Posted by Betsy Summers on Mon, Feb 23, 2009
From the left:Trevor Corlett, Scott Lucey (Winner), and Jesse Crouse
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!
Posted by Betsy Summers on Mon, Feb 23, 2009
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
Posted by Betsy Summers on Mon, Feb 23, 2009
Day 2 of the GLRBC proved to be an intense day of competition. We saw some great presentations are excited to share a little of what we learned about today's competitors.
Jaime Gunnell, Boston Stoker Inc., Vandalia, OH
Jaime is a first time competitor. Her signature drink consisted of pistachio, sugar and water.
Ryan Knapp, MadCap Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI
Ryan is a previous competitor. His signature drink was called a "Ginger Caramel Infusion."
Scott Lucey, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
Scott is a previous competitor. He described his espresso as citric and aromatic. His signature drink was called "Liquid Swords" with sweet cream and Texas red grapefruit juice. He has traveled to El Salvador and toured coffee plantations.
Jamie Westcott, Stone Creek Coffee, Milwaukee, IL
Jamie is a first time competitor, but has been a barista for four years. Her specialty drink was called "Breakfast in Bed". It was made of raw sugar, fresh vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon mixed with an egg and milk. Then she poured the drink into a latte fashion. Jamie said that she has a "great time and that every barista should come and watch one o these events". She also stated that she has "learned a lot from the other competitors".
Michael Phillips, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago, IL
Michael is the reigning 2008 GLRBC Champ! Has been a barista for 2 years, this is his third time competition. His signature drink was consisted of blackberry juice, almond paste and sage. Michael says that he has "a pension for Mai Tais and the tiki culture."
Rich Martens, The Italian Coffee Bar, Chicago IL
Rich has been a barista for over a year. His espresso was made from a Brazil and Mocha blend. Signature drink is called a "Tiramishot" derived from tiramisu. Ingredients included heavy whipping cream, lemon juice and lady fingers.
Kevin Cash, Espresso Sniper, Orient, OH
Kevin was a first time competitor. Signature drink was a single shot of espresso with 1oz of lightly heated coconut milk topped with organic dried maple syrup. He stated that he "had fun with his presentation". Kevin is a full-time bike messenger by day. He brought his love of cycling to Chicago this weekend where he rode his bike in to the competition from the hotel each day. Needless to say, Chicago got 2 inches of snow overnight!
Stephan Shaum, Phoenix Coffee, Cleveland, OH
Stephan Shaum was a first time competitor and has been a barista for two years. He named his specialty drink "Positive & Negative". It consisted of marzipan, poppy seed, espresso and balsamic glaze and ginger ale. Stephen likes to play "Go" - the Chinese version of chess.
Kimberly Daily, Muggswigz Coffee, Canton, OH
First time competitor and has been a barista for 1.5 years. Her drink was called the "Blueberry Espresso Cream". This was a two part drink - single shot of espresso and dehydrated blueberries with whipped cream. Kimberly says that she "never thought she would have done a competition and had fun".
Courtney Robinson, La Terza, Cincinnati, OH
This was her third time competing! Last year, Courtney competed at the USBC! Her specialty drink was blood orange syrup, soda water with juniper berry whipped cream. She has been a barista for 5 years. Not only does she serve coffee at La Terza, she also does all their baked goods. Yes, from scratch!
Trevor Corlett, MadCap Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI
Trevor is a first time competitor and has been a barista for eight years. His specialty drink was consisted of cherry butter, maple syrup, espresso and a splash of cream. Trevor's drink included 9 out of 10 items that were all sourced locally to him in Michigan. Aside from his just opening MadCap Coffee, Trevor enjoys time with his wife and two children - Addeline and Emma.
Trevor Gruehn, Manna Café, Madison, WI
This is Trevor's second time competing and he has been a barista for four years. His specialty drink was inspired from Paddington Bear's love of marmalade. The drink consisted of single origin Ethiopian Adado, over ice blood orange juice served with white chocolate and a zest of blood orange on the rim of the shot. Trevor is currently a full time student studying recording and music technology at the Madison Media Institute.
We greatly apologize; we didn't get a chance to meet up with:
Jared Schmitt, Stone Creek Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
Danielle Cohen, Phoenix Coffee, Cleveland Heights, OH
Joshua Dunigan, Grand Rapids, MI
Posted by Betsy Summers on Fri, Feb 20, 2009
This afternoon has brought coffee enthusiasts and on-lookers together from around the region to the GLRBC. Today we 18 Baristas showcased their presentations and their 4+4+4 (4 cappuccinos, 4 espressos and 4 specialty drinks). Every competitor today may have had different styles and presentation, but they all were in the hot seat with the judges and the audience watching their every move.
Here's a little more ino about the Competitors!
Justin Teisl - Four Barrel Coffee, San Francisco, CA
Justin is our first out-of-region competitor. This means that he is not officially competing here but will take the scores he receives from the judges and use those to improve on his presentation and drinks when he competes at the USBC. His signature drink was a two part drink with one side consisting of coconut and bitters - the other side espresso and black current. He has been a barista for seven and a half years and we wish his luck at the USBC!
Logan Demmy, Rohs Street Cafe, Grove City, Ohio
Logan is a student at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio and getting ready to graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering. His specialty drink consisted of tapioca infused with anise, cardamom and honey. When asked by the emcee how his thinks his performance was he said "better and worse"! Logan has only been a barista for five months!
Parris Graves, Boston Stoker Inc., Vandalia, OH
Parris is not only competing in the GLRBC, but he is also a second alternate for the Latte Art Competition as well. He has been a barista for two and a half years. His specialty drink was named the "Grasshoppiato", which consisted of organic mint leaves, unsweetened organic cocoa, and of course, espresso.
Laura Feldman, MadCap Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI
Laura has been a barista for two and a half years. Her specialty drink was maple syrup, almond cream and cinnamon. She was excited to share that she is one of three people competing from MadCap that just opened one month, one week ago. When asked how she thought her presentation went she said "decent"!
Sam Brown, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
Sam has been a coffee lover his whole life but a barista for 10 years. He even shared with the crowd that when he was 14, he had to get a workers permit to work in the café. He also said that his favorite part of being a barista is the "free caffeine"! His specialty drink consisted of chocolate and coconut. Sam is that he is a vinyl mixer (DJ) by night!
Sara Wilson-Jones, Phoenix Coffee, Cleveland, OH
Sara is a seasoned barista with over 16 years of experience! She is a first time competitor, but has been a judge several times. Her specialty drink consisted of garlic, lime peel, black pepper, vanilla bean, a little pure cane sugar and milk that was inspired by her daughter Veronica. Sara had both of her adorable daughters Charlotte and Veronica cheering her on!
Ryan Groh, Self pro-claimed Coffee Renegade/Freelancer, Chicago, IL
After watching his prepare with yoga moves, stretching and smiles, Ryan was sharing with us the items in his specialty drink. This is his first time competing. He named his drink the "Rorschach Test" - it includes 70 different items. His favorite quote is "go with what you know"!
Andy Atkinson, The Italian Coffee Bar, Chicago, IL
Andy has been a barista for 3 years and is competing again for the second time. His specialty drink was called Strawberry Shortcake. When asked why he chose this drink, he said he was looking for a "fun drink that was bar inspired!" One fun fact about Andy is that he has a portafilter tattoo on his arm!
Lindsey Myers, Muggswigz Coffee, Canton, OH
This year's competition marks Lindsey's fourth time competing! She has been a barista for 6 years. Her specialty drink was called the "Banana Bloom". The judges started by sipping the ripe banana puree that was blended with Yuzu in one cup and rounded it off with lavender infused Machiotto. Lindsey says she is missing her two kids back at home - Rowyn and Alsey.
Shannon Savage, Boston Stoker Inc., Vandalia, OH
Shannon has been a barista for seven years and for six of those he has been serving "great espresso to customers" at Boston Stoker. His specialty drink was Indian Cuisine inspired with saffron, honey, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cardamom and clove. One fascinating fact about Shannon is that the honey that he used in his drink came directly from his own hive. He currently has three hives and his wife is the County Bee Inspector!
Carl Ahlteen, Café Brioso, Columbus, OH
A first time competitor, Carl has been a barista for 1.5 years. He started washing dishes at Café Brioso and has worked his way to manager. He says "with hard work and determination you can do it if you try"! His specialty drink was melted chocolate, heavy whip cream, layered with espresso, topped with foam, cinnamon and ancho chili powder. He also stated that "competing is VERY nerve wracking!"
Caroline Moyer, Phoenix Coffee, South Euclid, OH
This is Caroline's first time competing at the GLRBC - as our Emcee said, she was a "competition virgin"! She has been a barista for over 5 years. Her specialty drink was called "Sugar and Spice"; it consisted of ginger, habanera and sugar. She said she had fun with her light and upbeat presentation.
Chris DeMarse, Alliance World Coffees, Marion, IN
A very confident Chris said he felt his presentation was "very solid and that it went very well". Chris has been a barista for 6.5 years and this is his third time competing. His specialty drink was "Belgium Farmhouse" inspired, stemming from a beer he tasted this summer that seemed to be flavored with banana and spice. The drink consisted of banana and spice infused with simple syrup, part cream and organic milk. Chris mentioned that his wife Rachael will be happy to read this blog! Hi Rachael - wish you were here!
Colin Whitcomb, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
A cool and calm Colin entertained the audience and judges with his upbeat music selection. His specialty drink was in two parts - one side was a hand squeezed blood orange aid and garnished with ginger, a bit of rosewater and lime juice and the other side consisted of Con Panna with cream. Colin shared with us that he grows Phalehopsis (orchids) in his house.
Les Stoeham, La Terza Coffee, Cincinnati, OH
Les has been a barista for the past six years. He offered the judges a specialty drink that was inspired by food pairings - espresso, hazelnut cream, cabernet grape juice reduction and smoked blue cheese. When he is not pulling shots at La Terza, he is spending time in Guatemala with the La Armonia Hermosa organization training and educating coffee farmers.
We didn't catch up with these folks after their presentations, but we will look out for them tomorrow:
- Stefanie Zydowicz, Stone Creek Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
- Jesse Crouse, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago, IL
- Trevor Gruehn, Manna Café, Madison, WI