Coffee: the world’s most popular drink. Last year, Americans consumed up to 150 billion cups of coffee and 54% of all Americans, aged over 18, drunk at least one cup of coffee a day. However let us look beyond the simple cup of Joe and bear witness to a world of mavericks and artists. A world where rising stars fight the established darlings of the industry. A world where lives can change in 15 minutes and 12 drinks. Prepare yourself for the world of Drip.

In this project, the Drip team are set to reveal the journeys of the newest stars of the barista world as they battle through the Regional, National, and World Barista Championships. So what are these fantastical championships you ask? Every year thousands of baristas compete to see who can make the world’s best coffee. Their challenge is to make 12 stunning coffee drinks (four espresso, four cappuccino, and four signature drinks) in just 15 minutes to be judged on its technical and sensory accomplishments. To understand the intense level of scrutiny these competitors face, look at the judges score sheet for their drinks (sensory and technical). As the Kickstarter wisely summarises “it’s like the Olympics of the coffee world”.

Coffee is rarely witnessed in its truest form in our usual pit stops of a Starbucks, Costa or McDonalds. For the majority of us, the art of the king of caffeine is never witnessed or consumed and even more of us would admit they were not aware there was even a world championship for baristas. The filmmakers explain how the production of Drip , “started as a journey for a love of coffee it soon became a fascinating story about the people who dedicate their lives to trying to please others sip by sip.” Best of all, they are set to present the coffee world with all its glorious trimmings through its plethora of quirky, colorful personalities trying to push the limits of a single beverage.

The world of baristas is equal parts exciting and intriguing yet dreams and stories only intrigue so far; this Kickstarter requires $50,000 to make their project a reality. They’ve got this far through their own pockets and IOUs but now it’s time to reach out to the people to get them over the finish line. The team admits that whilst they’ve shot a lot of footage, the story still needs its final pieces to complete the pictures. Alongside this, they have to achieve a full post production service on the documentary: edit, colour correction, captions and audio. However, this is the first Kickstarter I have seen that actually completely outlines where their money will be spent (see below). Colour me impressed.

The team have explained where the money will go and the project is well worth your time yet with all Kickstarter projects, you have to ask: “what’s in it for me?” The team have created some phenomenal rewards for those who decide to back the team. They have rewards ranging from coffee mugs & beans, T-shirts, wallpapers with the highest backers receiving connections with the film/TV industry, coffee tours in LA and a private person coffee tasting session. With the project achieving over 500 backers (at the point of writing), it’s clear that the online community has bought into this world with great enthusiasm and funds.

In a recent LA Times interview, director Rock Baijnut explained that for Drip “we set out to do for coffee what “Sideways” did for wine. Maybe people will have espresso parties at their houses and watch the movie.” The whole attitude of this project can only endear you further, which would explain why several leading US publications have featured it, its set to reach its impressive target with ease and was chosen as Kickstarter’s Project of the Day.

Further to this, the entire crew all have past experiences working with studios such as HBO, Asylum, and Lionsgate. Using their past experience, they understand the pitfalls of film making and documentaries in general, and they pledge that they will deliver Drip in a timely and high quality fashion. Therefore our humble site would like to further extend the production’s funding to ensure this project can fulfill all of its ambitions and potential. Make sure to check out the Kickstarter page, and watch the trailer below. Mark our words: this is exactly the kind of refreshing documentary today’s movie market needs.