over the last year or so we’ve tried quite a few of batdorf & bronson’s locally-roasted coffees. we tend to stick with single-origin, central & south american beans for their crisp and fruity flavors. these coffees also brew really well in our chemex setup, so it’s fun sampling new varieties!

here are the beans we tried along with their batdorf & bronson descriptions:
costa rica: cerro del fuego – crisp & fruity; pineapple, honey, macadamia nut
mexico: organic el triunfo – creamy & bright; orange blossom, caramel, chocolate
nicaragua: isabelia – balanced & sweet; black cherry, cocoa, cinnamon
guatemala: antigua – elegant & intense; chocolate, rum raisin, caramel
columbia: estrella del sur – citrus blossom; vanilla, almonds, dried fruit
columbia: monserrate – gala apples, blood oranges
dancing goats blend – bold & toasty; almond, chocolate, and spice
skye’s mountain blend – velvety & lush; raspberry, herbs, sugar
nicaragua: finca san jose – tropical & jasmine; lush body, hints of fruit punch sweetness

our favorites were the monserrate, which was one of their voyager coffees, the finca san jose, and the el triunfo. none of these are available regularly though, so we tend to go with the cerro del fuego and estrella del sur when we buy batdorf & bronson beans.

you can find these delicious coffees at the dancing goats in decatur or the new dancing goats in ponce city market. the decatur location has a wider selection of beans however.

– ryan

dancing goats decatur (better selection)

419 west ponce de leon ave
decatur, ga 30030
404-687-1100

dancing goats ponce city market

675 north avenue
atlanta, ga 30308
404-874-0370

there’s a new dancing goats in town with a huge porch and a small, but appetizing, lunch menu! it’s also the first business to open at ponce city market, atlanta’s exciting new city project from the creators of the chelsea market in nyc.

ponce city market is the largest adaptive reuse project in atlanta’s history! the massive project involves restoring the historic sears, roebuck & co building in the old forth ward with lots of new restaurants, businesses, residences and surrounding parks. as of now the plan is to open spring 2014.

take the virtual tour!

– ryan

dancing goats ponce city market

675 north avenue
atlanta, ga 30308
404-874-0370

the 2012 batdorf & bronson holiday blend is now available at dancing goats! it’s a great dark, spicy coffee for those cold winter mornings.

– ryan

dancing goats coffee bar

419 west ponce de leon ave
decatur, ga 30030
404-687-1100

after my recent tour of the batdorf & bronson roastery, i went on a quest to brew a better cup of coffee. i learned on the tour that there are many factors that go into a good cup of joe. these range from the quality and freshness of the coffee, to using the proper ratio of grounds/water, to hitting the ideal brewing temperature of 205°. the problem is most consumer coffeemakers never reach such high temperatures. for that, you need a hand-brewed method where you are in full control and as much as i love my french press, it sounded like a pour over coffeepot was the way to go.

after a little research, i decided on the stylish chemex coffeepot. it’s both a great coffeemaker and a beautiful piece of design, even 70+ years after its creation. plus it only set me back $31.95 at dancing goats in decatur. i did have to buy special chemex filters for it, but they were just $5.95 for a 100 pack, which wasn’t that bad.

for my inaugural pot, i picked up some nice costa rica la minita del sol coffee. the description on the bag was “full bodied & sparkling sweet, maple, almond & orange juice,” which sounded interesting. the beans were 100% sun dried instead of fully washed, like most central american beans, so it’s supposed to be fairly unique.

the brewing process was pretty easy to follow. i put a chemex filter into the top of the coffeepot and added a tbsp of freshly ground coffee for each 5 oz cup, 8 tbsp for a full pot. i boiled 40 oz of water and removed it from heat for roughly 20 seconds until it reached ~205°. i then wet the grounds with 4 oz of water and let “bloom” for 30-40 seconds. from there i added the rest of the water, making sure not to overflow, and composted the spent grounds. voilà, the perfect cup of coffee!

the results were definitely worth the effort! the coffee had that fresh, strong taste you get from a french press, but seemed cleaner and less-bitter since the oils and sediment were filtered out. it was a nice, crisp cup of coffee where I could actually distinguish some of the descriptive characteristics. i wouldn’t say i sensed the orange juice, but i picked up some sweet and nutty elements, especially when sampled next to a cup of french roast. it was some of the better coffee i’ve made at home!

on top of that, the actual coffeepot is gorgeous and looks great on the countertop! it’s on permanent display at moma and was featured in the modern by design exhibit at the high museum of art, further proving its elegance.

for more thorough brewing instructions, or to check out some great mid-century illustrations, head to the chemex website. there are also some slightly different brewing instructions offered from dancing goat, although i tried this method and didn’t care for it. it used almost twice the coffee and was a little strong for my taste.

enjoy!

– ryan

dancing goats coffee bar

419 west ponce de leon ave
decatur, ga 30030
404-687-1100

my brother and i went on a great scoutmob tour of the batdorf & bronson roastery. i learned quite a bit about brewing & roasting coffee, its history, and by the end of the tour i could actually taste the difference between a sumatra and a costa rican cup of coffee. talk about a fun tour!

i’m a big fan of dancing goats, which is batdorf & bronson’s coffee shop in decatur, so i enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at atlanta’s best roaster. it was definitely a smaller production than i pictured. they only have three people who do the roasting and they still bag and label all of their coffee by hand.

the tour also included a mug, freshly roasted coffee, and a slice of mocha pie from the pie shop. the pie was made with cacao atlanta chocolate & batdorf coffee and was pretty much the best thing ever!

a cool side note, batdorf takes donations for their used burlap coffee bags. the money goes directly to the coffee farmers and the bags, which have great designs, can be re-used for all sorts of fun projects. it’s a win-win for everyone involved! i picked up an el indio bag, see the photo below.

– ryan

dancing goats coffee bar

419 west ponce de leon ave
decatur, ga 30030
404-687-1100

i appreciate coffee shops that take the extra effort to create artwork with their coffee drinks. here are some photos from dancing goats, octane coffee and west egg cafe. octane even hosts latte art competitions called thursday night throw down!

– ryan