Saturday, March 7, 2009

USBC: Semifinalists

After 10 long hours, Carla and I made it to Portland at nearly midnight. Our friends from Verve and Zoka did not make it to the semifinals, but Sara Peterson from The Abbey did! This is her first time competing and she has less than one year of coffee experience; what a great accomplishment for her! We got to see a glimpse of her performance on Saturday, and she said she felt really good about it afterward. I believe her exact words were "bomb diggity".


At the competitions, they have what is called the 4th Machine, an espresso machine dedicated to roasters and coffee houses showcasing their coffee in designated time slots. They offer esspressos, macchiatos, and cappuccinos absolutely free! All day, everyday. I got to try a macchiato from Ecco Caffe and it was delicious!

After hours of people competing and a day of waiting, it was finally time for the 6 finalists to be announced.




Sara p
atiently waits
for her results.








In no particular order, congratulations to:
Ryan Wilbur (Intelligentsia)
Devin Pedde (Intelligentsia)

Mark Marquard (Kaldi's Coffee)
Scott Lucey (Alterra Coffee)
Mike Phillips (Intelligentsia)

Nick Griffith (Intelligentsia)


Too bad there are no girls in the mix; it looks like team Intelli is working their way to the top as only one competitor from their shop didn't make it to the next round! They will be competing for the last time in the USBC tomorrow morning; unfortunately, the time springs forward tonight. (No partying tonight for them!)

More to come after tomorrow's results! And of course, you can check out more pictures and information at the USBC website.

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