Welcome to our recap of Round One at the 2013 Southeast Regional Barista Competition! 16 of the best baristas in the American Southeast went head to head in heated battle over the course of two (relatively) short days. Sprudge.com is honored to be here in Atlanta, covering the event live as your Official Digital Media Sponsors. Our coverage from Atlanta is made possible by direct support from Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters, Nuova Simonelli, and viewers like you.
What follows is the very best of our live, unadulterated Twitter coverage from throughout Round One at the SERBC. You can stay abreast with our Twitter coverage throughout the 2013 USBC cycle by following us @SprudgeLive on Twitter.
1. Travis Beckett, Peregrine Espresso, DC – @TravisBeckett
11:05 we kick of the event with @TravisBeckett ,who made a run all the way into the top 6 at last year’s USBC finals in Portland, placing 6th overall nationally
11:24 Travis competes using a blend of two coffees from Counter Culture Coffee: 65% Guatemala Concepcion Huista and 35% Ethiopian heirloom Idido
11:30 Mr. Beckett has that same controlled calm demeanor that took him to USBC finals last year – very subtle service and focus
11:31 “this coffee immediately lets you know it started its life as a piece of fruit” – @TravisBeckett on Counter Culture’s natural Ethiopia Idido
11:33 Mr. Beckett’s signature drink is inspired by classic american soda fountains – “i think those soda jerks were on to something”
11:38 he calls time 15:26 – subtle, nuanced opening routine here at #SERBC – big cheering section here for travis.
2. 11:34 John Fogleman, Octane Coffee, ATL – @JohnFogleman
11:40 up next at #SERBC is the first of 3 competitors from atlanta’s own @octanecoffee – it’s @JohnFogleman and he’s up live right…now!
11:43 mr. fogleman competes using a single origin espresso from @Octanecoffee – their Nicaragua Finca La Tormenta
11:44 notes of nuts, muscovado sugar, apple acidity, lemongrass, and a “round, tomatoey body” in his espresso
11:53 describing his capp course: “the lactic acidity sort of takes that high frequency away from the espresso”
11:57 mr. fogleman’s sig drink: muscovado sugar, black cherry maceration, and macadamia nut oil – “a nice viscosity” – serve in a brandy glass with espresso floated on top
3. Lemuel Butler, Counter Culture Coffee, Durham NC – @SexyFoam
12:03 lem butler is one of the most experienced, charismatic, seasoned competitors in competition coffee – more than a routine, his 15 minutes are like clinics
12:09 mr. butler serves @Counter_Culture Kenya Thiriku here at #SERBC – learn more here and take some home.
12:13 mr. butler’s sig drink: pistachio cream, 8 shots of thiriku – a “mysterious chocolate note” – plus sweet hibiscus tea with lemon zest
12:18 nice creamy body, a little bit savory, cranberry notes and black currant – Lem on his @Counter_Culture Kenya Thiriku espresso
12:20 lem butler has his espressos down, thanks the judges, and calls time at 14:58 – a pro!
4. 12:12 Michael Harwood, Carrboro Coffee Roasters, Carrborro NC – @BlueBarista
12:28 michael starts off with a breakdown of why “bitter” flavor notes get a bad name – “even our language is working against us”
12:30 “cappuccinos are a beautifully accessible solution to your bitter-sensitive customers”
12:33 he’s dropping deep knowledge on chlorogenic acids – CGA’s – “coffee contains more CGA’s than any other plant”
12:37 Mr. Harwood on his Colombia caturra espresso – “porridge, honey pastry body – cherry and lemon acidity”
12:40 Mr. Harwood’s sig drink: Colombia espresso, centennial hops, same coffee freshly brewed on a Kalita Wave, plus nitrogen carbonation
5. Kyle Ramage, Jubala Village Coffee, Raleigh NC – @Kyle_Rampage
12:52 @Kyle_Rampage competes using @AidaBattle Finca Mauritania “Ethiopian process” from Santa Ana, El Salvador
12:59 scared money don’t make money – Mr. Ramage seems pretty fearless up there. first time we’ve seen him compete, and he’s been great
1:05 his sig drink is a take on the americano cocktail – shots of @AidaBattle espresso, carbonated cascara w/ yuzu, orange blossom honey
1:06 Mr. Ramage calls time at 15:55, just escaping a disqualification at 16 minutes – that sig drink looks absolutely delicious
6. Camila Ramos, Panther Coffee, Miami – @Milamos
1:15 Camila competes using @PantherCoffee‘s Colombia Finca El Ventilador, a red & yellow caturra from Huila
1:23 just a wildly creative sig drink from @Milamos – bergamot oil, konbu dashi, cascara, rice vinegar, skimmed espresso, served neat
1:24 before her capp course, Ms. Ramos has judges smell dried coffee flowers – “this scent is what your cappuccino is going to taste like’
1:27 Coffee flowers smuggled back from Colombia by @Milamos and dried in her hotel bible! the gang at @PantherCoffee with the exclusive deets
1:29 Ms. Ramos calls time at 14:57 – boy gee whiz i sure hope that maybe we’ll get to see that one again at some point (highly likely)
7. Daniel Mueller, Octane Coffee, ATL – @Simple_Algebra
1:49 “of all the molecular gastronomy i’ve done, i’ve never found one cooler than the espresso making process itself”
1:51 marzipan, almond candy, “an almond filled croissant perhaps” – @Simple_Algebra on his cappuccino course
1:57 craft cocktail influenced sig drink – Mr. Mueller has the pro bartender shake DOWN, y’all.
8. Michael Duffey, 1000 Faces Coffee, Athens, GA – @1000Faces
2:04 brazil, guatemala, and ethiopian coffees in michael duffey’s #SERBC espresso, roasted by @TwoStoryCoffee
2:16 sig drink: apricot, apple, and pear puree, shots pulled on top, with dark chocolate to “accentuate the guatemalan”
2:20 a scrappy, hard-fought performance from @mcduffey86 of @1000faces serving @TwoStoryCoffee – he’s unfortunately DQ’d on time
9. Trevor Corlett, MadCap Coffee Company, DC – @Tjorlet
11:23 mr. corlett structures his 15 minutes on stage like he’s courting the judges – cappuccinos are “a first double date”
11:28 “maybe on our next date, we’ll hold hands while bungee jumping” – pretty much the best sig drink analogy ever from @Tjorlet
11:31 trevor’s sig drink: grapefruit reduction, dark sugar, ginger, egg whites – healthy bartender shake with espresso
11:32 mr. corlett competes using MADCAP Coffee’s Jose Luis Reinoso, from Colombia’s Tolima region – “golden raisin and grapefruit juice”
11:36 trevor calls time at 15:20 – check out the coffee he competed here, from producer Luis Reinoso
10. Dan Pabst, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters, Charlottesville, VA – @DrinkMud
11:39 mr. pabst competes with 100% honduras coffee – 70% from a single farm, 30% from a cooperative
11:40 mr. pbast starts judges off by slicing up a pink lady apple – “this comes from my neighbor’s farm -please enjoy this amuse bouche”
11:45 mr. pabst’s 100% honduran coffee cappuccino – “maple butter with a graham cracker finish”
11:48 Mr. Pabst moves on to his sig drink: drinking chocolate, washed latin american espresso from honduras, and whipped cream. simple.
11:55 this is mr. pabst’s 4th time competing at the #SERBC – this was his top routine of the times we’ve seen him.
11. Keelan Lyons, Octane Coffee, ATL – @KeelanDru
12:02 we’ve never seen @KeelanDru compete before – he’s a first-time competitor – jogging in place through the end of his prep time…
12:22 shaky hands, shaky hands, but no visible spills from @KeelanDru -as @Miss_JAlexander says, “weebles wobble but they don’t fall down.”
12:25 mr. lyons’ sig drink: pomegranate molasses, with ginger, clove, all spice and cinnamon, mixed with club soda and Guatemalan espresso
12:26 mr. lyons competes using a Guatemalan Huehuetenango Finca el Carmen espresso roasted by @Octanecoffee
12:30 mr. lyons calls time at 15:10, met with a roar in the crowd – strong first routine from keelan, would like to see it again
12. Matthew Bryce, Peregrine Espresso, DC – @Matt_Bryce
12:40 “i am gonna get my shaky self over to this espresso machine and pull your shots”
12:42 Mr. Bryce competes using a 65% Guatemala Concepcion Huista, 35% Idido Ethiopian sun dried, roasted by @Counter_Culture
12:48 this is such a relaxed, mellow routine – lots of touch and economy of motion – subtle, clean, easy-but-not
12:50 @Matt_Bryce calls time at 14:20 – quoth @BenHelfen in the post-routine interview, “Dude, you crushed it.” impressive! @PeregrineDC #SERBC
13. Colin Whitcomb, MadCap Coffee Company, DC – @ColinWhitcomb
1:08 @ColinWhitcomb competes using @MADCAPcoffee Costa Rica Santa Lucia – learn more and bring some home here.
1:12 @ColinWhitcomb is smoking banana extract live on stage, and the whole room smells like the banana section at an ATL Piggly Wiggly
1:16 xanthan gum and banana oil coagulate, foamed up and bubblin’, used to top a shot of @ColinWhitcomb‘s Costa Rica Santa Lucia espresso
1:17 colin calls time at 15:02 – that’s a BIG routine from @ColinWhitcomb and @MADCAPcoffee – MC @BenHelfen is agog: “wow, man, i mean wow”
14. George Zaras, The Java Shack, Arlington, VA – @JavaShack
1:32 mr. zaras is a first-time competitor. his shop @JavaShack is “the Cheers Coffeehouse” of Arlington, according to Java Shack’s website.
1:38 Mr. Zaras’ routine was a tribute to @DrinkBlanchards‘ Burundi Kayanza cooperative roast
1:40 mr. zaras has all of his drinks down at 14:05 – time to chat and thank the judges – “i’m just very appreciative”
15. Selena Hilton-Aragon, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters, Charlottesville VA –@SelenaHA
1:55 “good afternoon judges…I apologize for how cramped you are at that table.”
1:57 “red apple, maple butter, a little bit of plum…milk chocolate notes” – @SelenaHA on her Mudhouse Coffee Honduras espresso blend
2:00 “When you’re drinking this cappuccino, i want you to imagine a crisp fall day…pick out the maple flavors”
2:06 Ms. Hilston-Aragon’s sig drink: mulling spice pudding, with a bruleed burnt sugar top, presented with mulling spices on the side for aromatics.
2:08 Mudhouse Coffee just very recently started roasting their own coffee for retail – exciting that #SERBC is part of that process for them.
16. Daniel Moore, Jubala Village Coffee, Raleigh, NC – @DanielHadwynn
2:20 for espressos @DanielHadwynn serves @Counter_Culture kenya thiriku – “lime, caramel, nice and round and juicy”
2:21 learn about @DanielHadwynn‘s Kenya Thiriku espresso from @Counter_Culture & order some for yourself. you do you.
2:26 side note: @DanielHadwynn plays in a pretty popular band down there in Raleigh, called Hadwynn
