When it comes to coffee, I’m easy to please; I like a little with my cream and sugar in the morning and I’m good to go. One might say I’m a casual fan, but there are plenty of people who take their morning joe far more seriously. Droves of them flocked to Minneapolis on the weekend of Oct. 21 for the U.S. Coffee Championship preliminaries, an annual competition in the advanced side of coffee brewing, roasting, and latte art. The competition is backed by the National Coffee Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the international coffee trade equitable and sustainable.
Events took place over the whole weekend across the metro, but here in Northeast, Spyhouse Coffee on Central Avenue and Broadway Street hosted prelims for the “Brewer’s Cup” and “Barista” categories.
In the Brewer’s Cup category, competitors showcased their favorite way to brew a single cup of coffee, no frills, nothing but hot water and coffee grounds.
The Barista category focused on lattés and other milk-based beverages.
Each competitor in both categories was given a set amount of time from setup to final product. During their time slot, they worked while a panel of judges looked on intently. Their presentations walked the judges through the coffee beans they were using, and how the process of brewing would impact the taste of the finished brew.
Everything from the temperature of the water to how densely packed the grounds were in the filter affects the drink, and contestants explained how a little well dug into the middle of the grounds made their drink richer, or how pouring the water in at a certain rate lets the drink breathe. Judges were told they could expect things like “tangerine-like acidity, with notes of baked apple and hazelnut, with a cocoa powder finish.”
Final scores would be evaluated on how well these sommeliers of the coffee world could match their finished drink to the taste they described as they worked, as well as their technique.
The weekend’s events were just the first round in a much grander, nation-wide tournament. The top eight contestants (four from each category) from these preliminaries will advance to the qualifiers in February, and after the qualifiers comes nationals. Competitors in this month’s preliminaries could eventually advance as far as the World Coffee Championships next year.
Below: Dillon Lockwood (right) came from Indianapolis to compete in preliminaries the U.S. Coffee Championship held at Spyhouse Coffee on Saturday, Oct. 22. He explained his process as he worked, and while judges keenly watched over his shoulder. Hugo Kano explained that he was brewing his cup for the competition using an unorthodox method that is frowned on by some, but as he demonstrated the process, he explained why he felt it made his coffee stand out. Taste wasn’t the only factor that went into the judges’ scoring system. One judge periodically smelled his sample after Dillon Lockwood’s demonstration, evaluating how the aromas changed as the drink cooled. Andrew Hinrichs walked the audience through his process while a judge hovered behind to examine his methods closely. Dakota Graff focused intently on the presentation of his creation while he explained the combinations of flavors that went into it. (Photos by Alex Schlee)
