There are competitions for just about everything from cake & cooking competitions on television to top rated dog shows & back alley cat shows. If you know me then you know that I have a special relationship with coffee. I love the stuff. While that love has manifested in different ways, which I won’t talk about on here outside of saying that I have traveled long distances to try certain coffees, there is no doubt that I have an undying thirst to continually learn more about it. So, I recently found myself at the
Big Central Regional Barista Competition surrounded by baristi who were competing, judging, & just as spectators & it was a spectacular experience.
I am no stranger to attending odd sorts of competitions. In high school I was in the marching band & competed in nation wide marching & concert band competitions. I have also found myself at cat & dog shows as well as the occasion & sometimes incredibly awkward comic convention cosplay competition. Needless to say this was a new experience, a new competition, & at first all seemed a bit surreal. I knew about the competition for a while beforehand, I had just missed it the previous year when it was partnered with the
Coffee Fest show. Leading up to the
Big Central I found myself spending part of my weekends watching all the other regionals from around the nation as they streamed online. Once I finally got to the oddly located event center & walked through the door was when it really set in that I was at a competition dedicated to the process of making coffee.
To start off, the
Big Central Regional Barista Competition was the combination of the
North Central &
South Central regionals in which baristi have 15 minutes to make 4 espresso, 4 cappuccino, & 4 signature drinks while being judged from things like sensory to the way they use their stations & clean up. What is so striking about this competition is the dedication & admiration that is present by the barista for the coffee they choose. From the story they tell during the presentation to the almost mad scientist methods they use to enhance the coffee in their signature drink are what make each of those 15 minutes so mesmerizing to watch. What is also a great addition to the competition was the fact that after each barista would compete they would go in the back & pull shots of their espresso for the audience & other competitors to try.
Another great part of the 3-day competition was the seemingly silent competition that was also going on right next to the barista comp. The
Brewers Cup competition, which really got its highlight on the last day during the finals for both competitions, focused on barista presenting their chosen coffee in a single form of their choosing, from v60 to Aeropress to Chemex & even Clever brewers. In the
Brewers Cup competitors have 7-10 minutes to present their coffee & the brewing method they chose to 3 judges. A lot of the care & story is still there with more of a focus on highlighting just how their brew process brings out what is special in the coffee.
In the end, after the initial awkwardness wore off, the
Big Central was quite an experience. From tasting different coffee, espresso, & signature drinks to just hearing everyones story & being able to relate through the commonality of affection toward coffee was exciting. What could have been a very jarring & uncomfortable experience instead turned out to be a rather unique one with great opportunities to continue to learn about how special coffee is.
