mikep wrote:Thanks Dan, for the best coverage of the USBC!

Did you (or anyone else who could reply) catch Eton Tsuno's performance? I heard (pf.net) that his judges could not be vegetarian. I know at the GLRBC he was working on a savory drink, did this one include meat?

From Flickr photos, Scott Lucey appeared to include the Ethiopian coffee ceremony in his signature beverage- were the beans ground by mortar and pestle? Was there an espresso element? (was the hall equipped with smoke detectors?! )

Sorry Mike, I didn't see Eton / Scott's performance.

On a related note...

A lot of work went into this writeup, but it was a pittance compared to the preparation each competitor puts into their performance. Noting that there was less coverage of this year's USBC than last, I suggested Mark republish this thread as an article on CoffeeGeek to complement its wide SCAA coverage. My road report, 2007 US Barista Competition - The Finalists is up, with my thanks to Mark, Cindy (editor), and especially Larry Licata who donated his photos.