Coffee Throwdown
The heat—and the coffee— is on! Following a preliminary round on March 10, local baristas vying for the title of champion of the first Chattanooga Coffee Throwdown will compete on Sunday, March 17, at Thrive Studio in Coolidge Park for that honor, cash prizes and coffee-related gadgets and doodads.
The contest, created by the Chattanooga Coffee Club, is hosted by Thrive Cafe and co-sponsored by The Pulse, will pit the city’s best professional and amateur baristas against each other in a friendly throwdown to determine the best cup of joe in town.
The event, to be held from 2 to 6 p.m., is free for spectators and will feature tastings and demonstrations.
According to organizer David Snyder, who is also a barista at Thrive Cafe, 14 professional and amateur (home) baristas entered the semi-finals, with eight moving forward to Sunday’s final round. The finalists, and their respective categories, are: Brewed Coffee—Jeremy Moore (Bonlife), Jamion Williams (private beverage consultant), Drake Farmer (Bonlife) and Jared Dalmas (home barista). Espresso—Bryan Fowler, (home barista), Whitney Turner (Pasha Coffee & Tea), Sarah Elliot (Pasha) and Drew Baranowski (Pasha).
Competitors have the choice to compete in three categories—specialty, espresso and brewed coffee—on Sunday and will be challenge each other for bragging rights, cash and specialty coffee-related swag, such as an aeropress, tamping mat, tamper, scale, T-shirts and local coffee. Espressoparts.com and prima-coffee.com are providing the prizes. Spectators will also have the opportunity to win swag, pastries and coffee by entering a $2 raffle.
Winners of the Coffee Throwdown will be announced next week in The Pulse.
Thrive is located at 191 River St. in Coolidge Park. Call (423) 800-0676 for more information.