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 patiently 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.
As you may know, my family owns a coffee house in Santa Clara. We serve coffees from Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company from Seattle as well as Verve Coffee Roasters located in Santa Cruz. This past week, my sister and I wanted to get away and decided to pay the guys at Verve a visit. We told them not to deliver our coffee and that we would pick it up instead.
It was such a beautiful day in Santa Cruz, I was tempted to go to the beach right then and there. Verve is located at the end of 41st St. (next to Pink Godzilla and near Pleasure Pizza). They have only been open for a little over a year but already have a good rep; they supply their coffee to tons of cafes in Santa Cruz, and to a well known coffee shop all the way in New York, and even to Google! Oh yeah, and to us of course!
The owners and many of Verve's baristas have coffee experience else where - from Pacific Bay, Barefoot, Groundwork, The Naked Lounge - these guys know their stuff! At the 2009 Western Regional Barista Competition, two finalists reppin' Verve are going on to the United States Barista Competition coming up in March: Verve's very own Jared Truby got 5th place and The Abbey's Sara Peterson just made it into the 6th slot. (The Abbey uses Verve's Coffee). Good luck to them both!
At Verve, my sister ordered a macchiato* and our barista, Matt, showed his excitement with a "YES!" I would be silly not to get an espresso after his comment. He pulled us a Single Origin Guatemalan coffee, and they were both delish: a trip well worth the drive! If you're ever in Santa Cruz/Capitola, this place is a must!
*By macchiato, I dont mean a Starbuck's "Macchiato" which is a caramel latte; they butchered the name macchiato! It is really espresso with just a tad bit of milk.
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".
