NWRBC was a three-day affair, and Sprudge.com was there to cover each and every competitor and routine in its entirety. Here’s a curated selection of our favorite tweets from throughout the day, sourced via the @SprudgeLive Twitter feed, along with original photography and a puppet, apparently. Relive the best from Day One here, and follow all our 2013 USBC coverage along The Road To Melbourne.
9. Michael Ryan, Caffe Ladro, Seattle
11:19 Mr. Ryan usesa color-coded flavor wheel as a prop for the judges. visual props = big points when done right.
11:22 he’s competing w/ @LadroRoasting‘s Colombia La Plata – Caturra, Huila department – learn more here!
11:27 Mr. Ryan’s sig drink set-up includes CO2 charger, fresh cut fruit, pepper grinder, buono kettle, hot plate bubblin’ up a reduction…
10. Jackson Ramone, Public Domain Coffee, PDX
11:35 Mr. Ramone is competing using a kenya nyeri roasted by @pdcoffee in portland – learn more, take some home
11:35 tartness, black pepper, and complexity in his kenya nyeri espressos – “black pepper opening up into cranberry” for his cappuccino course
11:43 simple, smart sig drink – blackberry syrup, lemon twist, soda & ice – easy, clean, fits the espresso, allows for uncomplicated sig drink station
11:49 all drinks down at 14:20, time to clean and …calls time at 14:45 as The Rolling Stones’ “I Am Waiting” kicks in.
11. Collin Schneider, Sterling Coffee Roasters, PDX
11:58 Mr. Schneider competes using two distinct coffees roasted by @sterlingcoffee – Colombia Ossa Pedregal and Brazil Passeio
12:02 some routines are science-y, or cocktail-y, or origin-y, but @sterling_collin‘s 15 minutes focus on the barista’s daily role as presented at Coffeehouse NW, a coffee bar Mr. Schneider manages
12:10 this is a really complex signature drink from Collin – skimmed crema cream, fresh apple, apple gastrique, blended espresso
12. Kathy Hilberg, Backporch Coffee Roasters, Bend, OR
12:15 the @BackporchBend crew and @KathHilby are by far the longest traveled crew at #NWRBC – 327 miles, or around 5 hours
12:17 the folks at @BackporchBend have a pretty cool design aesthetic – check out their website: http://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com/
12:20 Kathy Hilberg competes using @BackporchBend‘s own house “Backporch Blend” – a Latin American blend. “this is a dependable coffee, I use it everyday.”
13. Cole McBride, Visions Espresso / Velton’s Coffee Roasting, Seattle
12:35 “imagine you’re coming into my coffee shop for the first time…and i’m excited” – @colecoffee begins his #nwrbc routine with capps, & offers judges a small booklet -“they’re yours to keep, so please take them with you.”
12:37 worth noting that @colecoffee‘s stage set is perfectly matched to his attire – mr. mcbride is nothing if not an aesthete.
12:41 mr. mcbride tasted over 22 milks for his routine prep, eventually settling on a Battenkill Creamery in New York City – very popular with knowledgeable NYC area specialty coffee baristas.
12:44 mr. mcbride competes using a @veltonscoffee Kenya Gaturiri, yielding – “tangy black tea with plum and a silky body” – learn more by visiting Velton’s Coffee online
12:47 something special & gratifying about watching someone who has prepped & prepped & prepped & prepped finally do their run. Mr. McBride’s sig drink: sKenya espresso over honey w/ coconut oil, yuzu drinking vinegar, earl grey & rose hips, served in “rocking” glasses.
14. Chad Bledsoe, Case Study Coffee, PDX
1:00 Mr. Bledsoe serves an ethiopian yirg roasted by @casestudycoffee – their a part of Coffee Roasters United, a green coffee co-buying microroasters group based in PDX.
1:03 @CaseStudyCoffee has 2 spots in PDX – former Sprudge intern @joannakarenina recently wrote up their newest.
1:04 mr. bledsoe was a finalist in the 2012 #NWRBC #BrewersCup, placing 6th overall
15. Devin Chapman, Coava Coffee Roasters, PDX [Your 2013 NWRBC Champion! Way more details!]
1:18 on his capps: “rich almond butter, constrained sweetness like honey, and a hint of dryness – sort of flirty.”
1:23 Mr. Chapman competes using @coavacoffee‘s Honduras David Mancia – currently unavailable to the public, but Mr. Chapman has personally visited this farm
1:28 “In a consumer-centric industry, baristas and farmers have a common goal – we work hard to provide a service for provision.” – Devin Chapman.
16. Brett Felchner, BARISTA, PDX
1:34 Mr. Felchner competes using “Agua Blanca”, a coffee from Pedregal, Colombia roasted by Portland’s acclaimed Heart Roasters. This coffee is of the caturra variety, grown at 1700, wash processed and dried on covered & raised beds
1:41 on his Agua Blanca espresso: cinnamon & all-spice “dancing along the palate”, with notes of red cranberry and subtle dark chocolate.
1:43 Mr. Felchner’s sig drink is a two-part number, incorporating both hot & cold – you’ve got cinnamon, all spice & chocolate, heated on stage and mixed with espresso; then topped with a cool cranberry cream, sweetened with agave.
17. Ryan Bisson, Caffe Ladro, Seattle
1:52 Mr. Bisson’s routine is focused on “unorthodox cupwares” – his espresso served in handleless “port sippers”
1:56 Ryan competes using @LadroRoasting‘s Colombia La Plata, from the Huila region of SW Colombia – learn more.
1:58 Sig drink takes an infusion of “schisandra berry” – if you aren’t sure what that is, and neither were we, you can learn more from Wikipedia.
2:07 @ryanbisson calls time at 14:58 – tough to choose a favorite from the @LadroRoasting competitors but he’s perhaps the most polished
18. Rick Cox, Seattle Espresso Supply, Seattle
2:11 mr. cox owns http://www.espressorepair.com/ – a longtime service & repair resource for the Seattle specialty coffee community.
2:14 as per @devchap, Mr. Cox is “The Xzibit of Espresso Machines – he will pimp your ride!”
2:19 mr. cox competes at #NWRBC w/ @coavacoffee‘s El Salvador San Sofia – learn more! take some home! flurm!
2:21 mr. cox is pouring all his capps tableside – the uh, the crowd is perhaps a tad bit rowdy for this, the last routine of #NWRBC – gonna guess that this late crowd rowdiness is a result of post-routine whiskey / brown spirits consumption.
2:23 mr. cox’s sig drink: grenadine syrup, coconut water, @coavacoffee San Sofia espresso, coconut & grenadine whipped cream.
Sprudge coverage from NWRBC made possible by direct support from Dillanos Coffee Roasters and Nuova Simonelli.
