Two faces from the local coffee scene were on the national stage last weekend, April 26 and 27, at the 2014 United States Coffee Championships in Seattle.
Nora Brady, co-owner of Blueprint Coffee, took sixth in the final round of the U.S. Barista Championship, and Kaldi’s Coffee roaster Tony Auger took third in the finals of the U.S. Brewers Cup Championship.
During the barista championship, Brady prepared three beverages for a panel of judges: a single espresso, a cappuccino and a signature beverage, which contained at least one shot of espresso and any additional elements except alcohol. Competitors had 15 minutes to prepare, explain and serve their drinks. Brady’s signature beverage (pictured) was a combination of chilled Victor Molano espresso, a reduction of macerated beet and turbinado sugar, lemon juice and nitrogen dioxide.
The Brewers Cup recognizes the art of manual coffee brewing. While the competition relies primarily on sensory analysis of hand-brewed coffee, competitors are also judged on customer service and coffee knowledge.
Their participation in the finals marks the first time in two years that a St. Louis-area barista has advanced to the final round of either competition. Blueprint co-owner Mike Marquard finished fourth in the 2012 Brewers Cup, and sixth in the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Barista Championship. National coffee blog Sprudge commented on the rarity of Brady’s success in particular. “it’s huge & rare & without much precedent, for @blueprintcoffee ?to field a finalist before their first birthday. ?#usbc2014 ?@snackpackbrady,” @SprudgeLive tweeted.
-photo courtesy of Blueprint Coffee
This article appears in April 2014.