NWRBC: Round 1 Day 2

Saturday January 29, 2011 // By Kari Guddeck

I’m judging the second half of today’s competition, so I’m taking some time to sit in the audience and experience the competition from the audience perspective.  As usual, day two is better attended than day one.  There are quite a few folks here!  Emcee Josh Boyt and former competitor Nick Cho are spending some time explaining the brand new Brewer’s Cup Competition, which is taking place in conjunction with the barista competition.  Competitors have ten minutes to prepare and serve brewed coffee.  Brewing methods can include Aeropress, Hario pour overs, etc.  It’s not a super dynamic competition (especially in comparison to the barista competition), but an interesting addition to the overall experience.

 

As you may know, the regional map for barista competitions was reworked at the end of the 2010 season.  The mountain region (near and dear to our CO hearts), was broken up with those states being absorbed into the North West and South West regions.  This caused some concern among the folks of the Mountain region, but I’m happy to report that our presence is still being felt!  Three competitors and three judges (myself included) hail from the former Mountain region states of Colorado, Idaho, and Montana (that's Beau from Billings in this photo).  Absent, however, are our Wyoming friends to the North who have had a significant presence in competitions the past few years.  It will be interesting to see and feel the effects of the restructure as the season progresses.

The six finalists will be announced today after scores have been calculated (and recalculated).  I will try to post an update with the finalists later today.  I need to gather my pencils, extra spoons, and score sheets....let's judge this thing!