blindfolded latte art competition.

from the september smackdown.
told in pictures because they are easier than words!

we had three esteemable judges:
cavason


august winner tyler wells:


and juan. he's awesome:


some nice people showed up.
like clancy rose and patrick hallett:

cameron. did you know he makes awesome movies?

andy pants, but he had to be there. the bosses required it.

justin, from medici. he doesn't like having his picture taken.

and some sweet folks from flipnotics came, too.
lisa and elliott!

the nice guys from white rock coffee:


meg, wife of douglas from waterfalls.


and many more:


and shortly after the photographer's camera died,
first place went to dan streetman and clancy rose of cuvée coffee:

and second place went cameron burr and ryan van eck, from caffé medici:

and third place went to jen hellow (that's me!) and jenée ovitt of once over coffee bar:


and then dan streetman told us a joke:


so much fun, you guys! many many many thanks to rob and jenée from once over for being delightful hosts.

much affection:
jen hellow

October News on the Status of the Smackdown

Hey everyone,

I know this hasn't been updated in a while, but I managed to pry myself away from my beautiful La Marzocco for a moment and I'm back on the computer.

Word on the street is that the blind folded tag team awesomeness that was the Smackdown at Once Over Coffee Bar was a huge success. An update from barista/photographer/all around awesome chick Jen Hellow will be coming soon.

If any of you have looked at your calenders recently you will have noticed that the schedule for this months Smackdown falls squarely on Halloween. Hmm. Now, I love coffee as much as the next person, but I don't want to miss stuff like this. So the Smackdown is officially-unofficially on the move for October.

A good friend and great barista Dave from Tuscany Coffee in Houston has put together an awesome latte art throwdown for charity on Friday, October 30. It's going to be lots of fun, and some sweet prizes have been donated, AND it all goes to benefit an amazing coffee charity. Below is a little info on the event and a link to Dave's blog for some more details and directions. I hope that all of you can make the drive to Houston to support a great cause, pour some sick lattes, and have a great time.

Rock.

Charity Latte Art Throwdown

Charity Event Details

Coffee Kids helps children of farmers go to school rather than work on the family farm.This event will help raise money to Coffee Kids by donating all cash raised from the function to Coffeekids.org! Even Coffeegroundz has committed a portion of the sales from the night to go towards Coffee Kids.Sponsors of the event will be listed as generous donors to Coffee Kids as well as be displayed at the event in levels of donation. Door prizes and competitor prizes will also be donated by charitable companies. Every ticket sold will have a name written on the back. After the event we will compose an email to Coffee Kids displaying all names of ticket donors!If you know of any companies who would love to make a charitable donation, please email me at tuscanycoffee@gmail.com

september smackdown:

is comin' at you september 26!

jen from once over here, helping lorenzo out while he's all busy making up and trying out awesome ideas for medici notte. the nerve of some people...

the august smackdown was super, with mike mckim from cuvée coffee telling us about trips from brazil and peru. tyler wells, from jp's and now frank. and apparently everywhere else. silence huang and rob ovitt came in second and third, respectively.

in reverse order:
rob ovitt, once over coffee bar:


silence huang, international coffee superstar:


and tyler wells, jp's java & two (three?) time smackdown winner:



the september smackdown starts at 6:30 with a who the hell are you? mandatory meet and greet, followed by the blindfolded latte "art" throwdown.
that's right, watch this video, find yourself a partner, and try it out.

it's gonna be fun, kids.
i'm pretty sure it's also the last one for the next few months it is still happening every month, so come on out, make new friends, and prove to us that throwing down blindfolded is easier than it looks.



see ya soon,
jen

Flier for this Saturday

Print this and post it all over town. NOW!

Smackdown is on the move!

This months SNS will be held at Clementine, over on the east side. Chris Cusack is heading up all of the planning from their end, and yours truly is simply supplying data sharing.

A few change-ups (actually, the change-up would be if we kept it the same . . . what can I say, we like to keep things interesting) are in store for everyone this Saturday. We will have THREE, that's right, THREE different latte art throwdowns. Single Rosetta in an 8 oz, Double Rosetta in a 12 oz, and an unofficial "Show Me What You GOT!" best design in a cup of your choice. Same $10 buy in, winner takes all. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can enter all three throwdowns. That means the chance to win the largest throwdown pot that Austin has ever seen!

Mike McKim of Cuvee Coffee will be answering some questions from Chris Cusack about his latest trips to origin, Peru and Brazil, as well as taking audience questions at the end.

We've got some live DJ's throwing down some awesome beats, great beer on tap (it is at Clementine after all), and the chance to learn someting about coffee while showing off your sick latte art skills. Be there, or be . . . you know what, just be there. 6pm Saturday 28 at Clementine Coffee. 2200 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722.

Holy Shit . . .

I'm speechless . . .



And I thought I was the only one who enjoyed Tabasco and Sausage Lattes.

Watch his other videos at his YouTube page.

One more under the belt

This months theme was the tulip. Ah, the dreaded tulip. The bastard cousin to the heavily favored rosetta. Well, it's family reunion time, and yes you do have to be there. Just don't say anything about Aunt Edna's fruitcake . . . As usual the competitors had three minutes,ten dollars, and one pitcher of milk with which to take it all. Third place went to . . .


Johnathan Meadows of Alliance World Coffee/White Rock Coffee



Second Place finisher Dan Streetman of Cuvee Coffee



and First Place went to Sean Marshal of Fusion Beans/Catalina Coffee



As this months SNS came to a close, I left feeling strangely satisfied. I didn't win, I didn't compete, and Sean Marshall didn't bribe me with half the winnings. What was it about that night that left me with a little smile on my face?

It could have been the beer, graciously provided in part by Clementine, (thanks Chris) but I have a feeling that it went much deeper. That's what she said.

Bottom line, seeing this community grow has been pretty amazing. In 2007, John Johnson was putting together the Texas Coffee Think Tank, a brilliant idea that fizzled because there was no real support system, no team, and a much smaller community. Flash forward two years later, and a community has sprung up, willing to work together to make something beautiful happen. People from San Antonio to Dallas to Houston and here in Austin all make this event happen. And it happens every month! I'm still amazed by the passion of the baristas who turn out to this event, and it keeps getting better and better.

Last month, as I was in Dallas the Smackdown followed me there and we discovered a blossoming coffee scene waiting and wanting to be. It just shows that all over this state (yes, even in YOUR town) there are like minded people who want to have a great time, learn something new, and build a community. And not one based on competition and rivalry, but on camaraderie and a serious love for coffee. What Dan said at the beginning is absolutely true, if you have passion and share it with others it is highly contagious. Thanks for letting me catch yours.

(that's what she said)

Rock.