Here it is! A complete look back at Day One from Round One at the 2013 United States Barista Championship. Photos by Sprudge.com special photo correspondent Charlie Burt (KCMO native, on Twitter as @tiger_friend). Sprudge.com’s 2013 United States Barista Championship coverage is made possible by direct support from our partners at Counter Culture Coffee and Nuova Simonelli.

Lots more where this came from, so stick with Sprudge all weekend for our best-in-the-business coverage of the USBC, and follow @SprudgeLive on Twitter for play-by-play!

1.ย  Mike Morgenstern, Joe Coffee, NYC

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9:18 “we spend 8 hours a day in our cafes – but our customers might spend only 5” – surely he means 5 minutes, not hours. it’s early.

9:21 “cola underneath, crystal clear body…look for a real nice cherry sweetness” @drmancandy on his @JoecoffeeNYC Finca La Vega espressos – learn more here via Joe Coffee NYC.

9:25 “i think of cappuccinos as a comforting beverage…take both of your hands to bring it to your mouth” – Mr. Morgenstern’s capps come with notes of “peanut butter cereal”…and a side of Man Candy.

9:33 sig drink is called ‘the front porch’ – an americano with green coffee distillate and 6 minute roast spray.

2. Charles Babinski, G&B, Los Angeles

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9:38 “espresso is any wondrous thing that comes out of that machine over there”

9:40 mr. babinski competes at #USBC using @49thParallel Colombia El Descanso – “blackberry acidity & sweetness, cane sugar, and honey”

9:43 notes on proof of respect at #USBC – the audience for @charlesbabinski is packed with upcoming competitors

9:46 “our idea of what espresso is changes to suit the beverage it’s in” – Charles is pulling 70 grams out for his signature drink! “espresso as a canvas”, pairing that long shot w/ orange blossom honey; then a 30 gram shot w/ pom juice & sparkling water

3. Wolfgang Schaefer, Alterra Coffee Roasters, Milwaukee

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9:55 “I gotta do some stuff first. i gotta take care of some biz. we’re gonna get to the coffee stuff but I gotta move fast.”

9:56 “david bowie is gonna help me. he’s an old professor of mine…we did a lot of flight studies together.”

9:57 mr. schaefer competes using @AlterraCoffee‘s Kenya Mukurweย  – “meyer lemon, apples & peaches, spicy like cardamom

10:02 “be grateful for everything you have. shut up and eat the damn lemon.”

10:03 “doing this is such a treat i think. or it’s really scary and daunting. man, this is gonna come down to the wire.”

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Wolfgang gets two pictures.

10:05 sig drink: peach lemon honey emulsification, espresso w/ calcium salt, spherification! “coffee meringue egg yolk”, or “lemon meringue space coffee”

10:07 “HAVE FUN SPACE COFFEE TIME!” – our faces hurt from smiling and laughing so much.

4. Jonathen Liu, Cognoscenti Coffee, Los Angeles

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10:30 mr. liu’s shop @cogcoffee is one of our very favorite in Los Angeles – great multiroaster in the Culver City neighborhood

10:37ย mr. liu competes at using @heartroasters Colombia El Desarrollo – learn more here!

10:38 this is a pretty quiet, self-controlled routine on the big stage from @JonathenLewd here at #USBC – great music, focused, professional.

10:40ย mr. liu calls time at 14 flat

5. Brenna Kail, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago

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10:59ย “today we’re going to start at the end – more importantly, the finish.”

11:01ย ms. kail competes atย using @Intelligenstia’s Colombia Tres Santos – click here for more info plz k thanks.

11:04ย espresso: tart blueberry, fresh lemon zest, toffee zest – “lingering finish, low viscosity in the body”

11:13ย ms. kail’s sig drink: caramel & tarragon sauce, Colombia Tres Santos espresso, blueberry & lemon zest simple syrup –ย two distinct sig drinks here from ms. kail – both set in gorgeous simple thin-stemmed glassware

6. Mickey Commerford III, Alterra Coffee Roasters, Milwaukee

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11:20 ย Mr. Commerford mirrors his NCRBC routine, using @alterracoffee‘s Kenya Mukurwe – he’s playing Isaac Hayes vinyl live on stage for the #USBC judges

11:25ย amaretto pastry notes in Mr. Commerford’s cappuccinos – shouts out Eileen’s Bakery near Buffalo as his inspiration

11:29 mr. commerford made his own amaretto paste for sig drink at #USBC – apricot kernals, confectioners sugar, whisked w/ espresso

11:32ย mickey is a lot of fun to watch live – sort of guru-like, everything just so, and tons of perosnality

11:34ย mr. commerford calls time at 15:37 – it’s been an @alterracoffee packed morning so far at #USBC in Boston – much milwaukee love.

7. Travis Beckett, Peregrine Espresso, Washington DC

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11:42 mr. beckett competes w/ “the modern classic espresso” – 50% Nueva llusta and 50% Buf Cafe natural, by @counter_culture.ย Your Sprudge Editors visited Buf Cafe in Rwanda last summer with – read our trip report!

11:46ย capuccino notes: ‘”black fig, unrefined honey, and graham cracker”

11:49ย mr. beckett’s signature drink is a riff on the “classic american soda” – fizzy bubbles! who doesn’t love fizzy bubbles?

11:54ย “this isn’t going to be like a commercial soda pop, full of fake sugars”

8. Nick Purvis, The French Press, Santa Barbara, CA

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11:58ย “one of my greatest passions is turning Flavor Seekers into Flavor Understanders” – Nick Purvis

12:04 mr. purvis competes using Verve Coffee Roasters Colombia Los Naranjos

12:06ย Nick Purvis has got a citrus reamer on stage. he’s reaming. juice reaming. ย “it’s absolutely delicious you guys”

12:11 Purvis sig drink: caramelized tangerine juice, red apple juice, & liquified cheesecake (marscapone, cold extracted coffee, cacao)

9. Tamara Vigil, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, NYC

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12:22ย ms. vigil competes using @irvingfarm‘s Orlando Osa, from Huila, Colombia – a 300 pound microlot

12:24 “some of my favorite coffees this year have been caturra, known for unique acidity and spice”

12:27ย dominant cappuccino note: “chocolate pudding pop.” PUDDIN’!

12:31ย there’s a cool kind of “educator” vibe in @tamakinsneb‘s stage presence – like a (rare) excellent grad student lecturer

12:35ย ms. vigil calls time at 15:47

10. Logan Demmy, One Line Coffee, Columbus, OH

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12:41 ย mr. Demmy competes at #usbc W/ @cafeimports ACES Program Colombia Juan Perez

12:41ย mr. Demmy’s routine is cupping-focused – each of his drinks are a riff on the cupping process

12:47ย mr. demmy is hustling through a timer malfunction, time check delays – maintaining composure

12:55ย some pretty unfortunate timing standard issues for @pourcolumbus and @onelinecoffee – not sure what time he called. no warnings given.

11. Frank La, Cafe Dulce, Los Angeles

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12:59 Frankย competes w/ @madcapcoffee Didier Reinoso, one of their “Reinoso Brothers” series – learn more!

1:11ย “to me as a barista, this moment here is a launchpad – this is what I do.” – @flalessinhim calls time at 15:35

12. Anne Cooper, Dallis Bros. Coffee, NYC

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1:16 Anneย is the roaster at @dalliscoffee – her specialty coffee CV goes back 20 years and begins in Brisbane

1:17ย this is a mirrored routine of Anne‘s routine at NERBC – same script, same Australian Mountain Top coffee

1:18 Mountain Top espresso: 36 hour fermenation, dried mechanically at low temps for 72 hours. Learn more about Australia’s Mountain Top Estate, from whence Anne’sBin 478 coffee originates:

1:20ย hops, grape juice, mashed clementines, espresso, ice – an “espresso beer” with “hops a’hopping”

1:21ย tiny beer mugs! Anneย makes a 5th sig drink for herself to cheers alongside the judges

13. Ryan Redden, Portola Coffee Lab, Costa Mesa, CA

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1:34 Mr. Redden competes with a @PortolaCoffee Ecuadoran coffee, sourced by @CafeImports

1:36 simplicity vs. complexity in this routine – multiple vessels, dry ice, and yet…a simple red gingham table cloth

1:42ย sig drink = liquid nitrogen affogato – not exactly simple, but at least he didn’t bring the cryogenic tank on stage

1:45ย mr. redden of @portolacoffee becomes the first competitor at #usbc to talk about roya – “it’s a difficult coffee to get into my hopper”

14. Robert Stofleth, Visions Espresso Service, Seattle

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1:53ย mr. stofleth’s routine focused around how choices and intentionality in the supply chain impact cup quality.

1:56ย mr. stofleth’s coffee: Bolivia CENAPROC cooperative – 34 different producer components, caturra & typica, 1500-1800 meterย “clean fruit flavors – cherry & raisin – with a soft, balancing acidity”

1:59 mr. stofleth’s sig drink includes “cherry caramel” – cherries reduced until becoming caramel like, diluted to an espresso texture. Those “cherry caramels” are added to blanched almonds, almond powder, brown sugar, and orange blossom water

2:07ย “coffee quality is like a game of telephone. if one person drops then quality coffee is not possible.”

15. David Fasman, Kaldiโ€™s Coffee, St. Louis, MO

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2:13 “tasting espresso hot is like trying to look at a painting with sunglasses on.” – GREAT script man

2:15 mr. fasman competes using a 2-part @kaldis_coffee blend: part 1 is Rwanda Rulindo – ย  andย the other half isย Bolivia Bolinda

2:22ย mr. fasman’s sig drink: muddle dried fig juice, black grape juice, cold brew @kaldis_coffee Bolivia Bolinda, espresso, nitrous charge

16. Evan Collier, Flat Black Coffee Company, Boston

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2:36ย mr. collier is the only Bostonian competing here at #USBC

2:37 mr. collier competes using @flatblackcoffee Yemen Sanani – learn more: http://www.sweetmarias.com/ysc.htm

2:38ย “there are things we can do to increase the potential of Yemen while still honoring its traditions”

2:42ย “Yemeni coffee is provincial, rustic, exotic, dynamic, never boring, and unforgettable”

17. Matthew Scott, Lemonjelloโ€™s Coffee, Holland, MI

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2:54 “super sweet, orange peel citrus, and a butterscotch finish – syrupy round body”ย — Matthew on his espressos

3:02ย “creamy rich body, a honey sweetness, and a little bit of that butterscotch” – butterscotch realness from mr. scott & @lemonjellos

18. Camila Ramos, Panther Coffee, Miami

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3:13 Camilaย routine is progressing from cup to origin – we won’t know the name of the coffee she’s using til the end.

3:15ย hey it’s a mypressi twist – Camilaย using it with cascara tea to extract coffee for her sig drink

3:20ย ms. ramos talking the judges through maillard reaction, mimicking roasting notes with jasmine, sugar, & citrus

3:23ย ms. ramos competes using a coffee from Rwanda’s Buramera region, roasted by @panthercoffee

19. Trevor Corlett, MadCap Coffee Roasters, Washington, DC

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3:28ย mr. corlett competes using @madcapcoffee‘s Didier Reinoso – a harvest from december & a harvest from july

3:32ย “almond, sweet pastry, bittersweet chocolate, and a really round, really sweet finish”

3:35ย moment of the day so far at #usbc@tjorlet softly rapping along to his soundtrack, pulling Didier Reinoso @madcapcoffee shots.

3:38ย the conceit here in @tjorlet‘s #usbc routine is that “past crop” coffees aren’t always what they seem. December & July harvests to prove it

3:39ย sig drink for @tjorlet = layered shots. bottom layer, new harvest with grapefruit. top layer, older harvest w/ maple syrup & egg white

20. Cara Zebroski, Coffee Labs Roasters, Tarrytown, NY

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3:51ย Cara Zebroski competes using a coffee from the Roatan region in Honduras, the first-ever “Direct Trade” coffee for @coffeelabs

3:57ย fudgy, bittersweet chocolate Honduran espressos from Cara Zeborski & @CoffeeLabs

4:03ms. zebroski’s sig drink is an homage to spanish and italian coffee traditions ย “delicate, floral, just plain glorious”

21. Talya Strader, Bow Truss Coffee Roasters, Chicago

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4:07ย “specialty coffee has gotten big! we no longer have to plan our vacations around where to find good coffee.”

4:08ย ms. strader’s routine mimics (at least conceptually) her BCRBC routine – 3 unique coffees from 3 separate roasters.

4:09ย first coffee from Taylaย is @DarkMatter2521‘s San Jose Red Bourbon – learn more here.

4:13ย spotted: tech judge @DanStreetman tapping his foot in time to @talyastrader‘s use of the Jackson Five.

4:15ย ms. strader’s 2nd coffee = Yirgacheffe from Chicago’s own @BowTruss – capps with strawberry shortcake & neopolitan ice cream

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