The first day of competitions has come and gone. The competitions are taking place at a boxing gym which is a perfect setting to battle it out. I split my time between the barista and brewers cup. The barista competition was setup in front of a wall of brick and windows. Super dreamy. The brewers cup took place in a boxing ring. Yeah, pretty darn cool.
The vibe was super chill. Which is easy to say, especially because I’m not actually competing. Spirits were high and it was really amazing watching the competitors. The caliber of talent was through the roof. Everyone brought their A game for sure.
As a regional sponsor Espresso Parts had the pleasure of throwing down some really great prizes for the top competitors of each competition. The baristas have a chance at awesome prizes like an Espresso Parts tamp, the Espresso Quest book, and other fun stuff. Brewers Cup competitors get some sweet Yama brewers and kettles among other things.
Aside from the competition I had a lot of time to connect with competitors and industry folks. If you follow our Instagram you saw that we have a special series called #whydoyoucompete. I asked each competitor what their inspiration was to compete and got some really great responses.
Now I’m sitting at the Cafe Imports party writing this next to a nice fire trying to stay warm. Day one of competitions was extremely impressive and I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow. See you then!