Battle - Atlanta
One Coffee. Any Method. One Winner. Anybody’s Game.
You can brew with any device or dosing.
There will be one winner chosen from a panel of three judges on taste.

All are welcome to battle it out and take a shot at winning some cool prizes. The special guest judge of the night will be Chef Stacia Taylor, recent Le Cordon Bleu graduate.

We will be brewing a special guest coffee from Barefoot Coffee Roasters of Santa Clara, California. Courtesy of Andy Newbom.

Sponsored by Batdorf & Bronson, Barista Magazine.

September 19 · 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roastery
1530 Carroll Dr. NW Suite 100
Atlanta, GA

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New Hario products arrived last week at our warehouse, so we should take some time to brew a cup of coffee and introduce some of them.

We are super excited about the Hario Skerton Hand Grinder. Rumor has it that the name was actually supposed to be “Skeleton”, but a miscommunication or mistranslation at Hario resulted in a product called Skerton. Regardless, the new hand grinder is sleek, easy to use and fun. Yes, it does require manual power, but there is something very satisfying about grinding your beans by hand.

The Skerton features ceramic conical burrs, a chrome plated stainless steel arm and a screw-top glass coffee canister. The glass canister conveniently is the same size as a mason jar, so the more clumsy among us need not worry too much.

The Hario V60 is a pour-over funnel brewer available in ceramic and glass that features vortex shaped ridges to aid in water and air flow.

We used it in conjunction with the beautifully sculpted Hario 16oz. Decanter. The decanter has frosted glass level markers and a minimalist, yet functional pouring spout which is especially beneficial when sharing. To aid in supreme pour-over power, we used the Hario Buono Pouring Kettle, which provides a razor thin stream of water for more control while pouring. Great for the Chemex or any pour-over of your choice.

We should have these items for sale online soon, so keep an eye out. Or join our mailing list if you want first dibbs.

The first Olympia Manual Brewing Battle took place Friday, August 20th at Batdorf & Bronson’s Cupping and Training Lab. Six competitors went head-to-head to see which cup won the judges’ hearts in a blind tasting. The rules were that everyone was to use one manual brewing method of their choice, and each participant had to use the same coffee, Batdorf & Bronson’s Organic Nicaragua Isabelia. Everyone had 15 minutes to prepare their brew and pour it into identical Gibraltar glasses on the cupping table.

The judges for the evening included Mathias Eichler, proprietor of Einmaleins in Downtown Olympia, Brian Meyers, Batdorf & Bronson’s Roasting Manager and Jessie Thurston, an all-around town local foodie and chef.

The judging was intense and viewed by the many onlookers who showed up to cheer their favorite “brew-ista”. The winner was Kendal Calquhoun of Mudbay Coffee Roasters followed by Matt Chrisophe, both of which used the Hario V60 brewer. Honorable mention goes to Forrest Huff, Sandy Hall, Bill Braun, and Will Frith.

Thanks to everyone who came out and we hope to see y’all at the next Manual Brew Battle. If you can’t make it to the left coast, check out the Atlanta Manual Brew Battle, hosted by Jason Dominy at the Atlanta Batdorf & Bronson Roastery.