Coffee can be a little regular at times. Beans, water, cream/sugar, and let it brew while you get ready in the morning. I’m sure it’s so routine to the point where you can do it with your eyes blindfolded. When I saw there were 2 Black men putting their own spin on the morning cup, excitement filled my spirit. What the Hogg brothers do differently to their beans is barrel-age them in bourbon, whiskey, or rum. There’s so many coffee shops and brands in the Tampa Bay area it’s almost a jolt of energy from the newness.

Hogg Batch is brand-new to the scene. It started officially February of this year and is a hit at all the weekend markets in the Tampa Bay area. We met up last weekend at their fave Pour Taproom in DTSP to talk about all Hogg Batch and their processes for making the coffee. Here’s a little peek:

“Earlier this year, brothers and co-founders David and Duane Hogg wanted to spike Tampa Bay’s coffee intake with their unique beans, which are barrel-aged with spirits like bourbon, rum, and whiskey. They want their unique brand of the caffeinated favorite, Hogg Batch, to disrupt the coffee world while still providing something that complements the regular morning cup of joe. 

Don’t be alarmed: The coffee won’t get you tipsy, it’s purely for the profile.

“Our barrel-aged coffee takes two things people like and produces a coffee that’s unique and has a new flavor. You still have the natural coffee notes with this added flavor that people get excited about trying,” David explains. 

It all started a couple of years ago when David started home roasting and testing out variations of what are now known as Hogg Batch’s signature blends. Once the two decided to start going to markets, the brothers graduated from David’s cast-iron pan on the stove to a small commercial roaster.”

Read the rest of their story for Creative Loafing here and get to know them better here.