Coffee Masters Blog

Introducing the 2009 Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition's Top 3!

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The first place winner of the 2009 Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition is Scott Lucey of Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI (pictured center). Scott has been a barista seven years and currently serves on the Barista Guild of America Executive Council. This was his sixth time competing at the regional. He automatically advances to the Semi-Final Round of the United States Barista Championship held in Portland, Ore., in March 2009.

Scott's presentation captured the relationship he has with the farmer, Nelson Melo, owner of Finca Las Acacias near Popayán, Colombia, who produces the coffee he showcased.

Scott's specialty drink, famously named "Liquid Swords", consisted of espresso on the bottom, a sweet cream middle and topped fresh Texas red grapefruit juice. He recommended to the judges to sip the juice first to take in the citrus, break the channel of cream with a spoon, and finally sip the shot of espresso.

Congratulations, Scott! Make us proud at the USBC! We will be rooting for you from a far.

Second place winner is Jesse Crouse from Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago, IL (pictured right). Jesse took a unique approach to his deconstructed Con Panna specialty drink by "recreating a coffee farm". He started with maple syrup (which was the soil), then pistachio butter (representing the foliage/growth), and finished with espresso (obviously, representing coffee). This was Jesse's first time competing and he has been a barista for four years. He currently works in the QC Department at Intelligentsia Coffee and has a BA in Poetry.

Third place winner is Trevor Corlett, MadCap Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI (pictured left). Corlett has been a barista for eight years and is the proud owner of 5 week old MadCap Coffee. During his presentation, Trevor apologized to the judges if he starts singing along with his music selection. He then followed by stating, "Good music is like good coffee. It is contagious." His specialty drink consisted of 10 ingredients, 9 of which were locally sourced. He called it a "Cherry Orange Espresso" - cherry butter at the bottom of the shot, maple syrup, espresso, and then a splash of cream on the top.

Congratulations and thank you for making this the most exciting GLRBC yet!

And the 2009 GLRBC Six Finalists are....

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After two days of hard competition, the judge's scores were tabulated and announced! Congratulations to each one of you! And the 2009 GLRBC Finalists are (in alpha order):

Trevor Corlett - MadCap Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI

Jesse Crouse - Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago, IL

Chris DeMarse - Alliance World Coffees, Marion, IN

Scott Lucey - Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI

Les Stoeham - La Terza Coffee, Cincinnati, OH

Michael Phillips - Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago, IL

Three days and counting…

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As we watched the packed tradeshow truck head east toward Navy Pier and Coffee Fest Chicago this afternoon, we all let out a sigh of relief. With so much to do in preparation, from all the collaboration with our wonderful Sponsors to developing our new Essential Espresso Blend, we never thought this day would finally come. Three days until the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition at Navy Pier. The first Barista's Presentation starts promptly at 12:15pm on Friday, February the 20th.

A total of 36 Baristas from states surrounding Illinois will fight to become the one - the only - 2009 Regional Champ. This individual will proceed to the U.S. Barista Championship (USBC) held in Portland, Ore., in March. The lucky winner of the USBC will then head to the World Barista Championship.

Meet our 2009 Competitors!

*Previous Competitor
**Previous Judge

Keep checking back here for up-to-date competition info. We will try our best to get pictures posted on our Facebook Page and the blog "blogged" throughout the weekend's festivities.

Come to Navy Pier this weekend and share in the excitement with us! See you there!

Calling all Coffee Enthusiasts to Navy Pier, February 20-22!

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Did you know that Coffee Masters is hosting this year's Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition? Baristas from the surrounding states of Illinois - including Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio - will converge to take part in a competition designed to encourage and recognize the art of espresso preparation and service. This event takes place during Coffee Fest Chicago and is presented by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). The SCAA coordinates 10 such regional events throughout the country, as well as a national competition every year.

Here is how the competition works:
Competitors will serve up to 12 drinks in a 15-minute period in front of a panel of seven judges. Four espressos, four cappuccinos and four beverages of their own creations will be critiqued. Judges will evaluate each Barista on their technical skill; the flavor and quality of their espresso; the taste, creativity and appearance of their drinks, and on their presentation/customer service skills. The winner will automatically advance to the Semi-Finals Round at the United States Barista Championship held in Portland, Ore., in March.

You can't miss this event! Come one, come all - It's FREE!
The Competition is a free event that will take place at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois on Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22 and is open to the public. For more information on the event and registration for those wishing to volunteer, please visit www.coffeemasters.com and click on the GLBC logo.

Welcome to our blog!

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Social networking here, social networking there. Next to Angelina Jolie, they seem to be the biggest buzz words of today. If everyone is jumping on the “social networking” band-wagon, then why can’t we? We sat through a few webinars, researched countless hours on best practices, figured out how this best fits our organization and voila, here we are launching the first Coffee Masters Blog.

So how will this new community evolve? Well that’s really up to you. We hope to hear your suggestions and ideas in order help set the tone and the shape of our blog. Initially, members of the Coffee Masters Team will update this blog once a week with stories, ideas and news from both our organization and the Specialty Coffee Industry. From there, we encourage you to take part and forward us your questions, news, views and ideas; after all, we are all in this together for the love and passion of coffee.

We will be back next week, letting you know what’s going on around the Coffee Masters world, but in the meantime, thank you for logging on and being a part of our first blog.