Ryan Studley, Java Passenger - Signature drink served first; they were cooled down with dry ice while he prepared the other drink. Couldn't sleep one night and thought of it. Filled pitcher with dry ice and water to produce "Halloween effect" (a second pitcher was added to act as a double boiler). He found through experimentation that direct contact with dry ice changed the flavors too much. Raspberries and blackberries. Cups were rimmed with mint by rubbing the leaves along the interior. Blended the espresso so that it served well when cool. Instructed the judges to crush the berries into the espresso to release their flavors.

(end of competition for today)

Thanks Nick for the corrections! By the way, I'm looking for a stand-in live blogger while I'm judging tomorrow afternoon, if you're interested. This time around I'm keeping the reporting short and sweet, just the signature drinks.

On other news: At the end of the session, Peter showed an excerpt of a documentary DVD of last year's SERBC competition. Lots of interviews interspersed with competition footage. I plan to buy one and write a short review. Peter is also following up on a postable excerpt. It's rare to see such a professional production as last year and it's great to see it available in an edited form. Last year they had two cameramen and a great color; unfortunately, this year they have fixed position webcams with grainy black and white images.

Tonight Abe arrived from New York and we had dinner with Bob Roseman and his wife Libby, Kevin Krautwald and his wife Diana, and Bob Barraza. Wonderful Greek food at Xios, located in the same shopping center as Pheasant Creek Coffee. The topics at dinner included coffee, politics, food, and brief chats on uber-geeky topics like relating the Richter scale, relatively humidity, and redneck evaluations of how hot it is outside (OK, you had to be there).

Compass Coffee wrote:Thanks Dan! I'm hoping to qualify for judging at the Northwest RBC next month, don't know if my form was submitted in time, haven't heard back yet.

When in doubt, call Michelle Campbell. She's easy to get on the phone, but slow to respond to e-mails. The final list of judges isn't actually decided until after the workshop, so there's rarely a "too late" problem. That said, there were more judge volunteers this year than competitors at the SERBC and several judges had only one flight.

Kyle Mueller, Talia Espresso - "Cup of Sweetness" is a breve with half-n-half and sourwood honey. Served in tall thin glasses with cinnamon. The half-n-half, being thicker, requires a little more steaming. Too much though and the top texture suffers. Before pouring, gave the mixture of espresso, honey, and cinnamon a quick stir.

Ben Jaques, Cup-A-Joe - "Espresso Mojito" (*) was inspired at a wedding with all the drinks going by -- it doesn't have any alcohol. Ben likes Americanos, but some have a lingering bitterness. Served in tumblers over ice with orange wedge as a summer drink. Balance the bitterness from icing espresso with ingredients of cane juice, water, and mint. Instructed judges to rub orange around rim, take in scent of the mint, then drink.

(*) Rum with citrus and spearmint; thanks Bob for the spelling and definition.

Lemuel Butler, Daily Grind Cafe - "Vanilla Bean Dream." Blend is Brazil, Sumatra, and PNG. Added vanilla will bring out vanilla notes and complements PNG's spiciness. Heavy crema and vanilla bean are whipped to a thick consistency in bowl. Served warm at ~110F. Half teaspoon of sugar brulee with torch to form a crust. Carmel from the sugars complements caramel notes from the Lintong. Poured espresso through the crust. Instructed judge to stir 2-3 times to release the caramel, added sweetness.

Lem was the third barista to serve his signature drink first in the competition.

Ryan Goodrow, Murky Coffee - Signature drink called "Best of Both Worlds." Gelato on the bottom of a small stemmed glass. Slightly cool drink, easy to make. Added some "strangled liquid" after the espresso (sorry, I didn't understand specifics of his commentary).