Baristas battle in regional competition for the best pour

While the 2010 Winter Olympics wage on in Vancouver, another global battle of speed, skill and showmanship is underway. But in this competition, winners must have good taste.

The Southeast Regional Barista Competition, which kicks off Friday at the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta, brings together more than 30 of the region's best baristas.  The winner of the Specialty Coffee Association of America's annual event will go on to compete at the national level in Anaheim, Calif. with hopes of a shot at the World Barista Championship in London this June.

Performance is as important as the palate. The competitors make four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks before a panel of shrewd judges and an audience of coffee enthusiasts. They must take care not to slip, spill, or slight a single shot, all while describing their concoctions and the richness of their roasts.

Oh, and they have 15 minutes to do it.

“It’s choreographed like a dance… judges are looking for a flow,” says Marie Dennis, a 28-year-old barista from Park Grounds coffee shop in Reynoldstown.

Dennis believes her experience as a judge in last year's regionals can only help her shot at caffeinated glory. In addition to her work at Park Grounds, she's put in about 30 hours of practice. Baristas like Dennis test their skills using semi-automatic espresso machines, whereas larger coffee chains such as Starbucks rely on fully automatic machines.

"There's so much that goes into it," Dennis says. “It’s not just making a good shot. Everyone must be really knowledgeable of the coffee and why they chose it and its history.”

Like a chef, they must master the layering of flavors. Like a scientist, they must calibrate their coffee to water to milk ratio with precision. Like a track star, speed is key. And like a designer, an immaculately-styled cup is a must.

"These baristas are obsessed with coffee," says Mike Ferguson, business development director of Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters, which is hosting the competition with Everything Coffee & Tea. "You’ll hear them talk about coffee in the way a sommelier talks about wine."

Prior to the competition, the baristas work with roasters to perfect their blend. Dennis is relying on a 50 percent Brazilian, 20 percent Ethiopian Shakisso and 30 percent French roast Sumatran mix. Veteran competitor Dale Donchey, a 28-year-old barista at Octane Coffee near Emory University, says he will compete with a “very interesting Rwandan coffee that I think will hold a lot of surprises.”

Decatur-based Byron Holcomb, 29, is using a very personal roast for competition: beans he grew on his coffee farm in the Dominican Republic.

“I’ve worked my way from seed to cup," says Holcomb, who began Young Tree Coffee three years ago and has also worked for roasting companies and coffee joints.

Though he has trained baristas for competition in previous years, this marks his first time in the ring.

“For me, if things don’t go well, I can’t blame the farmer. I can’t blame the roaster. I can’t blame anybody -  all fingers point at me," he confides. "Sure, I’m a little nervous, but that’s part of the fun.”

So how do baristas prepare for such a battle?

"You prepare by serving every drink to every customer like it’s a competition drink," says Kim Collins, a competitor and owner of Element Coffee Company in Alpharetta. “Every day there’s something new to be learned as a barista.”

Others spend their off-hours practicing at roasting company Counter Culture Coffee's Atlanta Regional Training Center, located inside the King Plow Arts Center.