Here's the Skinny

First, an update on the upcoming SNS. It will be held on April 10, not April 3.

The 2010 USBC will be held in Anaheim, California, from April 15-18 in conjunction with the 2010 SCAA Exposition. Since five of our most active participants in the SNS will be heading out to represent our region, I thought it would be a fun idea to hold a mock competition, with constructive feedback from other competitors and guest judges.

What is the USBC you ask? Sixty competitors from the United States will vie for the title of United States Barista Champion by making four espressos, four cappuccinos, and four signature drinks for Four Sensory Judges, Two Technical Judges, and One Head Judge in fifteen minutes. Everything the baristas do in those fifteen minutes is scored on a scale of 870 points, including the taste of their drinks, visual appearance of their drinks, overall impression, cleanliness, dedication and passion, consistent dosing and tamping, milk waste, right down to the apron they are wearing.

Lorenzo Perkins, Aaron Blanco, Tyler Wells, Clancy Rose, Jon Meadows, and Isaiah Sheesh will be representing the South Central Region in a couple of weeks, and as such we'd like to give them the opportunity to run through their entire routine. This is a great opportunity for our competitors to hone their skills, while giving everyone the chance to see what barista competitions are all about. Come on down to Caffe Medici on Guadalupe on April 10 at 5 pm to see your barista competitors in action. And as usual, a $10 buy in, winner take all latte art throwdown will round out the evening.

Tell your friends, tell your mom, tell your mom's friends. This is gonna be awesome.

Rock.

Going to SA-Town

All right boys and girls, the next Saturday Night Smackdown is approaching rapidly. And we're going south to San Antonio. That's right, SA-Town. Believe it or not, there is some cool stuff happening in Alamo City, from Brown Coffee Co to Wildfire Roasters. And we've all been invited to the party.

Robbie Grubbs, owner of Local Coffee, is hosting March's event at his coffee shop off of Stone Oak Parkway. The event will start at 5:30pm on March 6th with some live music and dancing (if you're into that sorta thing). Then we'll start off a lively discussion about the current ideas and practices behind Espresso Theory and the coup de grace will be the head2head latte art throwdown.

We will be bringing back the Wheel of Destiny, because, well, it was just a lot of fun. So be ready to pour anything and everything, from maccs to 16 oz to-go lattes. As usual, $10 buy in with winner take all rules still in effect. We are trying to scrounge up some prizes for 2nd and 3rd, but I make no promises, except that it will be awesome.

Hope to see y'all there.

Rock.

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.

Attention all Barista Competitors!!

For those of you who are competing in the South Central Regional Barista Championship, I have good news. On December 19th starting at 10 am, Caffe Medici at 2222b Guadalupe St will be setting up a mock competition stage and is inviting EVERYONE in the area to come and run through their routines, however finished or unfinished they may be.

Dan Streetman, a USBC certified head judge, will be acting Head Judge. He has been a judge on the USBC circuit for the past two years, judging in four regionals and two national competitions. Dan is also on the USBC Committee and can answer any and all questions you have about rules, regulations, scoring, etc. Your fellow competitors will be your tech and sensory judges. This will give everyone a better understanding of both sides of the table, how to perform, and what to look for in your own performance.

Caffe Medici will be providing everything that the USBC will provide, grinders, tables, espresso machine (La Marzocco, we don't have the Nuova Simonelli), and you will be asked to bring everything else that you will be using in your routine. This is a great opportunity to do a run through in front of a crowd, and hopefully everyone will beneift from this. January is promising a great SCRBC, and we are excited to be a part of it.

If you have any questions about this event, please email me at SaturdayNightSmackdown@gmail.com. For questions reguarding the regional and national championsips, please visit http://www.usbaristachampionship.org/southcentral/. I hope to see a lot of y'all come out to this "jam" of sorts, there will probably not be a latte art throwdown, as we will be putting most of our focus and time into creating better baristas through competition training.

Rock.