Here’s a curated selections of our favorite tweets from throughout the Day Two of the Big Central Regional Barista Competition, sourced via the @SprudgeLive Twitter feed. Sprudge coverage from BCRBC made possible by direct support from Kaldi’s Coffee, PT’s Coffee, and Nuova Simonelli.
Sprudge.com’s original photography at Big Central Regionals is shot by Charlie Burt – he’s on Twitter as @Tiger_Friend
27. Josh Taves, Dogwood Coffee Co., MPLS
9:57 mr. taves takes his judges on “a journey below the surface of a cafe” – science-focused, molecules etc
10:00 sig drink: soluble solids via espresso- espresso, cacao, dark brown sugar, olive oil infused w/ cascara
10:04 in an absence of MCs helping him out, Mr. Taves invites the crowd to “let’s hear it for my espressos”
10:12 mr. taves calls time at 15:02 – kind of a head-turning amount of chemistry and science in that routine
28. Tyler Hawks, Velvet Espresso Bar, NOLA
10:17 mr. hawks is originally from Wisconsin – he’s been with Velvet Espresso for just around a year
10:19 your Sprudge editors visited Velvet Espresso and the #NOLA coffee scene in May 2011 – read more
10:22 velvet espresso is a gem of a multiroaster on magazine street in #NOLA – serving @intelligentsia @stumptowncoffee & more
29. Wolfgang Schaefer, Alterra Coffee Roasters, Milwaukee
10:31 “if i don’t make it through this…my mother will disown me…i’ll have to sleep in my car…again…” @heywolfgang to the judges
10:38 “if life hands you a lemon, just shut up and eat the stupid lemon.” – @heywolfgang‘s grandma. “she was a pretty sour lady.”
10:44 peaches, lemons, honey, cinnamon – calcium salt, sodium algenate to create “crazy gooballs”, or spherification.
10:45 “when i think of spherification, i think of Bowie, and the journeys he must have gone on in his mind.”
30. Tyler Rovenstine, Oddly Correct Coffee, KCMO
10:50 the crowd have cardboard cutouts of @trovenstine‘s face. this is a real thing that’s happening. #bcrbc day 2 is a weird scene man
10:52 Mr. Rovenstine competes using a washed bourbon, 36 hour ferment, 12 day dry Guatemala Antigua, sourced by @pcristiani of @CafeImports
10:54 both the coffee and the cafe experience at @oddlycorrect are exceptional. they’re one of the best small roasters in the USA IMHO
11:04 last drinks down at 14:40, time to clean & thank judges – @trovenstine calls time at 15:04 in an observationally flawless routine
31. Miranda Johnson, MadCap Coffee Co., Grand Rapids
11:11 @mirandroid competes using a colombia huila microlot espresso roasted by @MadCapCoffee and not currently available to the public
11:16 “it just so happens i brought my map of michigan here with me today” – points to her right hand (see above photo)
11:18 “the drying process is like cooking a good brisket. when it’s done low and slow, it gives the coffee time to develop.”
32. Reagan Petrehn, Parisi Coffee, KCMO
11:40 “sweet caramel, brown sugar, and a milk chocolate throughout the cup” – mr. petrehn on his @ParisiCoffee cappuccinos
11:41 mr. petrehn of @parisicoffee kind of looks like a young missouri version of @jimseven
11:46 mr. petrehn’s sig drink: goat’s milk, dark chocolate, sugar spheres filled w/ honey, blood orange & rosemary, espresso
11:48 mr. petrehn calls time at 15:11 – technically proficient run with a lot of heart, big cheer from the @parisicoffee crowd as he exits
33. Katerina Babinski, Independent, Chicago
11:50 ms. babinksi is the sister of longtime barista comp stalwart @charlesbabinski – last year’s 2nd place finisher in the USBC
11:52 “i’m not a barista in the traditional sense, i’m a customer. most customers assume baristas have superpowers…”
11:55 ms. babinski serving Colombia Didier Reinoso from @MadCapCoffee learn more and bring some home
12:00 “getting to use an espresso machine is totally as cool as it looks.” -this is such a charming routine, really personal & fun
34. Tamara Muro, Velvet Espresso Bar, NOLA
12:09 Tamara owns Velvet Espresso, the best cafe in New Orleans, but that’s just one small part of the story…
12:10 Tamara Muro is a lifelong contributor to some of Hollywood’s most famous films. she grew up in the film industry…her husband is J. Michael Muro, who’s worked as a steadicam operator on Titanic, Casino, Clueless, and dozens of other classic films. Her father was Assistant Director on “The Graduate”.
12:12 here’s J. Michael Muro’s IMDB listing: : http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614013/
12:14 @throwacupcake competes using @VerveCoffee‘s La Roxanita El Salvador, a honey processed coffee – learn more.
12:20 “the key to honey process y’all, now listen up, is this – you must pick the cherries when they’re ripe.” -tamara muro
35. Scott Lucey, Alterra Coffee Roasters, Milwaukee
12:30 “i want to work with you today as a trainer – i enjoy watching people gain confidence in their taste”
12:37 there’s a specific texas red grapefruit note in @scottlucey‘s espresso, so he serves the judges a slice of texas grapefruit and a slice of regular grapefruit. calibration to display taste specificity
12:41 mr. lucey competes using a bourbon & caturra blend -“Finca La Casias”, producer Nelson Melo, Colombia, sourced & roasted by @AlterraCoffee – coffee is extremely small lot, with brief availability on the menus of @alterracoffee in milwaukee – special stuff
36. Jacqueline Schrader, Greyhouse Coffee, Lafayette, IN
12:49 @thisisjackcafe is the 2nd of 2 competitors from @greyhousecoffee in West Lafayette, a @PTsCoffee account near Purdue University
1:00 ms. schrader’s sig drink is an espresso con panna with molasses, bacon, and maple syrup. #YUM
1:04 ms schrader calls time at 15:28 – congrats to her and @greyhousecoffee for all their work at #bcrbc – a real treat.
37. Charlie Habegger, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago
1:11 mr. habegger competes using @Intelligentsia‘s Colombia Amigos de Buesaco – learn & shop
1:12 components for @BrainOfCharlie‘s sig drink are blackberries, lemon gummies, blackberry & juniper, lime, vanilla bean
1:15 @brainofcharlie‘s sig drink: first he pulls shots on top of a blackberry & tarragon jam, then adds 10 grams of vanilla infusion and “the right amount of lime for clarity”
1:25 mr. habegger calls time at 15:10, rounding out a strong showing for @intelligentsia and the city of Chicago
38. Blair Bachman, Victory 44, MPLS
1:27 @victory_44 enjoys a close relationship with @DogwoodCoffee – “we like to pair good foods with good coffee” – an understatement.
1:34 Your Sprudge Editors visited @Victory_44 on a recent trip to MPLS – modern american locavore w/ dope @DogwoodCoffee chemex service.
1:37 mr. bachman’s sig drink – apple pie ice cream affogato, with nutmeg, cinnamon, brown butter, and streusel. dang dude.
1:40 we’ve got liquid nitrogen live on stage people. that standing mixer is bubblin & brewin’ & goin’ buck wild! (see photo above)
39. Jacques DesMarais, Kaldi’s Coffee, St. Louis
1:46 ms. desmarais was a finalist in last year’s South Central region & a semi-finalist at the 2012 USBC
1:47 “balance can be exciting.” – she’ll be making two distinct signature drinks in her routine.
1:50 1st sig drink: maple syrup soda, grenadine, ice, and 4 shots of a @Kaldis_Coffee Colombia Narino espresso
1:54 sig drink 2: dry cherries steeped in water, reduced with brown sugar, topped with @kaldis_coffee monseratte espresso
1:55 “i apologize for not being tall, but i’m going to talk to you over the machine about extraction.” @JacqueDesMarais of @kaldis_coffee
2:03 recapping this remarkable, complex routine: 8 total sig drinks (2 styles, 4 drinks), layered espressos, layered capps, 2 distinct colombian coffees (narino and monseratte)…calls time at 15:03. remarkable.
