The Sprudge Report - The Ultimate Coffee Bracket

Sprudge's own version of March Madness kicked off this week, and it's bigger than ever.

Mar 18

Bracketsprology is back!

Now back for its third year, Sprudge’s Ultimate Coffee Bracket seeks to crown a new coffee champion for 2023. This year, the field has expanded to a whopping 64 entries, broken down into four regions: Coffee Drinks, Cafe Food, Coffee Cocktails, and Brew Methods. We got through the first round last week, but stay tuned to the Sprudge Instagram this week, where all the tournament action will be taking place in the Stories.

A London Fog, explained

We all know about the coffee-less cafe staple, but where did it come from? Luckily with the London Fog, we know the real, actual person who started it. This week, Associate Editor Liz Clayton takes a look at the charming history of the London Fog, tracing it back to Vancouver in the early 90s.

Introducing the notNeutral Pico Series

The Los Angeles-based notNeutral collaborated with design collective RIOS for the all new Pico series, the brands’ homage to their home city. The muted color palette highlights the thoughtful design of the latest notNeutral cup line. Click here to learn more.

Cool Coffee Tech

Weber Workshops has announced that the release of the latest version of their Spring Cleaner, a piston-loaded mechanism used to backflush and clean espresso machine groupheads. Erstwhile, Industry influencer James Hoffmann and Bellweather have teamed up in the California desert to see if they can roast coffee using the power of the sun.

Cafes

We spanned the American southeast all the way up to the Pacific Northwest in our feature cafes this week. We started of in Decatur, Georgia to check in with the community-focused Opo Coffee as part of the Sprudge Maps Spotlight series. Then we head up to Central Oregon to the town of Terrebonne and Smith Rock, birthplace of American sport climbing. It’s a bit of a mecca for American rock climbers. And right outside the entry sits Redpoint Climber’s Supply, a gear shop that doubles as a really good coffee shop.

SCA Sustainability Award Finalists

The Specialty Coffee Association has announced the 18 finalists for the 2023 Sustainability Awards. Six finalists were chosen for each of the three different categories: business model, individual, and projects. The winners will be announced later this month as well as be celebrated at the Re:Co Symposium as the SCA Expo next month in Portland.

Team Italy brought an espresso machine to the World Baseball Classic

Italy takes their espresso seriously. This is not even a question. So it is unsurprising then that the Italian team at the World Baseball Classic decided to keep an espresso machine—a Nespresso—in their dugout. If you had to sit for a four-hour baseball game, wouldn’t you?

Daddy is tired

Pedro Pascal is the internet’s favorite actor right now, and for good reason. He’s the lead in the biggest shows at two different networks—The Mandalorian on Disney+ and The Last of Us on HBO—and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. But beneath all that is a man calling out for help, and that cry rings out from his Starbucks drink order: Six shots of espresso over ice. Someone give this man some rest.

New job listings from Sprudge Jobs

Counter Culture Coffee - Regional Manager - Dallas, TX
Counter Culture Coffee - Regional Technical Services - Washington, DC
Coava Coffee Roasters - Production Fulfillment - Portland, OR
Ozo Coffee - Production Coffee Roaster, Level I - Boulder, CO
Hubbard & Cravens Coffee & Tea - Retail General Manager - Broad Ripple, IN
Blue Bottle Coffee - Apprentice Brewer - Berkeley, CA

New cafes on Sprudge Maps

Here are new cafes discoverable on our global cafe portal Sprudge Maps. Register your cafe for free—thanks to the support of La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series.

Rosso - Calgary, AB
New Love Coffee - Spokane, WA
Jonas Reindl Coffee Roasters - Wien, Austria
Root - Seattle, WA
Little Victories Coffee - Ottawa, ON

Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at P.O. Box 3943 Portland, OR 97218.