Pacific Bay Coffee Co.

friendly, informal demeanor.  tunes: 70’s psyche rock circa Airplane or Zeppelin, T-Rex. nice tie. Tech judges Jenna &

esp: 2 bean blend- brazil mostly, rich/subtle cocoa, caramel finish, stone fruit sweet.  Ethiopian wild forest limu: lime. ~.75 oz., dark red color w/ nice flecking.  served 4:20.

capp: reg barber 58mm tamp.  clover organic milk for aroma.  full ring of crema, almost-heart, nice texture, thin foam.  tulip cup.  same dark crema.  no settle, little overdose, so tevel is a little irregular.  espressos have consistent darkness and honey-thick texture on drop.  “140-150 degrees.”  served @ 11:11.

sig: sweeter, desert, play off lime in esp.  lime simple syrup.  toasted anise, coconut milk to support cocoa and middle body.  tone is informal, critiquing own progress, hand shaking, etc.  definitely invited to my imaginary afterparty, where we will have slip ‘n’ slide and video games.  color scheme plays off cocoa and coffee, as well as wild Limu, with black & shades of brown color scheme and leaf patterned cups and place settings.  same  thick, red espresso, over other ingredients.  served luke-warm, stirred vigorously.  served & time @ 15:45.  neat minimal place setting set off by lime.  we’ll talk about the professional conduct at my imaginary afterparty.

Cafe Med, who claims to be home to the first Latte.  You can leave it to debate.  I am staying out of this one.  He is using the element 114 espresso.  He has a Berkeleyesque hat.  He pulls a shot.  Tamp entry slightly off, but recovers to a level tamp.  The music was soulfull, but now it turns to dancing music, britney spears, no —it is, no lyrics.  It can not be Britney. He nods his head saying ” there is no pressure.” He looks stressed.  He adjusts the grind.  He tells the crowd that everything is alright.  He breathes heavily.  It is his first time.

 …Sean gone, Barefoot’s Kate continuing.  Adam is serving espressos at 9:10.  volume is good and consistent, crema thin and pale on at least one.  starting capps at 10:50.  brother is muscling through all adversity.  abandons capps, starts sig drink @ 13:50.  a drink for the milkless.  pb, soy, a sweetener.  nutty espresso, chocolate rim.  He maintains his great attitude and friendly demenor throughout.  2 oz. cups look nice in white w/ dark choc. rim and pale golden liquid.

called time @ 15:15.

“i’ve learned a lot, and had a lot of fun competing.  it was a pleasure to serve you guys.”

Lita explains her capp, which will be made traditonal monks head.  When making a monks head the judges can be very critical.  She pours into clear 5 oz. cups with a handle.  Very daring.  You can see the foam floating on top.  Very daring.  No hiding there.  The music plays country folk.  Unusual for a Los Angeles barista.  I like it-being raised in Oklahoma.  She is now sculpting foam on top of the capp.  I hope the judges like it.  She spelled out her name “HITA” with foam on the capps.  Signature drink is an italian thick chocolate.  Groundwork is  Los Angeles’ largest organic roaster.  She is letting the concoction cool down while she starts on her espresso.  She uses a natural sidamo, costa rica monte christo.  It should be a bright espresso.  The crowd cheers.  She serves the espresso in colorful flat bottomed espresso cups.

Signature drink.  She pours the chocolate on top of the espresso. Judges scurry to check out the flecking.  She tells them to stir the beverage to get the full flavor.  She cleans quickly. The crowd cheers. Time!  Next, we have Adam Glucksman.

Ben starts his presentation and is preparing his shots.  Very calm and collect.  The shots are caramel in color. He uses the element 114 espresso.  The crowd screams after he describes the blend to the judges.  He doses quickly and smoothly. Level tamp. Attention to details.  Shots look incredible. He swirls the milk and pours a beautiful heart. And then does it again.  Citrus and cacoa.  Toasted marshmallow finish.  He whips lemon juice and cream.  He pulls shots of espresso as he prepares the signature drink.  They look beautiful.  Created to make a summer beverage that is chilled.  The crowd screams.  He has a 1:20 left to clean.  He refills water.  The judges make there evaluation. 

Hi this is Sean with Temple Coffeehouse in Sacramento.

Ross pushes the button. He hands out menus.  Seems calm and relaxed.  He hands on long trays with an assortment of coffee beans.  The mic is not working, which makes for a quiet presentation from 15 feet.  He is tamping for his espresso shots into white tulip shaped glasses. A spin of the portafilter and he inserts to brew.  He wipes the rim thoroughly. 7 cups on the tray.  The espresso is dripping.  He is struggling with shots coming out.  The nerves of competition can get the best of you.  I know from experience.  He throws away shots, adjusts the grind.  He is trying to refocus.  The shots are not coming out again.  He has decided to throw in the towel.  Frustrated with grinder. 

Next, we will have Ben Lance from Temple Coffeehouse. He has been working hard for this time.  He is a barista has that has come far with his barista skills within a short period of time.

Hello again, I’m jumping back on in the middle of Sean White’s presentation. He’s hand-squeezing some oranges for his signature drink, ‘The Optimist’. A French-press is involved. Now’s he’s got a power drill for his coconut. You know, because he “wanted to use it on stage”. Now he’s adding some rose water.

All of this to accentuate the citrusy-floral in their ‘Street Level’ blend of espresso.

He broke his albow about a month or so ago, so had to re-learn and adapt his methods while recovering. Calls it a “switch-hand” action.

Our esteemed judges…

Christopher is using an all organic blend.

He also starts with prep for his signature drink. He pulls his espressos, a blend of dark roasted Sumatra and a lighter roasted Guatemala are used in his blend.

A very quiet competitor he moves through his presentation very smoothly, as he prepares his cappuccinos. Presented to the judges at 9:40. Milk used is from Trader Joes.

Signature drink is up next. Drinks are poured into small glassware in a layered fashion. Struggling here to know what is happening as there is no discussion. Instructions are given on how to drink the mystery drink. Calls time at 14:59

First time competitor , Christopher, was a bit nervous, but was very smooth in his presentation.

Kyle is a seasoned competitor and heads up the Silver Lake Intelligensia retail store. Today he using the new Mazzer Robur E grinder. Where did you get that thing Kyle?
Three different Brazil’s make up Kyle’s espresso that has notes of citrus, and chocolate.

Butter warmers are used to slowing heat fresh green cardamom pods, macadamia nuts and brown sugar. Kyle will start with the signature drink components. He then moves on to espresso prep for the drinks while the ingredients warm. He presents his espressos at 3:15. Instructions to swirl then gulp are given and on to the next drink.

Signature drink build continues, while he prepares the cappuccinos. As I sit her pondering what to say, all I can think is how calm and smooth Kyle is. His Cappuccino pours are incredible and he presents the drinks to the judges at 8:34 Black Cat is the blend in the Cappaccinos. Chocolate is the descriptor.

And The signature drink build continues……….. Water all around for the judges. The spices continue to caramelize in front of the judges as Kyle moves to prepare the Espressos for his drink I hate to say it but Kyle is so poised that I am dumb founded with a lack of words….weird huh?
The sig drink features Macadamia nuts and cardamom pods. Salted macadamia is used and the Kyle explains the contrast that this element adds to his drink. All ingredients are strained into a martini glass with just a whisper of ice cream. Drinks are presented at 14:54 and calls time at 15:00! Killer……….

Lani Petersson, head

Andrew Barnett, Sensory

Jim Prather, Sensory

Aaron Vander Groen, Sensory

Ariel Mahon, Sensory

Matt Higgens, technical

Pele Aveau, technical

Brent Fortune, head judge

Cory Morgan, Sensory judge

Ellie Matuszak, Sensory judge

Scott Callendar, Sensory judge

Craig Becker, Sensory judge

Sean Kohmescher, technical judge

Deaton Pigot, technical judge

Monica is a Barista at Barefoot in Santa Clara, and will start with her signature drink.

Using the blend Element 114 she talks about the concepts behind her drink. Tamarind citrus puree, with lime juice. Muscavato sugar is used to create a buttery mouth feel to create a soda. Her soda dispenser fails, but she is prepared with a back up!

The room is packed with supporters as Monica makes her way though her signature drink. This by the way is an interesting way to go about competition and ads to the intrigue. Her Espressos look great and she seems calm and poised. The instructions are to drink the espresso and then the Tamarind lime soda. Presented to the judges at 7:15

Cappuccinos are up next. She pulls the shots and presents them to tech judges. Milk is nice and the art is as well. Monica is a seasoned barista who works bar daily and her presentation shows a calm presences in the face of a large crowd, who has packed the room. Cappuccino’s are presented to the judges at 12:05

Espressos up next with two minute to go……. More Element 114, she cleans up during espresso extraction, gotta use those seconds some how. Presented at 15:06 calls time at 15:10

Nice work Monica!

Lani Petersson, head

Andrew Barnett, Sensory

Jim Prather, Sensory

Aaron Vander Groen, Sensory

Ariel Mahon,  Sensory

Matt Higgens, technical

Pele Aveau, technical

Brent Fortune, head judge

Cory Morgan, Sensory judge

Ellie Matuszak, Sensory judge

Scott Callendar, Sensory judge

Craig Becker, Sensory judge

Sean Kohmescher, technical judge

Deaton Pigot, technical judge

First up today was Caffe Calabria from San Diego. At 10:00 is Ritual Coffee Roasters of San Francisco, and at 11:00 is Coffee Klatch of San Dimas, home to current US BarsitaChampion Heather Perry. Great coffee and a great fund raiser for Bikes to Rwanda. If your not here to try these great coffees please take time today to visit Bikes to Rwanda and donate today!