2012 SWRBC Day One

Curated tweets and photos from day one at the SWRBC. Coverage made possible by direct sponsorship from Verve Coffee Roasters. Stay tuned to Sprudge.com throughout the weekend for videos and recaps from the 2012 SWRBC.

Jon Stovall, Cognoscenti Coffee – Atwater Village, LA

11:12am – and we’re off – “i feel like all the sense are touched in making coffee…but what does coffee sound like?” john stovall @cogcoffee

11:14am – mr. stoval competes with fisticuffs espresso blend from @handsomeroaster…colombia and honduran coffees

11:24am – mr. stoval’s signature beverage includes espresso, ice, chocolate ganache in a shaker, agave syrup, orange juice made from melted orange popsicles (dang!)

Alan Gomez, Portola – Coffee Lab, Costa Mesa, CA

11:38am cinnamon spice up-front, citrus peel, transitioning into hibiscus – espressos from alan gomez of @portolacoffee

11:42am mr. gomez sig drink: one to one ratio of espresso and water, served iced, with frozen extracts of hibiscus, citrus, cinnamon -visually dazzling
Olja Goolsby, Cibo, Sausalito, CA

11:55am learn more about Cibo of sausalito here

Lizzy Sampson, Verve Coffee Roasters, Santa Cruz

12:12 “The more traceable the coffee, the better.” – lizzy’s espresso has three coffees with distinct levels of traceability

12:14 evergreen, persimmon sweetness, notes of kumquat in lizzy’s espressos

12:18 injerto, ethiopa worka, sumatra lake tawar coffees from @vervecoffee in lizzy sampson’s comp blend

12:25 lizzy sampson calls time at 14:45 – textbook finals-bound barista routine from ms. sampson and @vervecoffee at the #swrbc

Jonathan Stauf, Top Dog Coffee Roasters, Morro Bay, CA

12:33 jonathan stauf of @topdogcoffeebar up now – competes using a single origin costa rican coffee roasted by top dog

Nick Purvis, The French Press, Santa Barbara

12:48 “we believe that this beautiful fruit has all the potential in the world to be delicious and worthwhile” nick purvis, @lefrenchpress

advert but first coffee cookbook now available

12:59 sig drink focuses on apricot acidity, burnt caramel, heady body – @lefrenchpress’s nick purvis is way smooth on stage

1:03 mr. purvis calls time at 14:58 – two ace routines from @vervecoffee thus far – in a year of first-time competitors, nick looked pro

Eli Kalen, OZO Coffee, Boulder, CO

1:05 up next in the #swrbc is competitor 7, eli kalen of @OZOcoffee in beautiful boulder, colorado – a roaster with a proud competition history

1:10 it’s rare for coffee drinkers outside of colorado to get a chance to try @ozocoffee – learn more about them here http://ozocoffee.com/

Macallie Atkinson, Prescott Donut Factory, Prescott, AZ

1:22 macallie is the day’s first competitor from arizona, and this year’s first representative of the donut arts.

Annie McGee, Ritual Coffee Roasters, SFO

1:42 @anniemcgee competes with fully washed caturra coffeee, dried on raised patios – @ritualcoffee colombia huila el renacer

1:55 molecular gastronomy influenced sig drink from @anniemcgee – most complex sig drink of the day (#swrbc has more emphasized simplicity)

2:01 wow, blown away by @anniemcgee of @ritualcoffee – chemistry on stage – but will she lose points for unedited jay-z tracks?

Justin Carleton, Handsome Coffee Roasters, LA

2:19 mr. carleton competes using @handsomeroaster’s colombia huila san sebastian at the #swrbc

2:21 a professional routine – simplicity vibe running through all the @handsomeroaster performances this year

Scott Yost, Local 123, Berkeley

2:39 scott yost of @local123 calls time at 14:45 – a subdued & smart performance for sure, using three different origins from @fourbarrel

Ryan Plaza, Honolulu Coffee Co., Honolulu

2:41 up now is ryan plaza of @honolulucoffee, former home to last year’s USBC champ @petelicata

John Lee, Bourbon Street Cafe, LA @

3:01 john lee talks about @bourbonstcfe’s location in los angeles’ koreatown neighborhood – really fascinating competition intro

3:02 “so many of my customers are from a culture unfamiliar with acidity and sweetness in coffee – i get to educate them”

3:11 fermented brown rice signature beverage – among the most unique we’ve tasted all year

3:13 there’s something so engaging about a personal routine – mr. lee brings the story of his family to his #swrbc set. genuine.

Kayla Blowers, Temple Coffee, Sacramento

3:59 up now is kayla blower (@blahKaylablah) of sacramento’s @templecoffee – her espresso tastes like “a hawaiian burger”

4:03 “this is how i wish all coffees could taste” – @blahkaylablah on her signature drinks

Jared Truby, Verve Coffee Roasters, Santa Cruz

4:11 packed room here at #swrbc for Jared’s performance – hometown advantage, hometown pressure…

4:17 “don’t write down your tasting notes for now. just enjoy the clarity.”

4:21 sig drink includes cascara tea and molasses – hands to judges: “For you sir. For you, miss. For you, sir. And for you sir.”

4:26 you evidently can go surfing with mr. truby tomorrow. rumor has it @doug_zell will be joining him. 7am on the beach. not making this up.

Alfonso Portela, Chocolate Fish Coffee, Santa Cruz

4:27 now up – alfonso “the fonz” portela, representing santa cruz cafe chocolate fish coffee

4:28 “today i’m going to keep it simple, and share this coffee with you like i’d share it with my customers” – fonzy

Percy Ramirez, Intelligentsia Coffee, Pasadena, CA

4:47 “I wanted to bring you coffee as fresh as possible – this coffee was growing on a tree just a few weeks ago” – P-Ram (Percy Ramirez)

4:56 P-Ram competes using el salvador finca matalapa roblar from @intellisourcing – “acids and sugars.”

4:59 percy ramirez cruises through a little early adversity (dropped a glass), finishing with time to clean and thank the judges – all drinks down at 13:30

Jason Lenington, The Abbey, Santa Cruz