The Southeast has been harboring this little miracle since 2012. Nathanael Mehrens developed the recipe for carbonated coffee when he worked at CREMA, a famed Nashville coffee spot. It didn’t take long for the concept to catch on and pretty soon Southerners were setting aside Cokes for Matchless Coffee Soda, so much that the Matchless crew required more space to keep up with demand. In 2014, they teamed up with Ben Bredesen of Fat Bottom Brewery to use his facility and make this bubbly nectar of the gods that perks you up and cools you down.
Matchless Coffee Soda uses a unique brewing process developed by Mehrens and his team. It all starts with locally sourced and roasted beans that vary depending on what is available. The coffee is brewed hot in large batches, which helps keep the strong coffee flavor and unique terroir of the beans. The liquid is immediately flash cooled, which sets it apart from other cold brews. Then they add in a bit of demerara, a natural sweetener, and carbonate the coffee to fizzy perfection. Pour it over ice, toss in a citrus peel, and be prepared for your life to change.
Matchless Coffee Soda was initially kegged for sale in cafes, but the goal was always to can the product and make it more widely available. Thankfully, Matchless Coffee Soda completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to make that possible. They’ve got the canning facility at Fat Bottom Brewery, but ordering cans is very expensive; you have to order a minimum of a semi-truck’s worth of cans. So Matchless asked for $36,000 via Kickstarter for the initial purchase, a goal they easily surpassed. The people have spoken and they want refreshing, eye-opening, carbonated coffee.
Get excited, kids, because Matchless Coffee Soda is coming soon.
