Last held in Portland in 2009, the US Barista Championships will return to Portland with a much bigger venue than before: the Oregon Convention Center. Taking place April 19-22nd, the USBC is a roundup of winners from all the regional competitions. Victors from the Northwest competition which will be held in Tacoma from January 27th-29th, move on to the US competition in Portland. The winner from there will represent all the US in the world event.
Catherine Cole covered the championships for us at that time, with an article that made the somewhat geeky scene approachable to everyone -
Let me start by saying this: I don’t know a lot about coffee. At least, not anymore. Prior to jumping on the United States Barista Championship bandwagon, I surely thought I did. Yah, I drink it every day, have worked in a few coffee shops, go absolutely bananas if I have a good latte, but then I heard competitor Renee Teichen from Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco describe espresso. She used terms I thought were only appropriate to describe pieces of fruit or wine (clementine zest, citrus notes). She told an entire life story of the farmer who grew the beans, and knew exactly what kind of condition the cherries were in when they got picked. Renee then presented her “signature drink:” a two-part experience consisting of a small plate of aromatics next to an ounce-sized mixture of ganache, espresso and espresso-infused whipped cream. And that wasn’t even the semifinals.
Lots of potential problems with the venue – good luck to the promoters!