Cole looking sharp at Regionals
Good afternoon judges...
I know its late getting to this, but I am also new to blogging so give me a break.
This was my first ever Barista Competition. Going into it, I had little expectation. I was a blank slate, with as much potential as I could muster. The two weeks before the competition were gruesome, spending hours upon hours at the cafe working on our dialogue, or extractions, and our dreadful signature drinks.
We we're putting in double full day shifts, not seeing our friends, family, or the light of day. The longest recorded day for me was 32 hours. Yes, 32 hours. Yes, that means I slept at the cafe. It wasn't much sleep, but it was enough to get me through the next days 8 hour shift, followed by 6 hour training. Now I know this leads in as sounding like a terrible experience; however, thats not true.
Through the stressful two weeks, I learned plenty. I improved at pulling shots, built confidence, and my steamed milk is sweeter then ever. This brought new light to the roster at the cafe. Heightening the level of coffee knowledge is the new theme around here. If you can come to work with a fact that your co-worker doesn't know, you have props for the day. This is the goal of the competition; to learn more about coffee and to better our community. At Caffe Rosso, this goal was achieved. Customers have been asking about extraction rates, different tactics for brew methods, and home grinders have been flying off the shelves. This is everything we want to see. This is what our community needs to see more of.
Now lets talk about the actual competition. For those of you who have never seen a competition or heard of this, the barista has to present 12 coffees to four judges; 4 espresso, 4 cappuccino, and 4 signature beverages which should highlight your coffee. In the 15 minutes your given to present these drinks, you have to do the daunting task of talking about your coffee in front of the judges, the audience, and anyone watching online.
My coffee was a Columbian blend from the Huila region. It wasn't my favorite, but I personally enjoyed it nonetheless. Tones of grapefruit, marzipan and honey we're present. In my presentation I talked about the three waves of coffee and how coffee has evolved throughout the years. It was an interesting idea and something I hadn't seen, but I had a hell of a time coming up with a signature drink. It ended up being a representational breakdown of how first wave coffee was consumed and I had the judges drink it in three steps to show how each ingredient factored in the cup.
First was an americano with the crema skimmed off, this represented instant coffee; thin body, crisp and light. Next I had the judges add a grapefruit rind infused sugar, this brought out sweetness in the cup, and really drew out a grapefruit aroma. Lastly, the judges added a 52% cream which curdled on them (it was thrilling when it happened....). The goal with the cream was to enhance the body, and represent how cream was used to drown out flavors. The cream sure drowned out the flavors, and pulled out a sour milk taste (YUM!). Overall, my signature drink didn't quite work, and my speech needed to have more coffee detail.
Was I happy with how I did?
Yes. Technically, I killed it. Sensory and functionality lacked. If I had added one or two weeks of over-overtime work, I would have been much more prepared, and much better suited. Next year thats exactly what I'll do, or maybe I'll spread some of that crunch time out over a month or so. Yes, that means I'll be back next year with better preparation, better coffee, and better stage presence.
I have to go back and talk about the community and I need to tell you why the coffee industry is the best industry. We put in long hours of work to brighten peoples day in short windows. Numerous times a day, we get to change someones day. Coffee has that power. We don't see as much of that from shop to shop, but that weekend was nothing but selflessness. We ordered new cappuccino cups last minute because ours we're the wrong size... and of course the new cups we get, are the wrong order, and the same size as our old cups. We we're forced to short pour, or possible disqualification. Instead, other baristas noticed this, and we're more then happy to lend us their cups, after their presentations, and after they could relax and finally enjoy competition day. This is one small example of why this industry is the best industry; complete selflessness, learning everyday, and an unreal community. And of course, great coffee.
Until next time.
- Cole
PS - If you haven't seen a competition before, i recommend checking out this years link http://goo.gl/LucGp If you want to see me perform, I'm just past the one hour mark in the first video displayed. Hope you enjoy :)