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Ben Helfen

Male

Atlanta

United States

Profile Information:

What is your position in the coffee industry?: barista, barista trainer, coffee enthusiast
Where are you located? ( City and Country ): Atlanta, GA
How many years have you been in the industry?: 3.5
If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?: maybe
Tell us more about your coffee shop or barista skills.: I work at Octane Coffee in Atlanta, GA
What cities or countries are you interested in traveling to?: Helsinki, Finland!!!! If someone can get me a job in Helsinki, i'd give them a kidney.
About Me:: I like being a barista. When not holding it down at the shop, i sometimes represent A-town and (r)Oc(k)tane by entering competitions. Sometimes i do well. I got 2nd in the 2007 SERBC, and am currently the reigning Millrock Latte Art Champion. My title is soon to be taken away from me by someone better, but i'm going to make them put up a fight for it. I'll meet you in Seattle in september. To the death!
About My Company:: Octane is a bad ass coffee shop in the heart of the Dirty South, ATL.

OctaneCoffee.com
What is your favorite thing about the coffee industry?: Coffee crushes
Website:: http://myheartisinhelsinki.blogspot.com/

Comment Wall:

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Jesse Crouse

Top 3! Wow! I will accept the promotion gladly, and mail you another. Expect it in the next couple of days. I hope the art stays during shipping.

I will definitely swing by if ever in Atl. and you should do the same if ever in Chicago.

Feb 19, 2008
Dale B. Donchey

Well done good sir, way to flex that dirty south barista skill. Continue to do it big with that LV tamper.

Feb 19, 2008
Anne MF Boatner

There are a lot of things to be said about second place.
Second place is first loser.
Second is the best.
Okay, I ran out of stuff about second place, but then I googled it and found this blog http://therealthing.blogs.com/
Which promptly reminded me of this http://www.prevent-it.ca/see-it-tv-spots

So the moral of this story is, let's start a second place/THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS! club. Yes? Okay. Great. You can be president.

Feb 21, 2008
Katie Carguilo

sometimes i worry for you....

Feb 21, 2008
Jason Dominy

Besides the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, what else you listening to these days. Heard you have some great taste in music...

Feb 22, 2008
Jason Dominy

Kylie, didn't see that one coming. What about sigur ros? I would guess you would dig them. Don't remember who told me, someone at the show, but you got some pretty good ones in there, and a few I should check out. Someone on here introduced me to Dear and the Headlights, and it's pretty good if you like that Death Cab kinda sound.

Feb 25, 2008
Katie Duris

this saturday night! i must say, i can't wait. can we do whatever your doing?

Mar 3, 2008
randy

your post sent my mind wandering. i thought how lucky i am not to have made enemies. then i thought how awesome it would be to have an arch nemisis. then what it would be like to be a super hero...a barista super hero...The Baristador! saving the world from Buxatron and his gang of bitter and burnt henchmen. man, i need to get out more..and to write a comic book....and buy a cape.

Mar 3, 2008
Katie Duris

i think randy's day job leaves him with too much time on his hands...

Mar 7, 2008
Emma Minigan

benbenben!!!
will you be in Minneapolis?

Mar 8, 2008
Emma Minigan

I will indeed!!! Super awesome reunion time to the max . . . yo?

Mar 13, 2008
Emma Minigan

Amen bother. Amen. I don't even know when it is. May?

Mar 14, 2008
Anne MF Boatner

I'm going to be in atlanta tomorrow. Are you going to be at octane tomorrow?

Mar 18, 2008
Jason Dominy

I bought a new release off iTunes, and thought you would like it. PlayRadioPlay. It's real nice.

Mar 20, 2008
Dustin Mattson

Thank you for your junk, I appreciated it.

Mar 29, 2008
Katie Duris

hey there friend. i just saw the cnn piece and its pretty great. a throwdown every week? that sounds pretty awesome...

Apr 5, 2008
Ryan Jensen

thanks for the kind words. i was not at the game, but i was definitely on the edge of my couch. pretty insane run.

i was funny how carolina was knocked out AND UNC lost in the same day--bad day for my durham/chapel hill coworkers.

ha ha ha.

Apr 6, 2008
Jason Dominy

Cool to see you this weekend. Keep up the cool stuff down there. We gotta get you up here to Charlotte. I'll talk to you more about it in the near future....

Apr 9, 2008
Emma Minigan

I forgot to tell you... I can't go anymore :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

Apr 24, 2008
Emma Minigan

I know :(

This just means I have to come to Atlanta I guess.

Apr 24, 2008
Ben Kaminsky

Are you fully prepared to rep the true hip-hop stylings of the ATL at USBC? (Not sure how you would even do that, but...)

...you'd better be.

Apr 25, 2008
randy

Good Luck! And watch out for Katie D! She take performance enhancing drugs. You should call her on it.

May 2, 2008
Emma Minigan

Ben Baby, there's a clip of your winning pour on a little latte art video on msnbc.com.
It comes shortly after a picture of me competing and makes it appear as though i'm the asshole who won 5 g's. My mumma found discovered it! We need to discover how I can finance this trip to Atlanta.... perhaps I'll fedex myself to you guys.

May 8, 2008
michael Phillips

Damn you kids know how to shake it. I dont know if I am ready to see how you folks are gonna do things in your own spot next year... danger looms.

May 8, 2008
Emma Minigan

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#24374902

May 11, 2008
Katie Duris

lunch was such a tease. hope the road is good to you... lets talk soon

May 30, 2008
Ben Kaminsky

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/497531

Sup finland... You know I got your back like chiroprac.

Jun 19, 2008
Ben Kaminsky

p.s. you could take that dude

Jun 19, 2008
Ben Helfen

You're a champ, Ben.

Jun 20, 2008
Sarah Allen

hey ben! thanks for the kind words about the coverage. it was totally exhausting, but super fun. all my finnish pals were asking if you were still heading to helsinki...
i won't be at coffee fest seattle -- have to be in norway at that time, but ken will be in seattle... we'll see each other soon though, i hope!

Jun 25, 2008
Wilson Hines

Hey Ben,
I missed you the other day in ATL. Hope to see you soon!

Jun 26, 2008
Rob Tuttle

Hey Ben...looking forward to TNT in the ATL!!!

Jun 27, 2008
Joshua Longsdorf

Hey dooder, hope you make it home n stuff

Sep 15, 2008
Robbie Britt

It was a pleasure meeting you and Brooke. When I come down to atl., we'll have to hit up the brick store in decatur. I don't know if your into cigars, but the puff n stuff cigar shop in decatur was pretty rad too. Same thing like we were talking about. Someone geeking out about what they love to do. Cheers.

Sep 15, 2008
Joshua Longsdorf

bitches...I kinda miss yourself.

Sep 17, 2008
Tony Serrano

It was great meeting you, Ben. How's the high test @ Octane?

Sep 18, 2008
aaron ultimo

Ben, thanks for taking care of me. I got your text. I'll see you tomorrow night. Thanks for the shuttling too. Your the best!

Sep 19, 2008
Jason Dominy

Hey Ben! Just left the 'Tane! Was hoping you were there to say congratulations on being the new Southeast Chapter Rep for the Barista Guild! We have some very cool stuff coming up in the Guild, and it's great to have you a part! Rock on!

Sep 21, 2008
Tim

Dude, per your profile picture, I am tempted to call you Ben O. Or something to that effect. I'm assuming you've listened to "The Is Is" EP that the YYYs released last summer? It just keeps getting better.

Sep 21, 2008
scott conary

Thanks again for your help monday....couldn't have done it without you guys. One of these days I will get to try the cherry cordial....

Sep 23, 2008
aaron ultimo

Ben! Thanks again. I was stoked to hang out with you and the rest of the Octane posse. Come visit soon!

Sep 23, 2008
aaron ultimo

Everybody gets the grumps every once in a while. I hope you find much needed rest soon.

Sep 24, 2008
Tim

Damn, it would have been so rad to see the YYYs right after Fever to Tell. That's the album I fell in love with them over, and I think that and the EP preceding it represent their energy alot better than the newer stuff, but I like it all.

Sep 25, 2008
Joshua Boyt

Ben, I just heard you are reppin the BGA in the South-East. Congrats bro!

Sep 30, 2008
Clancy

thanks bro! See you in portland?

Nov 5, 2008
Clancy

sweet dude, well good luck at serbc!

Nov 5, 2008
Brady

Hi Ben. Good to meet you. Hope you had fun in Charlotte.

Nov 9, 2008
Joshua Longsdorf

Ben...I made a decission, you need to come play in SF for a few days...

How's ATL

Nov 11, 2008
Jonathan Amos

So, now that my coffee pilgrimage is over, I just thought I would let you know that you guys rock. In case you didn't know. Thanks for that.

Jan 2, 2009
John Fogleman

Hey man, thanks a lot for the other day. The advice helped tremendously. hope to seen you up there soon.

Jan 28, 2009