March has brought the specialty coffee industry not one, but two new Kickstarter campaigns: a documentary, and a manual brew method. Sweet!

Drip The Film

This documentary will feature baristas and competitors in the US Barista National Championship, exposing the pressures and joys of participating in such a lively and challenging event. The preview looks very well made, and I am optimistic about the film’s quality.

According to the filmmakers, Drip is:

A documentary that looks at the amazing world of coffee competitions and the quirky baristas who compete in them.

But what is this barista competition about? Why make a documentary about it?

Every year thousands of baristas compete to see who can make the world’s best coffee. They have 15 minutes to make 12 drinks — to make an impact. It’s like the Olympics of the coffee world.

It’s a world that few know about. The winner will receive fame, endorsements… it’s pretty glorious. Drip follows these young, hungry (thirsty?) baristas trying to make their mark… as they try to be the best in the world.

If you’re interested, just $20 will get you a digital download before the rest of the world gets to see it.

Manual Coffeemaker No1

If you can’t figure out what the Manual Coffeemaker No1 is, I’ll just tell you: It’s the first manual coffee maker by Craighton Berman. At first glance it may appear to resemble other pour over brewers. You’re eyes do not deceive you. But there is still quite a bit of purpose and creativity behind the design.

The sculptural glass form of MCM provides full visibility of the process, while the “double-wall” design effectively retains brewing heat. The wooden base is intended to develop a patina over time, similar to a well-aged cutting board.

The primary question you should ask about new brewers is, “Does this brewer produce excellent coffee?” Thankfully, the creators aren’t simply out to make a buck, and have put some thought into the actual brewing process instead of relying simply on the appearance to drive sales.

In testing MCM has had a slower extraction speed than that of a Hario v60, more similar to that of a Chemex. This means the body of the cup is a bit more developed with the slower time, without sacrificing too much clarity. By adjusting the grind size of the coffee and the pouring technique, you can speed up the flow to change the profile to your linking.

Although I would say this brewer is legitimate, aesthetically pleasing and creatively built, I find it difficult to justify paying $70 (and that’s a discounted price) for it when the alternatives are much less expensive. Even still, brewer collecting fanatics out there will love to give the Manual 1 a spin.