We had a chance to sit down digitally with Devin Chapman, of Portland’s Coava Coffee Roasters, one of 6 finalists in the 2012 United States Barista Championship. Mr. Chapman was the 2012 NW Regional champ; be prepared to deal with Devin as a competition threat for years to come.

Did you have an overarching theme for your presentation?

“Yes, I focused on the barista’s role in translating knowledge into a sensory experience.”

Did you have a name for your signature drink? Can you give us the recipe?

“Err…. no name. Here’s the recipe.”

HELP CARDS

What coffees did you use for your competition?

“Reinelio Lopez from the Monserrate community in Huila, Colombia.”

Can you tell us a bit about your competition history? How many total competitions, appearances at USBC, etc.

“2 NW Regionals and 2 USBCs to date. Finished 10th and 18th my first year; 1st and 4th my second.”

Share with us a favorite moment at USBC 2012 – doesn’t have to be competition based, but certainly can be. What stands out in your memory?

“Spent some really good quality time with Kevin Bohlin & Jared Truby in the back before both rounds just getting focused and settled. Precious!”

What do you do to get pumped before competition?

“Watch cheesy underdog movies, listen to hip-hop during my practice time, walk and talk, drop it like it’s hot, hide-out, listen to Dashboard Confessional (it could be worse…), focus really hard on things, write lists, pretend I’m Rocky Balboa, pretend I’m Eminem in 8 Mile, pretend I’m Icebox from Little Giants, pray, pee a bunch, smash bananas, potassium pills, pushups for the camera… I could go on, it’s different every time.”

Whom would you like to thank? Use this last question for essential shout-outs, and thanks so much for sharing this info with us.

“All the judges for giving their time and sanity to let competitions happen; the SCAA for putting it on; my wife for all her hours of hard work and support and for putting up with way too much; Matty O’Higgins for supporting me financially and keeping me around; Matt, Sam and Keith for teaching me everything I know about making and serving coffee; Clive Coffee and Mark Hellweg for basically sponsoring my wares (I’ll pimp you for life!); Amber Penn for being the yin to my managerial yang and connecting the dots in my absence; Sarah P. for her hours of listening, feedback, backflushing and dish washing; all the crew at the shop for rolling hard through a really busy weekend and for working with dignity and pride; all my friends that showed up to support me this past weekend; and all our loyal customers for being proud to drink Coava’s coffees. Here’s to next year!”

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