Preparing For Battle.

I’ve registered for the Canadian Barista Championships.I am still waiting to hear about availability, but I get the feeling it won’t be a problem.  They take place mid-August in Vancouver, and are the Western Regionals.  The top 3 baristas from that compete in the nationals, which are held in Montreal this year.  After that, the winner goes up on the world stage to battle it out with the top barista from each country.

Exciting.

I went to crema last night with my brother and did a little run through, just to get a feeling for the timing since I’ve never tried.  For anyone who doesn’t know, you have 15 minutes to prepare 12 solo espresso drinks for 4 judges.  4 espressos, 4 trad capps, and 4 of your signature drink.  The competition is not just based on taste or latte art, but also technique, presentation, and cleanliness, among many other things.  

On my run through I had to re-shoot on two occasions, but still finished in time.  15 minutes is more time than I thought.  The title picture is of the after math.  I will update as soon as I know if I am actually in the competition or not.

We had a sparkling water cupping last night again, only much less formal than the first. 

This time we all grabbed a water glass and helped ourselves to a bit of each bottle, one at a time.  The frosted-wine-looking bottle on the right was the crowd favorite, I think.  It also had the word “Duchy” on it, so I think that helped it by under promising and over delivering.

We naturally broke out the press while water cupping and had some Terra Del Sol, Kenyan AA, and Ethiopian Harrar.  The Harrar stole the show for me, (I say again, you need to try this coffee) but I did hear some murmur that Kenyan was the favorite of the night from the others.  

Faceless Discussion Over The Press

We plan to be updating the blog more often and bringing in some fun changes.  Look for them soon -