Our 2012 USBC coverage was made possible by direct support fromย Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

We had a chance to sit down digitally with Devin Chapman, of Portland’s Coava Coffee Roasters, one of 6 finalists in the 2012 United States Barista Championship. Mr. Chapman was the 2012 NW Regional champ; be prepared to deal with Devin as a competition threat for years to come.

 

Did you have an overarching theme for your presentation?

“Yes, I focused on the baristaโ€™s role in translating knowledge into a sensory experience.”

Did you have a name for your signature drink? Can you give us the recipe?

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“Errโ€ฆ. no name. Here’s the recipe.”

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What coffees did you use for your competition?

“Reinelio Lopez from the Monserrate community in Huila, Colombia.”

Can you tell us a bit about your competition history? How many total competitions, appearances at USBC, etc.

“2 NW Regionals and 2 USBCs to date. Finished 10th and 18th my first year; 1st and 4th my second.”

Share with us a favorite moment at USBC 2012 โ€“ doesnโ€™t have to be competition based, but certainly can be.ย What stands out in your memory?

“Spent some really good quality time with Kevin Bohlin & Jared Truby in the back before both rounds just getting focused and settled. Precious!”

What do you do to get pumped before competition?

“Watch cheesy underdog movies, listen to hip-hop during my practice time, walk and talk, drop it like itโ€™s hot, hide-out, listen to Dashboard Confessional (it could be worseโ€ฆ), focus really hard on things, write lists, pretend Iโ€™m Rocky Balboa, pretend Iโ€™m Eminem in 8 Mile, pretend Iโ€™m Icebox from Little Giants, pray, pee a bunch, smash bananas, potassium pills, pushups for the cameraโ€ฆ I could go on, itโ€™s different every time.”

Whom would you like to thank? Use this last question for essential shout-outs, and thanks so much for sharing this info with us.

“All the judges for giving their time and sanity to let competitions happen; the SCAA for putting it on; my wife for all her hours of hard work and support and for putting up with way too much; Matty Oโ€™Higgins for supporting me financially and keeping me around; Matt, Sam and Keith for teaching me everything I know about making and serving coffee; Clive Coffee and Mark Hellweg for basically sponsoring my wares (Iโ€™ll pimp you for life!); Amber Penn for being the yin to my managerial yang and connecting the dots in my absence; Sarah P. for her hours of listening, feedback, backflushing and dish washing; all the crew at the shop for rolling hard through a really busy weekend and for working with dignity and pride; all my friends that showed up to support me this past weekend; and all our loyal customers for being proud to drink Coavaโ€™s coffees. Hereโ€™s to next year!”

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