Ever seen any of the Food Network Challenges on TV? Barista competitions are like that, featuring coffee professionals who are extremely serious and knowledgable about coffee and who elevate coffee preparation to levels most people don’t know exist.
However, on the Food Network the MC does almost all the talking. The chefs, for the most part, just cook. At barista competitions, not only are they making drinks you’ll never ever find on a Starbucks menu, they’re talking you through the process, educating you on the beans they’ve chosen, the quality of the other ingredients, their technique. You won’t see flashy showmanship, per se. No one juggles the milk pitchers. The demeanor of the espresso competitors is refined. They move with measured, unhurried confidence. They speak of the exacting work done by coffee farmers and roasters before the barista ever lays eyes on the beans and how it is the barista's responsibility to prepare drinks that are worthy of that.
On August 29 and 30 in Victoria, Canada, the 2009 Western Regional Canadian Barista Championships were held. According to CanadianBaristaAcademy.com:
Each competitor must prepare and serve 12 separate espresso beverages: 4 espresso, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 "signature" drinks of their own creation. Competitors have only fifteen minutes to prepare all twelve drinks and are judged on various elements including station cleanliness, taste, beverage presentation, technical skills and total impression by a distinguished panel of judges."
CoffeeGeek.com posted a comprehensive report on this event, with videos and a selection of excellent photographs, but if you'd like to cut to the chase, the top three finishers were:
1, Kyle Straw, Cafe Artigiano, Vancouver
2. Spencer Viehweger, JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, Vancouver
3. Derek Lucas, Buon Amici's Coffee, Victoria
These men will be competing against the other three regions' winners at the Canadian National Barista Championship on October 14-15, 2009. The winner of that competition will go on to represent Canada in 2010 in London at the World Barista Championship.
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Local Flavor: Intelligensia Coffee of Los Angeles took 4 of the 6 top places at the 2009 United States Barista Championships. They have two locations here in the Southland: Silverlake (3922 W Sunset Blvd.) and Venice (1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd.)
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Barista photo/Jake Liefer
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Comments
I don't think they're at all like what you see on something like the Food Network challenges. The competitions are very one-dimensional and repetitive. These competitions make horrible television, IMO, and are really only best at serving an internal audience.
Worse still, the competitions have only a marginal resemblance to what a barista is challenged with in real life. Instead of dealing with a guy in line mumbling on his mobile phone, or trying to figure out the right drink order for a customer based on their preferences, the competition gives us grading for how much coffee grinds are left in the grinder.
Welcome back, Greg. I always appreciate your comments.
Oh, it's certainly not prime time TV, I agree. The general public would, no doubt, change channels. These competitions would probably only appeal to coffee geeks. I couldn't watch more than two of the competitors do their entire thing on video.
However, I expect attending live would be a completely different and more fun experience. Apparently, some of the competitors offered their drinks to audience members. Also, the competitions are often held in conjunction with a large coffee show or festival.
In regard to the realities of being a barista, of course, this type of competition doesn't touch on the day to day problems, but neither do the Food Network challenges. I'm not a chef, but I can imagine the kinds of crap they have to deal with. Any service-oriented job is rife with frustration. But these competitions are more about craft and culinary ideals than they are about "real" life. :)
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