Coffee Culture: revelator coffee

Words and Photos by ChriStian Hilley

Some thirty yards from the Alabama Teater, Revelator Cofee fts comfortably in one of the most central parts of downtown Birmingham, the corner of 3rd and 19th Ave. Tough BB King, Merle Haggard, Wilco, and Hall and Oates have performed on the same block as this small cofee shop and roastery, the newcomer to the historic section of Birmingham truly holds its own in terms of quality and attraction.

When the company from New Orleans opened a location in Birmingham in the summer of 2014, its huge success drew them to move their roastery and headquarters to the new location this year. Revelator has since planted Chattanooga, Atlanta, and most recently, Nashville storefronts. Birmingham provides a central location for travel in the South, which gives the company a means to ship fresher cofee sooner to all its locations.

It’s no wonder the shop had great success in such a short amount of time. It was the perfect storm for Revelator: lifeless downtown had been recently revitalized; the cofee culture had already been cultivated by shops like Seeds Cofee and Atlanta-based Octane; and simply, Revelator’s incredibly high cofee standards created a great product.

Te Birmingham location is the only shop in Alabama boasting Slayer espresso oferings. Shots pulled on their truly fully manual dual-group machine have the option for pre-infusion. Tis process allows the ground espresso to be frst saturated with water coming in at a much lower pressure than the typical 9 bars, which ensures that once full-pressure is applied, the espresso is pulled evenly with no dry pockets or channeling. Te result is not only incredibly complex and favorful espresso, but a noticeably beautiful and colorful drip from the open portaflter.

Te slow bar ofers a variety of pour-overs via Chemex, and tea brewed in a device called the Steampunk, which operates similarly to a siphon. Te Steampunk units are installed permanently as a part of the bar itself, simplifying the bar space and contributing to the minimalist environment the whole shop epitomizes. Te wash of grey walls and the simple, stripped menu (featuring “Espresso + Milk” in 4 oz, 6 oz, and 8 oz options) ofer visitors an escape from the buzz of everyday hustle and decision-making.

During our visit, we were able to sit outside the shop and chat briefy with our friend Blake, a Revelator veteran who had just lef shif. Te next artist coming to the Alabama Teater was Sufan Stevens, another of the many living legends to perform there, and Blake had tickets to the show. Incredible talents still constantly appear a mere hop across the street from where he works, and with all the exquisite wonder the shop brings to the small block downtown, it’s no surprise Revelator fts right in with the magic.