Note: Ryan placed outside of trophy contention, but who could pass up these great pictures?

Ryan was dressed in a white tux, which contrasted sharply with his spikey hair and techno background music. The white tablecloth was adorned with a section of a wine cask as a centerpiece along with wine bottles. The theme of wine was reflected throughout his presentation, beginning with the ample stemware he used to show the individual roasted beans his coffees would feature.



He instructed the judges to sample aromas of the ingredients of his signature drink, including grapes.



Ryan favored lots of dosing rotations; his leveling technique was reminiscent of the "Chicago Chop", but he used his index finger to redistribute rather than a straight edge. As he prepared the judges' drinks, he talked about how coffees have evolved, and with them, the baristas represented in the cultures they come from.



In keeping with the theme of wine, his signature drink was prepared from eight espressos, fruit juice, vanilla, and chocolate served table-side from a decanter.



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

Finally a picture of the Master of Ceremonies, Nicholas Cho:



See ya at the SERBC!

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

Excellent descriptions of the finalists. I felt like I was there again, but even more so. Good eye for detail.
I have a few more pictures if you would like to look http://www.flickr.com/photos/dismas/set ... 105661684/

Cheers
Dismas

Thank Dimas, it was great to meet you! You took a lot of photos... below are a few excerpts to give everyone just a little taste:


Attitude can be a good thing


Heather serves beers to the masses - another party I wasn't invited too


Prep table at the comps


Jay needs a tamper? He looks burly enough to scare the puck smooth


Roasting in the field


Ellie in motion


Jeff is only smelling grapes (really)


Can winners actually cash the big check?

Andy also has SCAA 2006 photos to share. There are some great individual photos; he also captured this thread's photographer in action:


Sean Lennon at the ready

Thanks Dan. It was great to meet you.

Heather serves beers to the masses - another party I wasn't invited too

Everyone was actually invited to this party. It was after the opening night reception and invite just got spread word of mouth.

Matt Riddle appears in a long video segment about his preparations for the WBC: Barista goes cup-to-cup with best coffee makers in world.

Matthew Riddle isn't your average mega-coffee chain barista. He is, in fact, the best barista in the country, according to a recent competition held by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Trained by the pros at Intelligentsia Coffee - which recently opened a third location in the city - he served 12 drinks in 15 minutes to a panel of four judges. He says there's more to pulling an espresso than meets the eye.

Dan...wow...thanks so much for the beautifully detailed run down of the event...great pix, as well...from all who contributed. As others have said, it gave me the feeling of being there...sure wish I could have been...
Most hearty congrats to Matt, and ALL who put their reps and dreams on the line...as a songwriter, I know that feeling...the thrill of victory, and yes....all to often, the agony of defeat!
Makes me appreciate all the more the challenge of pulling a first class shot.
Cheers!