After a weekend of fierce competition, Devin Chapman of Coava Coffee Roasters has been crowned the 2013 Northwest Regional Barista Champion! This is Mr. Chapman’s 2nd consecutive NWRBC win with Coava Coffee Roasters. His win at NWRBC earns him an automatic first-round bye at the 2013 USBC event in Boston.
Mr. Chapman competed and won at the NWRBC using a coffee from producer David Mancia, grown at “Finca La Familia” in the Santa Barbara department of Honduras. In a complex, layered 15 minute routine, Devin talked his judges through the experience of visiting Mr. Mancia and his farms in Honduras, and the lasting effect it had on Mr. Chapman’s concept of service, family, and the similar goals of quality-focused baristas and producers. His signature beverage was particularly demanding and required a great deal of multitasking, as Mr. Chapman pulled shots and partially constructed the beverage throughout his routine. He paired his David Mancia espresso with milk infused with cedar & honey comb, filtered into whey – “the essence of milk without the heaviness” – then added “carbonated strawberries”, which is to say, an actual strawberry charged with C02.
In the end, Devin Chapman’s routine was good enough to win the NWRBC by one single solitary point. He was followed closely – VERY closely – by Cole McBride, a Seattle-based barista and educator representing Visions Espresso and Velton’s Coffee Roasting Company. Rounding out the top three was Collin Schneider, a Portland barista who manages Coffeehouse NW and competes for Sterling Coffee Roasters.
Devin Chapman will join his fellow regional champs Lem Butler, Charlie Habegger, and Pete Licata (plus several more to be named) on the 2013 Cafe Imports Origin Trip, destined for Kenya. Learn more here.
A sincere congratulations to all the competitors at the 2013 NWRBC! It’s our distinct pleasure to cover this event as your Specialty Coffee Association of America Digital Media Sponsors. Sprudge coverage from NWRBC made possible by direct support from Dillanos Coffee Roasters and Nuova Simonelli.
