Your 2013 United States Barista Championship finalists, featuring original photography by Charlie Burt for Sprudge.com. For a complete look back at the 2013 United States Barista Championship cycle, including photos of every regional competitor, join us on The Road to Melbourne.

Sprudge.com’s coverage of the 2013 United States Barista Championship was made possible by direct support from Counter Culture Coffee and Nuova Simonelli.

Charles Babinski, G&B Coffee, Los Angeles – 2nd Place Overall.

With his second consecutive second place finish on the national stage, it’s tempting to trot out one of those old cliches about bridesmaids and brides, but that sorely misses the point of what Charles Babinski continues to accomplish with his competition routines. If you follow barista competitions, you know – and have known for some time – that Charles Babinski is one of the very best and most respected competitors in the world. It’s the sincere hope of this publication that Mr. Babinski will some day earn the chance to prove this fact on the world stage. It just won’t be this year.

Mr. Babinksi’s began his routine by reciting for the judges a wrote, clinical definition of espresso, and then upending that definition by declaring that  “to me, espresso is any wondrous thing that comes out of that machine over there.” He competed using 49th Parallel’s Colombia El Descanso, a coffee that yielded espressos with notes of “blackberry acidity & sweetness, cane sugar, and honey.” In a unique twist, Charles pre-dosed and pre-ground his espresso during his 15 minutes of prep time, storing the grounds in little silver canisters on stage; this is similar to the style of espresso prep that folks can expect at the new incarnation of G&B Coffee. He made two distinct signature drinks: the first with an uber-luongo 70 grams out shot, paired with orange blossom honey and meant to express “espresso as a canvas” for a beverage’s deliciousness; and the second, a more standard 30 grams out shot mixed with pomegranate juice and sparkling water.

Charles Babinski (LF) year-end stats for the 2013 season: 489 ABs, 119 runs (NL-1st), 159 hits, 33 2B, 4 3B, 21 HR, 65 SB, 97 BB (good eye), .439 OBP (NL-1st), .577 SLG, 1.016 OPS, 189 OPS+, 1st in National League MVP voting.

Trevor Corlett, MadCap Coffee Company, Washington DC – 3rd place overall

Since packing up their lives & families and shipping out for Washington DC in late 2011, the folks at MadCap Coffee DC – Trevor Corlett and Colin Whitcomb – have enjoyed pronounced competition success both regionally and nationally. Let’s review, shall we? In 2012 Mr. Corlett made USBC Semi-Finals; in 2013, Mr. Whitcomb was edged out from winning the SERBC outright by just a half point (by Lem Butler), and both Corlett & Whitcomb made appearances at the Semi-Finals round in Boston. Mr. Corlett advanced on to finals, and wound up placing third nationally in an historically competitive field. Oh, and Trevor was featured by Good Morning America and the New Yorker.

What we’re saying is, success at USBC is measured by a number of metrics, only one of which is points. We were captivated all three times by Mr. Corlett’s finals routine for a variety of reasons, including its exploration of “past crop” and “fresh crop” terminology, his stunningly sparse and mannered stage setting (our Twitter feed called it “Midwestern minimalist”), and Trevor’s ability to compete with a resting heart beat that never rises above a leisurely chat. His routine featured two distinct harvests of MadCap’s Didier Reinoso Colombia, one from July 2012 and another from December of that year. Mr. Corlett’s signature drink layered shots from both harvests with grapefruit, maple syrup & egg whites.

Sam Lewontin, Everyman Espresso, NYC – 4th Place Overall

Now in his third of competition, Sam Lewontin has emerged as one of the major talents on the US Barista Championship circuit. Winning the NERBC will do that for you, especially in this day and age, as New York City continues to establish itself as one of the world’s specialty coffee capitals. But this reality has a quirk; as New York has became a major destination for coffee talent and high-level work, it has remained a real bastion of barista community and closeness within the ebb tide of that massive, anonymous city. Specialty coffee can make strange bedfellows – that’s part of why we love it so much! – but it can also make dear friends, and watching Sam Lewontin carry the cheers and adulation of his peers on stage at USBC was living proof.

Sam Lewontin competed at USBC using Counter Culture Coffee’s Burundi Mpemba – click that link for featured tasting notes written by Mr. Lewontin himself. Sam’s routine included the second appearance of his “choose your own adventure” signature drink, in which his sensory judges were asked to choose flavor notes they might expect from a washed Burundi. These notes were used to tailor a sig drink with more than a dozen possible variations – you can read more about this aspect of Mr. Lewontin’s routine here.

At times a stream of consciousness mumble, or baseball statistics in-joke, or mad reporter dash, every once in a while we get something right in our live barista competition Twitter feed. Of Sam’s finals routine, we wrote, “You are watching just one shining moment in a coffee career so bright, it requires shades.” If you don’t mind us saying so, that’s about exactly right.

Charlie Habegger, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago – 6th Place Overall

There’s something in the water at Intelligentsia – perhaps added in directly via their filtration systems, who knows – that creates top-flight barista competitors year after year, in regions all across the country. This year was no different, as Chicago’s Charlie Habegger took his automatic Semi-Finals bid from North Centrals all the way to his first-ever appearance on Finals Sunday.

Mr. Habegger’s stage setting was perhaps the most visually striking of any competitor: each judge sat down to gracefully arranged white ceramic fruit bowls, full of vanilla, white chocolate, blackberries, basil, and other flavors found in Mr. Habegger’s coffee, a little number from Huila, Colombia marked by Intelligentsia as Tres Los Santos. His signature drink focused on the “lot building” practice common at origin, where different flavor characteristics are pulled coffees grown in a geographically contiguous set of farms. Charlie pulled different pieces of fruit from his judges’ table setting – a piece of vanilla here, some blackberries there – to visually anchor the flavors and ingredients they’d find in his signature drink, which included espresso shots pulled directly on top of blackberry and basil jam.

Educator at Intelli Broadway, green buyer in charge of Intelligentsia’s purchases in Peru, and now a USBC finalist… Charlie Habegger may well take over the world out from under us all.

Nick Purvis, The French Press, Santa Barbara – 5th Place Overall

Every Finals Sunday has its dark horse, a Cinderella story, a competitor who’s name may not have made the early predictions of competition watchers and bracketologists. This year it was Nick Purvis, representing a two-shop cafe brand in Santa Barbara called The French Press. Prior to USBC 2013, Nick had never advanced in a barista competition, having bowed out in the first round at two consecutive Southwest Regionals. His Semi-Finals appearance was a first, and there was much joy from the Verve Coffee Roasters delegation at USBC when his name was called for Finals Sunday.

Much joy, sure, but not an ounce of shock. We were lucky enough to watch all three of Mr. Purvis’s USBC runs, and he shone brightly all three times with a service that felt educational, comfortable, and tirelessly classy. Like spending a half an hour with your favorite bartender before the room opens, or enjoying a private dinner at the best table in your favorite restaurant, Nick Purvis was able to make his coffee (Verve’s Colombia Los Naranjos) come alive in a routine that focused on customer service itself, and the power baristas wield as public educators. Nick’s signature drink was drool-inducing, a combination of caramelized tangerine juice, red apple juice reduction, and a liquified coffee cheesecake made with cold brew and marscapone. On paper at least, it was probably the tastiest sounding sig drink of USBC finals, because honestly who doesn’t want liquified coffee cheesecake? Let’s be real here.

The thing about dark horses is, next year they come back as 1 seeds. Should he continue pursuing competition – and we sure hope so – Nick Purvis is one to watch in 2014, and his 2013 USBC run is one we’ll remember for a long time to come.

Pete Licata, Parisi Coffee, Kansas City, Missouri – 1st Place Overall

A huge congratulations to Pete Licata, your 2013 United States Barista Champion! A full accounting of his exploits is available in our exhaustive Pete-focused feature here. Learn more about the coffee Pete used to win it all right here!

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Mr. Leguizamo is a member of Associacion Los Naranjos (English translation here), a 40-family cooperative located in the famed Huila Department of southwestern Colombia. Los Naranjos is currently an immensely popular coffee in North American craft roasting circles: our “Colombiana” cupping party last year included Naranjos submissions from Handsome Coffee Roasters, Ceremony Coffee Roasters, Populace Coffee, and Moonshine Coffee Company. This is just a partial list of the fine roasters who have roasted or are currently roasting coffees from Associacion Los Naranjos.

While contributing to Associacion Los Naranjos as a partner producer, Mr. Leguizamo is also actively separating microlots on his land in Huila. He owns two farms: Finca Faldon and Finca Primavera, located mere “blocks” from each other in the hills near the town of San Agustin. A lot from Finca Faldon outright won the 2011 Colombia Cup of Excellence, and was purchased by a buying team including Cafe Imports, George Howell Coffee, Mecca Espresso, and Robert Kao & Co. LTD (Taiwan). Here’s the COE jury’s tasting notes from Mr. Leguizamo’s COE-winning lot:

Cut to a few years later, where in Pete Licata’s hands coffee from Arnulfo Leguizamo’s Finca Primavera yielded flavors of “a full-bodied red wine, like a Zinfandel,” with a sterling “green grape acidity and a deep, heavy sweetness.” This coffee is 100% Caturra, and was wet fermented for 15-20 hours, dried in retractable drying beds, sometimes for 10 days or more. For an in-depth look at coffee culture and growing conditions in this beautiful part of Colombia, spend time with “In The Land of Birds and Trees“, a feature on the Cafe Imports website from back in August of 2011.

Sprudge.com had a chance to speak directly with Andrew Miller, President & Founder of Cafe Imports, about his company’s ongoing relationship with Arnulfo Leguizamo and Associacion Los Naranjos:

Multimedia throughout this piece by Noah Namowicz.

The post Arnulfo Leguizamo’s Finca La Primavera: The Coffee That Won USBC appeared first on Sprudge.com.

For the second time in three years, Pete Licata is your United States Barista Champion. With 7 career USBC appearances, Mr. Licata is arguably the most seasoned, experienced barista competitor in US competition history. His previous USBC win came in Houston, Texas back in 2011, and he went on to place 2nd at the World Barista Championship in Bogota. His win in Boston returns Pete Licata on the world’s biggest stage, where he’ll represent his country in the upcoming World Barista Championship in Melbourne (May 22-26).

In a post-competition interview, Mr. Licata repeatedly told us how sincerely impressed, inspired, and even nervous the high level of competition at this year’s USBC made him feel. “In 2011, I felt like I knew I had a good chance,” he told us. “But this year? I had no idea that I would win. How could anyone know? I honestly had no idea.”

It was clear to us in the audience that Pete was pretty firmly in the zone on stage, nattily dressed in a seafoam green button-up with a paisley tie. Pete cruised through his first routine in Semi-Finals, exuding a confidence that comes from years of practice and presentation at competition coffee’s highest level. Again, this is an astonishing seventh USBC appearance for Pete Licata, and at the end of the day – up against an historically talented field of competitors – his experience may well have helped Pete win it all.

5 notes from Pete Licata’s routine at USBC:

• Pete Licata began his USBC-winning routine by handing instruction cards to his tech judges. We’re used to seeing visual instructions and written materials distributed to sensory judges – this is common place, and a source of much experimentation for top barista competitors – but Pete’s choice to issue materials to his tech judges is highly unusual, and representative of the intentionality at work throughout this routine.

• Mr. Licata’s competition espressos were dosed at 20 grams in, extracting 38 grams out. He explained this ratio as being “with the intention of bringing out the best balance” in his producer’s coffee. He described the resulting flavor notes in those espressos as having flavors of “red Zinfandel, a pop of cranberry, & then this deep, heavy sweetness that hits you in the back of the palate.” The judges evidently agreed.

• As in years past, Pete Licata put on a station maintenance and movement conservation clinic while on stage at USBC. He doesn’t even really have to do station maintenance; he doesn’t make a mess in the first place.

• Pete made a point of shouting out Parisi Coffee‘s roaster John Welsh, who he identified as one of the most important touch points in the journey of this coffee, alongside producer Arnulfo Leguizamo and his partners at Cafe Imports. For more on the work being done in Colombia by Arnulfo Leguizamo and Cafe Imports, check out our forthcoming supplemental feature running later today on Sprudge.

• Mr. Licata’s signature drink was inspired by classic cocktails, and made use of implements you’d find at any cocktail bar worth its salt: coup glasses, industrial metal strainers, a gorgeous Japanese stirring pitcher, and chunky rocks of ice. The drink itself took cooled espresso, palm sugar simple syrup, and non-alcoholic bitters made with lemongrass and orange peel. He told the judges, “I don’t think a drink has to be incredibly complicated to be incredibly delicious.”

It’s the opinion of Your Sprudge Editors that the 2013 United States Barista Championship will go down in history as the most fiercely competitive event of its kind in US history. Any one of the Finalists – heck, any one of the Semi-Finalists – would have a punching chance at winning the whole thing in Melbourne. So many new faces, so many gifted young competitors with glory shining bright on the horizon of their careers in specialty coffee.

But in a way it’s poetic that Pete won. Mr. Licata *is* the USBC – he is its past, its present, and surely its future as a trainer and advocate. There’s just one thing he has left to do, and that’s win the whole dang thing Melbourne. We can’t wait to watch what happens next.

Full finals standings:

6th Place – Charlie Habegger, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Chicago

5th Place – Nick Purvis, The French Press, Santa Barbara, CA

4th Place – Sam Lewontin, Everyman Espresso, NYC

3rd Place – Trevor Corlett, MadCap Coffee Company, Washington DC

2nd Place – Charles Babinski, G&B Coffee, Los Angeles

1st Place – Pete Licata, Parisi Coffee, KCMO

Original photography by Charlie Burt for Sprudge.com.

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We had a chance to sit down with this year’s North and South Central barista finalists between sets on Finals Sunday, and ask them about their presentation, their theme, their hopes, their dreams and who they wanted to thank and say hello to back at home. It was great getting to know each competitor a little bit more, and we hope you get to know them a bit more, too.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Stacey Wieck, MadCap Coffee Company, Grand Rapids, MI

First up is Stacey Wieck, from MadCap Coffee in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is Stacey’s first barista competition. In 2011, she competed in the Brewers Cup after only nine months working in a cafe setting, a competitive endeavor which she describes as “a trip” in the above video. “When I first got my started working at MadCap I got to watch Ryan and Trevor compete which was really inspiring.” Ms. Wieck competed using MadCap’s Burundi Gacokwe, source by Cafe Imports from a cooperative in the Kayanza region. Gacokwe grows Bourbon, Jackson, and Mibirzi varieties of coffee, which are fermented using both dry and wet processing. For both runs of her routine, Stacey Wieck shouted out The Aviary, Chicago’s famed hot bed of molecular lushstronomy.

Jonathan Miller, Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company, St. Louis

Jonathan Miller is one of three Kaldi’s Coffee competitors represented in this year’s South Central region – all three made finals. The concept behind Mr. Miller’s routine was how great customer service doesn’t have to be fancy or over the top, but rather, catering to guests (and the judges) by offering a repeatable, authentic cafe experience. Mr. Miller’s competition style is similarly no nonsense, tempered by a warm smile and sharp personal appearance. We look forward to seeing him compete again at the USBC in Portland.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Charlie Habegger, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago

North Central first-time competitor Charlie Habegger of Intelligentsia Coffee employed service ware usually reserved for tea ceremonies for his espresso and signature beverage. It was an inventive use of aromatic cups, and it helped scored him a second place spot at the Big Central. Mr. Habegger competed using an El Salvadoran coffee from Finca Matalapa, source and roasted by Intelligentsia.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Mr. Perkins is your 2012 South Central Regional Barista champion

Competition victories, national respect and admiration – Lorenzo Perkins earns it all. In a routine that was equal parts science and philosophy, Mr. Perkins dazzled the BCRBC crowd using Cuvee Coffee’s Reserva, from the San Francisco Estate in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec region of El Salvador. processed three different ways: natural, pulped natural, and washed. He built three distinct signature drinks to compliment these three methods, packing an incredible amount of coffee and information into just 15 minutes on stage. Watching Lorenzo on stage is like attending the best sort of college lecture; you sit back, take notes, but most importantly, you learn from someone with an intense base of knowledge and mastery in their field. This was one of our favorite routines not just of the BCRBC, but throughout this year’s USBC regional cycle.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Courtney Marie Vaquera, MadCap Coffee Company, Grand Rapids, MI

Courtney was the third finalist to compete on Finals Sunday at the BCRBC. This is her second year competing; she used MadCap’s Colombia San Sebastian, a washed and sun dried Caturra and Bourbon coffee from the Huila region. As an espresso, Ms. Vaquera described this coffee to judges as having a plum sweetness, with notes of bittersweet cacao and grapefruit – “big and juicy.” Her signature drink included a fig reduction, ginger infused whipping cream, and a glass rimmed with fresh grapefruit juice. Polite, cheerful, and even a little giggly at times, on stage Ms. Vaquera embodies that blend of professionalism and ease that seems to grow indigenously in the Midwestern United States.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Jacque DesMarais, Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company, St. Louis

This is Jacque DesMarais second straight finals placement in the South Central region, and her first for Kaldi’s Coffee. Armed with Kaldi’s Brazil Sertaozinho, her routine combined equal parts “research and nerding out”, and was capped off by a signature drink that employed two different aromatic experiences: using two different compressed aromatic sprays, one with honey and caramel, the other with raspberry and tart cherry, she sprayed these aromatics into snifters for each judge. She instructed them to first sip her espresso, hold it in their mouths, then inhale the aromatics and note changes on the palate. That’s a pretty technical routine – “it messes with your mind in a really good way” – one that benefited greatly from Ms. DesMarais’ ability to be extremely attentive and instructive to the judges. It was good enough for a third place finish in this year’s competitive South Central field.

Sam Brown, Alterra Coffee Roasters, Milwaukee, WI @alterracoffee

Hunapu! Cherry consomme! Red vines! Sam Brown’s routine is a blast to watch, owing equal parts to Mr. Brown’s reverence for the coffee as well as his plainly evident sense of playfulness and spirit. His signature drink – a play on the coffee soda trope, using a cherry “consomme”, sparkling water, and espresso – was capped by one of the more arresting sights of the weekend: 4 sensory judges sipping soda through a Red Vines straw.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Caitlin Corcoran, Parisi Coffee, Kansas City, MO

From the first moment of her opening round performance in Chicago, we were super impressed by Caitlin Corcoran, of Parisi Coffee in Kansas City, Missouri. Her honey crisp apple shrub was delicious in her signature beverage as well as in backstage whiskey cocktails. Great routines make you want to know more about a roaster, but Ms. Corcoran’s went above and beyond that, inspiring us to learn more and do our damndest to visit the Kansas City coffee scene in the near future. We think this routine is just the tip of the iceberg; there’s something special going on down there. Also worth mentioning: Ms. Corcoran had possibly the tastiest sig drink we tried this weekend, and definitely the coolest hair.

Talya Strader, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago

Talya Strader is the manager at Intelligentsia’s Broadway cafe, the original Intelli location and former home to their roasting works. She competed using Intelli’s Ethiopia Koma, a cooperative in the Jimma region of Western Ethiopia whose quality has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years thanks to the direct involvement of TechnoServe. Ms. Strader is a polished and professional, composed and serene under pressure (at least that’s how it seems from the audience!). Her third place finish in this year’s North Central region is a big win for her and Intelligentsia, who stand poised to field a tough fleet of entrants at the USBC in Portland.

Nora Brady, Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company, St. Louis

The third of three finalists from Kaldi’s, Nora Brady took second place in this year’s South Central region. She competed using Kaldi’s Brazil Sertoazinho, sourced by Cafe Imports, to craft a routine with customer service and trust at its core. It’s one thing to just say that – “this routine is about trust” – but it’s another thing to earn it, and that’s what was so exceptional about Ms. Brady’s routine at the BCRBC. We had never seen her compete in person before, but watching her twice, we became glued to the tone of gentle authority and experience she so naturally showcased to the judges. Nora knows how to bring you in; this is an exemplary customer service focused competition routine.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Ryan Knapp, MadCap Coffee Company, Grand Rapids, MI

Mr. Knapp is your 2012 North Central Regional Barista champion.

We sat down with North Central Champion Ryan Knapp, roaster and green buyer for MadCap Coffee in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and listened to him talk about his rare 100lb El Salvador nanolot competition coffee. Watch the video above to learn more about “one of the juiciest, tastiest, wildest, amazing-est coffees” Mr. Knapp has ever tasted. This is his second consecutive win in the North Central region.

Robbie Britt, Espresso Parts, Morley, MO

From Olympia, Washington to Morley, Missouri, with coffee roasted in Los Angeles thrown in for good measure, Robbie Britt’s routine at the BCRBC fits into a wider ongoing discussion as to the “true nature” of what exactly these competitions are. Are they a sport, or a professional development opportunity? A customer service exercise, or a chance to lecture and inform with a captive audience? Does the format need major changes or just minor tweaks? Should we be imitating sports websites when we write these recaps, or political blogs? Would these competitions be a better fit on the Food Network or ESPN3?

We ask those questions in relation to Robbie Britt because, as much as anyone else we’ve seen this year, watching Mr. Britt feels like watching an athlete. There’s a deftness, a degree of dexterity in his routine that brings to mind the nimble halfback, the crafty bullpen lefty, or the baseline tennis pro. Using Handsome Coffee Roaster’s Colombia San Sebastian, Mr. Britt reminded us twice last weekend why we love watching these competitions. Call them a sport, or don’t; call it whatever you want to call it, just know that Mr. Britt is one of the best.

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