Octane Pocket Bar

If you enter from the Peachtree Street side, you'll see a big sign declaring that you must sign in to enter. And if you're not dressed in business attire, perhaps looking somewhat askew from forgetting your hairbrush and not fixing yourself up all pretty-ish after the gym, well... The security guard may not give the best of advice. Or even fully form words beyond "No." Maybe he needed coffee, too.

So come in from the *West* Peachtree side. Big difference that may not be apparent to non-natives like me. If one of the no-entrance doors happens to open, grab it. Otherwise walk in, turn right, turn right, and go all the way to the end of the long, no-entrance-door-lined hall.

Then obtain great coffee. Possibly along with Sublime doughnuts, King of Pops popsicles, and other yummy goodies. Have a nice conversation with the baristas. Overall find a nice, relaxing oasis in a very 80s office building. The pour-over coffee's quite good. I'm definitely more of a press-pot guy (I like chewing on my coffee), but this is well brewed. The Kenyan I had today had both that origin's characteristic brightness along with some nice fruit notes. Good stuff.

I've been waiting for this spot to open for months. Periodically, I'd hit the Octane site and see if there were any updates. Then, last week, a bunch of co-workers came back from a coffee run with news this mini Octane was finally brewing.

Needing a break from a marathon of meetings, not too mention a bit of a pick-me-up, I took a quick stroll down to the Bank of America tower. I entered on the Peachtree side and did a lap of the lobby before I saw Pocket Bar tucked down at the end of a hall.

If you've been to one of the other Octanes, it's largely a familiar experience. Pocket Bar offers three daily drips, plus a handful of other beverages. I ordered the Valle del Santuario, a smooth-drinking Peruvian. Now I usually think those coffee tasting notes are B.S., but I actually picked up on the promised hints of spice and chocolate.

A note: they brew your coffee to order here, so it's not a quick as running into a Starbucks for a grande whatever. Interestingly enough, Pocket Bar uses a system where water is poured through a basket that sits atop a rail and drains into a cup. It's a lot like a Chemex brewing system, but not as tedious.

I liked the process though, cause it gave me the chance to chat with the baristas, two friendly guys who were eager to tell me which beans had just come in -- and what they'll be brewing soon. Apparently, a bunch of Ethiopians are waiting for next week, and so am I.

I am trying to decrease the amount of coffee I drink. However, when I was so close to an Octane on a chance trip downtown Atlanta, I could not resist! Got there at around 7:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning. I walked right up. To my surprise and joy I saw that they had "Sublime Donuts", I resisted and even asked for the bran muffin. Somehow I ended up with a honeybun from Sublime. I just thought that the bill was for the honeybun and the bran muffin, but it wasn't. My capuccino was excellent as well. Thank you for taking care of me Amy!

The best coffee I've had in town, with friendly service and a nice seating area. It's not cheap, but definitely worth searching for if you're in the Midtown / SoNo area.

Midtown really needs a full-size independent coffee shop. For now we have this great pocket bar serving top quality espresso drinks and drip brews tucked inside the austere Bank of America Plaza. Look for the signs in the lobby--it's actually in the west wing of the building by the conference center.