The Winds of Change They Are A Blowin'

Welcome back fellow coffee enthusiasts. It's been a fun hiatus, but it's time to return to the nitty gritty of monthly Smackdowns. And we've got some fun things in store for you.

First, the format of the Smackdown will be undergoing a bit of a change. Instead of the one pour-three judges, winner is picked format SNS will now be done in a more fast paced and thrilling head to head style pour offs. Enter the Single Elimination Bracket System, a tournament style latte art throwdown wherein two baristas pour head to head and one winner is chosen to move to the next bracket unitl we reach the last top two baristas to see who walks away with the top honors.

Secondly, the dates of the Smackdown will now be the FIRST Saturday of the month instead of the last of the month. This is for purely selfish reasons. At Medici, we will be doing a fun event called Medici Notte on the last weekend of every month. So moving the SNS to the first weekend allows me to have my cake and eat it too. And then tell everyone how delicious my cake was. Also, the Smackdown will run into less holiday time at the beginning rather than the end of the month.

Now for the meat of the post . . .

The next SNS is scheduled for February 6th at Frank in downtown Austin. Tyler Wells, the head barista and 3rd place SCRBC finalist, is pretty stoked to have the event coming to his neck of the woods. The first bit of the SNS will focus on Manual Brewing Techniques, specifically, controlling the amount and rate of extraction through dose, temperature, and contact time. We'll have Chemexes, Hario pour overs, and the ever impressive 5 cup Yama Syphon.

The latte art portion will be design of your choice, poured into one of these bad boys. Aw yeah!

A little lecture, a little hands on brewing, and some sweet latte art in Austin's only hot dog/bar/coffee shop. It's gonna be rad.

Rock.

Smackdown for January

Welcome to the new year! It's been a fun one so far, and it looks like it's only getting better.

Originally, we were planning to hold the first Smackdown of the year in San Antonio, but the owner of Local Coffee, Robbie, will be in El Salvador at that time. So instead, we're keeping it in Austin. Haven't quite settled on which shop will host, yet, but it will probably be Medici on the Drag.

I'll post a bit more this weekend once we have some details hammered out, just wanted to keep ya'll updated.

Rock.

Just got this . . .

Here is the official SCRBC schedule of events.


HELD AT: Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol
701 E. 11th Street Austin TX 78701
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
(AS OF 12/22/09‐ Subject to Change based on Number of competitors)

Thursday, January 7, 2010:

SCRBC Judge’s Certification Workshop
Held @ Sheraton Austin Hotel
9:00 am – 6:00 pm

BGA Competitor Meet & GreetHeld
@ FRANK 407 Colorado Street, Austin, TX 78701
Competitors, Judges, BGA Members and spectators alike are invited
to attend for further coffee fellowship and displays of amazing
Barista skill! Food and drink provided!
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Friday, January 8, 2010:

Competitor’s Meeting – Mandatory to attend one 9:00 am – 9:30 am
Competitors Practice Session 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Volunteer Meeting & Judges Calibration Meeting 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

SCRBC: Round One ‐ Day One (Competitors 1‐15) 12:00 pm –5:00 pm

SCRBC Reception @ Cuvee Coffee Roasters
22601 State Hwy 71 W, Spicewood, TX 78669
7:00 pm ‐ ‐?

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Competitor’s Meeting – Mandatory to attend one 9:00 am – 9:30 am
Competitors Practice Session 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Volunteer Meeting & Judges Calibration Meeting 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

SCRBC: Round One ‐ Day Two (Competitors 15‐30) 12:00 pm –5:00 pm

Announce Finalists 5:00 pm –5:30 pm
Competitors Review Score Sheets with Judges 5:30 pm –6:30 pm

SCRBC Party hosted by Caffe Medici!
Caffe MediciGuadalupe
2222B Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705
7:00 pm ‐?

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Finalist’s Practice Session 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Volunteer Meeting & Judges Calibration Meeting 9:30 am – 10:30 am

SCRBC: Finals (Finalists 1‐6) 10:30 am –1:00 pm

Awards Ceremony 1:30 pm –2:00 pm
Competitors Review Score Sheets With Judges 2:00 pm –3:00 pm

SCRBC

The South Central Regional Barista Championship is only a few days away now. I hope to see lots of you folks out there show up, competing or supporting. You still have time to register at the above link if you are interested in competing. I highly recommend that you do. It has made me a much better barista, as well as providing a forum for meeting other like minded coffee professionals.

There is always a need for volunteers at these events, be it judging, running, time keeping, etc. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Mike McKim of Cuvee Coffee at 512-264-1479, or click here to contact the SCAA directly.

This is the biggest event of the year for our region, and it's going to rock! There is a meet and greet at Frank on 4th and Colorado Thursday January 7th.

I'll be posting more info as it becomes available.

Rock.