Our coverage made possible by Dallis Bros. Coffee.
The NERBC is live as hell! Reporting from the 11th floor midtown Manhattan, with a stunning skyline as our backdrop. You can play along via Twitter by following the hashtag #NERBC, or keep up to date here with our liveblog. Newest posts at the bottom!
Urban Eisley, Ports Coffee NYC – competes using Stumptown Guatemala El Injerto and Kenya Gatomboya
8:35am this is mr. eisley’s first time competing at #nerbc – “roasted almond, baker’s chocolate, papaya or guava from the gatomboya” – espresso
8:40 Urban’s signature drink: cherry reduction, egg yolk, almond infused cream + almond honey, pulls shot of injerto / gatomboya and asks judges to stir
8:41 urban eisley offers a steady first performance to start the day at #nerbc – calls time at 14:35 – @stumptowncoffee done proud
Rose-Emma Lunderman, of Root Hill Coffee, Brooklyn – competes using Dallis Bros. Coffee (Dominican and Brazillian Peaberry)
8:52 “i’m from upstate new york, and to be honest, i didn’t really know what a cappuccino was” – @relunderma of @roothillcafe
8:53 there’s a charming kind of debutante wonder to @relunderma’s routine – she’s new to coffee, and she’s owns that fact –
8:58 Rose’s signature drink: cocoa, bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon in a crock pot – raspberry whip cream – @relunderma’s version of a “dominican cocoa tea”
Tamara Vigil, Irving Farm Coffee, New York – competes using Irving Farm Honduras Cerro Gacho
9:11 tamara asks of the judges – “what kind of coffee do you like?” – the judges answer! “kenyan…ethiopian…” #chit-chat
9:18 Tamara competes uses Honduran coffee from Irving farms. She describes it as having a “bright, punchy acidity – nutty finish” – sparkling body – nutty flavors accentuated by milk #nerbc
9:22 her coffee from Irving Farm was produced by Jose Luis Estevez Medrano on his farm, Cerro Gacho, in Honduras
9:30 great routine, but she’s DQ’d – look forward to watching her compete again next year, or in Portland
Cara Vincente of Think Coffee NYC – competes using El Salvador Himalaya, sourced by Think, roasted by Dallis Bros.
9:42 cara vincente of @thinkcoffeenyc makes a salvadoran horchata for sig drink – “spicy, earthy, nutty, sweet” – cashews! sesame! want!
9:46 whoa – cara vincente calls time at like 10:45 – that has got to be some kind of record, seriously. @nickcho can you verify?
Calen Robinette of Voltage Coffee, Cambridge, MA – competed using Guatemala Buena Esperanza, roasted by Barismo.
10:06 Calen’s entire shop came down from Boston, that’s awesome
Jonathan Payne of Joe NYC – competes using Piandamo Colombia, roasted by @eccocaffe for @joecoffeenyc
1o:12 “sweetness, freshness, red wine tartness, savory creamy depth like herbs and cheese” – jonathan payne on his espresso
10:25 gutsy routine from jonathan payne @joecoffeenyc calls time at 15:58, makes a point to finish his routine with the judges – hardcore.
Tommy Green of Tiny’s Giant, NYC – competes using Honduras Las Amazonas and Finca Liquidamber roasted by @dalliscoffee
10:38 tommy green’s twitter handle is @tommygbaby, but tommy green does not, in any way, look like his twitter handle should be @tommygbaby
10:40 his sig drink is a take on the tequila slammer – star anise, strained – adds espresso, requests a stir, lick the spoon, drink
Josh Littlefield of Johnson and Wales University, Providence, RI – competes using (will update)
10:51 Josh uses milk form a rhode island dairy cooperative…”it enhances espresso, but doesn’t cover it”
10:57 josh loses his mic – doesn’t even look phased – incredibly professional, didn’t miss a beat, still smiling!
10:59 for sheer tenacity and professionalism, josh littlefield’s is 1 of the best routines all year – you would NEVER know his mic was off
11:00 creme brulee sig drink on top of all of that -blowtorches! mic failures! josh littlefield is the https://sprudge.com #nerbc hero thus far
Rachel Haughey of EspressoNEAT, Darien, CT – competes using Handsome Coffee Roasters Fisticuffs blend, currently Colombia San Sebastian and Honduras Don Merdado
11:12 @rachelhaughey drops some espressos, super intentional with the judges – “i’ll give you a moment to evaluate that individually”
11:24 clever drips honduran – san sebastian updosed espresso – no added ingredients for the sig drink from @rachelhaughey
Charlie Biando of Shot Tower Coffee, Philly – competes using Counter Culture Coffee PNG Baroida
11:38 charlie’s sig drank: condensed almond milk, orange juice, simple syrup, muddled – bartender shake for aromatics – strained into espresso
11:40 charlie biando works as he talks, pulling shots while explaining processing – washed, de-pulped, in good hands
11:43 charlie calls time at 15:09 – in a word, poised. [youtube]xu0IY3HPD6U[/youtube]
Sam Penix of Everyman Espresso NYC:
11:49 @everymannY sam competes w/ finca mauritania from @aidabattle – microlots sourced for @counter_culture’s pro series training courses
11:57 @everymanNY going for capps with “high quality dark chocolate” flavor notes
12:03 @everymanNY sig drink inspired by supply chain – meyer lemon juice, “very special sugar”, concord grape foam, shot of mauritania
12:08 this regional is SO new york – it’s busy, it’s crowded, it’s full of angry old ladies, the performances are amazing, it’s DOG EAT DOG
Mike Morganstern of Joe NYC
12:21 creamy, delicious peanut butter cup – easy to drink – mike morganstern of @joecoffeenyc on his capps at #nerbc [youtube]c2iYi8jW84w[/youtube]
Mike Dejesus of Dallis Bros. Coffee
12:30 mike dejesus – SO new york – competes with colombian and brazillian coffees from @dalliscoffee – gotta love this guy
12:46 these are unforgiving competitions…slight spill from mike dejesus at 14:30, unable to serve all 4 judges a sig drink – harsh.
Jordan Barber, Third Rail Coffee
12:59 hustles through a cd skip…no change in expression, no loss of focus…jordan barber of @thirdrailcoffee is the honey badger
1:01 intentionally does not reveal coffee during his routine
