Amber was dressed in black with her dark red hair tied back in a ponytail. As she laid out the cream-colored full-length tablecloth, Amber explained how her presentation was influenced by her recent experience in Colombia. The table accessories included a bowl of ripe fruits, wood serving platters, and green woven place mats. Spanish pop music played in the background as she offered the judges a choice of still or sparkling water.



Her blend was composed of Colombian, Brazilian, and African coffees. Before preparing her first course, she started warming the caramel that she would use for her signature drink in a fondue pot, heated with a candle. To dose in small increments, she uses a two-fingered "short rattle" of the doser handle. No rotation of the portafilter during dosing, and a sort of drag-shuffle distribution of the coffee in the basket before tamping. The tamp was gentle with an equally soft glancing blow against the portafilter with the side of the tamper's piston. She served the cappuccinos in white tulip-shaped cups.

Three pitchers were lined up next to the espresso machine; like several other competitors, Amber alternated between two partially full pitchers, pouring excess foam over to the other as necessary to assure evenness with minimum waste. Her cappuccinos promised milk supported by the caramel sweetness of nougat.



After serving her cappuccinos, she turned to the fondue pot with warm caramel. Adding complimentary ingredients like cinnamon and sweet brown sugar, she poured the mixture into thick-based shot glasses, espresso topped with a dollop of half-n-half, and then sprinkled with (oops, almost forgot!) savory sea salt. She used time wisely, smartly cleaning as she went with a handbrush. A very crisp, understated presentation. Official time was 14:59.



Technical notes: I believe Amber neglected to tell the judges the expected temperature of the signature drink. Unlike many competitors I watched in the first days of the competition, Amber turned towards the judges whenever possible, engaging them in her explanation.



(*) All photos by Sean Lennon. Please do not copy or redistribute.

Wow, Dan, you are on the ball with these write-ups.

wow, thanks for the in depth review of the competitors. you sure did your homework. Cheers!

Ellie greeted the judges while placing a creamy white tablecloth before them, then decorating it with rich green olive napkins and a square accent dish filled with grapes. She explained that the grapes were a reminder of her signature drink, grappa. Her espressos promised to be refreshing, vibrant, and have a medium body with nice end spices, and clean finish. The blend featured natural process Yemen pre-roast handsorted to remove the wildness and Tanzania peaberry.



Ellie doses very high in the basket, then edge-rounds the coffee into a mound, followed by a quick flattening pass. As she served the judges, Ellie pointed out that the spoons were preheated. The cappuccinos were poured with rosettas; she likes how the pattern elevates the crema.



Her signature drink would be served cold with the liquid stirred over frozen grapes to avoid dilution. The grape juices added extra fruitiness and brown sugar added extra sweetness. She pressed the grapes into a glass serving dish using an antique press. Grapes press better at room temperature, so the resulting juice was chilled in a martini shaker separately for a few moments before being served table-side. Ellie noted the natural acids preserve the crema by keeping it suspended, and the narrow glasses with bulb-shaped bottoms were designed to enhance aroma. Official time 14:01.



Technical notes: Kept the station immaculate from start-to-finish.

(*) All photos by Sean Lennon. Please do not copy or redistribute.

xristrettox wrote:wow, thanks for the in depth review of the competitors. you sure did your homework. Cheers!

I appreciate the kind words Billy, it means a lot coming from one of the competitors! I owe special thanks to Sean Lennon for the great photos, they nicely captured the mood of each performance.

Metacomment: Speaking of photos, the judges sure look serious, don't they? I plan to add to Abe's competitor debriefing, but I'm thinking the judges need a debriefing too. C'mon guys and gals, sensory judges are allowed to smile / nod a little when they're not sampling a drink!

barry wrote:simply put, the sensory judges caused a 35 second delay in ryan's program. it wouldn't have been a big deal if he'd finished within the 15 minutes, but he ran over 31.5 seconds. without the penalty incurred by the time overage, ryan would have been in the top six.

Where in the USBC competitor rules does it allow for video replay? Whose video is used? Is this option available at regional competitions? Shouldn't the competitor have alerted someone during the competition, or at least immediately afterword, and not the next morning? I raise these issues simply because, unless the USBC wants multiple protests in future competitions, I feel that there needs to be more clarification on how the protest process works. In most athletic events, protests must be made during the contest. In many athletic associations you have to pay a significant ($100) fee to protest, which is refunded if the protest is successful. This limits frivolous protests. Can anyone really remember when a national championship sporting event was protested the morning after? When the game is over, the game is over. And please understand, I'm not criticizing any individual, or the judges, or the USBC organizers (Michelle Campbell is awesome!) it's just important that the rules need to be clear, and applied equally. Are you allowed to protest a result until the next round begins? Having spent several years as a collegiate athletic administrator, it's important for the rules to be clear, the less that is subjective, the better it is for everyone. I also think it's important to discuss these things openly. I've enjoyed competing and just want the best for the USBC and the barista guild.

Troy Reynard
Cosmic Cup Coffee Company

While all the other baristas in the finals spoke with varying degrees of spontaneity, Jon broke from the crowd and opened with a speech that echoed Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream. He spoke forcefully and eloquently, but the bravado of his assertions ("Baristas without borders will solve diplomatic problems...") and twists on famous speech lines ("Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow!" a la MLK's "Free at last!") had me wondering if his discourse was serious or parody.



Dear readers, I will not attempt to capture Jon's oratory in a few paragraphs. Although it appeared to be scripted, even reading a precise transcript would not convey the experience. Choice phrases like "Espresso is a modern miracle" and "A cappuccino is a mystery beyond comprehension" punctuated his presentation. Jon's style defies categorization and I admire his ability to challenge more conventional presentations. Ben recorded his signature drink presentation on video.



Consistent with his over-the-top style, Jon's signature drink was named The Good Life, which he evoked as a command several times ("To the good life!"). Served as a deconstructed drink in two vessels, the first contained the sweet red juice of blood orange, bay leaf, and creme anglaise mixture, the second a straight shot of espresso. The judges were instructed to compose these flavors in their mouths by drinking one and then the other.



Technical notes: Jon left nothing to chance; he emptied the doser into his hand and showed the technical judges the total unused coffee.



(*) All photos by Sean Lennon. Please do not copy or redistribute.

barry wrote:i was waiting for the dispenser to pop. he pressurized it and then put it in hot water. :shock:


if this was the sig bev with egg in it, some of the sensory judges weren't too keen on the almost raw eggwhite taste.

--barry "ewww"

People need to get over it or not judge.

I feel that there needs to be more clarification on how the protest process works

nick lays it out pretty clearly, i think. there was a protocol, and the dennhardts followed it. ryan got into the finals without dissing any other finalist. he finished 7th, and got no trophy.

Steve was dressed very business-like, wearing a light blue shirt and tie. As he set out the rust colored tablecloth, he explained that he and his wife are cafe owners for the last three years. They share passion for coffee, and wish to share it with their customers. Steve decorated the table with a silver chalice, carried over on an ornate service tray.



The espressos he served would have a nutty, bitter-sweet beginning and sweet finish. Steve's demeanor was relaxed and rhythmic; he pulled the doser handle at a measured pace, not the frenetic flapping that is favored by many others. Once the basket was filled, he leveled with the Schomer-style NSEW drag, followed by a light tamp, gentle tap, then final tamp with his Presso / xpressivo tamper.



Steve interjected commentary aimed at the technical judges, such as noting he flushed the group to bring it up to temperature. The pours were very steady and even; he served them in Milano-style cups and took care to wipe them down before serving. Below the technical judges are checking the visual appearance of the espresso base before he pours the milk.



(*) All photos by Sean Lennon. Please do not copy or redistribute.