Everyday Champs
Baristi Talk Shop
by Sherri Johns


At the World Barista Championships (WBC) in Trieste, Italy this summer, the specialty coffee world will once more be treated to a showdown of talented tampers from around the world. National champs from many different cultures will display their skills to a panel of judges in the glare of international media. Winning drinks will be the focal point for admiration and passionate debate. But what of the people behind the drinks? Who are they? And how did they get to Trieste?

Crema of the Crop
When I began to research this article on some of the world's hottest barista champions, I prepared myself for what I was sure would be a group portrait of ego-driven "tamperamental" Type-A personalities engaged in cut-throat competition, eager to spill the beans on their rivals.
   Instead, I discovered a group of smart, sophisticated, motivated, competitive baristi who would not throw punches, even if given the opportunity, because they are too busy talking coffee--with one another.
   Naturally, among baristi you do hear plenty of "trash talk," see lots of posing and imbibe plenty of attitude. But most seems confined to the chat rooms, those international gatherings around the virtual water-cooler.
   At the higher echelons of international competition, you find thoughtful, articulate men and women striving to learn everything possible about espresso, and willing to share both their expertise in beverage preparation and their views on life. This thoughtful, almost philosophical frame of mind is to be found among successful veterans and promising newcomers alike. What defines a champion? It's a little like asking what makes certain splotches of paint on a canvas "art." It seems to consist less in ruthless killer instinct and sheer mechanical consistency, and more in a willingness to learn, to continually strive for excellence in the cup and to challenge oneself. Watching competitions, and judging them, I am always alert to the interplay of a contestant's technical skills and his or her more "ethereal" qualities. And for me, a world-class barista is one who can achieve a harmonious union of technical virtuosity and a more humanistic "sense of bean."

For The Love Of Coffee
Silvia Magalhaes is Brazil's reigning barista champion. She is 26 years old, and has been a barista for just two years. She won first place last year as well, but was not able to compete in the WBC due to visa issues. She did not let that dampen her enthusiasm for competition, however, returning in fine form to repeat as national champ. Competing in, and winning her nation's barista championship has added further impetus to her desire to open her own café, this very month.
   Despite her breathtaking learning curve, Silvia is not content to rest on her laurels. "I'm still at the beginning of my career," she says. "I intend to go on studying hard to become, one day, a truly excellent professional." What does that mean to her? "To be a good professional barista, you must have very good knowledge and technique, and must love what you do. You must have drive, and try always to improve your ability."
   José Miguel Coto Rodríguez, Costa Rica's barista champion, is just 22 years old, yet has already distinguished himself as both articulate and humble. He realizes that with competitions come accolades, but that the real victory comes in the everyday devotion to excellence. "In our workplaces the judges are our clients, and although they don't always know much about coffee, it is our obligation to educate them. Otherwise we would be failing as good baristi. If you are a good barista, you fulfill your work by giving the best of yourself, as if in competition, wherever you are."
   José comes from modest origins. He grew up on a coffee farm, and picked cherries before going to school. He enjoys the simple pleasures, such as nature and sports. But that simplicity belies a serious approach to the complexities of coffee and the coffee industry. "Coffee is strong, but it is also very delicate, and you must prepare it with love," he says. If coffee allows Jose to explore his poetic nature, it is also a touchstone for his sense of responsibility. "A good barista is also one who has conscience," he reminds us. "Even a minor act of negligence in the pulling of a shot can compromise the work and care of the caficultor [farmer], beneficiador [buyer] and torrefactor [roaster]. In our hands it can be the best cup of coffee in the world. But if we don't know how to manipulate it correctly, we'll ruin it."
   Dismas Smith is a seasoned veteran. At 33, the barista/roaster for Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company in Seattle, Wash. has experienced both the highs and lows of competition. He was U.S. Champion in 2002, and finished 6th at the World Championships that same year. For him, the WBC is the "Coffee Olympics," a place to express his national pride. But there are other, underlying convictions driving his pursuit of excellence. First is an inborn love for the challenge, which compels him to glean coffee information from friends in the industry, barista jams, the Internet, magazines and any other sources." But he also believes that competitions "help baristi and other industry people take the career of the barista more seriously."

Pride Of Nations
The WBC allows individuals to shine, but it's impossible to ignore national pride as a big motivation for excellence. Olga Melik-Karakozova will represent Russia at the championship in Trieste. She is Russia's 2004 champion and works in her country's first independent barista school, Barista Education & Consulting (BE&C) in Moscow. Olga yearns to repeat the success of 2003, when Russia shocked the coffee world by placing 6th in the finals on the very first try. "I hope I repeat this success or maybe accomplish more," Olga says. "That's what I'm dreaming about. I compete because I want to represent Russia as well as I can."
   Echoing this sentiment is Mexico's barista champion, Fabian Sanchez-Arreola of Cafe del Rio in Tijuana. "I hope to be able to gain knowledge and experience," he says. "But most important, I hope to be a worthy representative of Mexico and its coffee culture."
   Fabian's views make me wonder whether producing nations, with their legacy of involvement in so many facets of the coffee supply chain and their nuanced appreciation for the coffee cultivar, might have an edge in coffee preparation? It's tempting to speculate that this may be so, but ultimately, what some perceive as an advantage may be a handicap. Historically, origin countries export their highest quality coffee and consume the low grade, less expensive beans. That actually puts the baristi from producing countries at a disadvantage vis à vis their European counterparts, who have a centuries-old tradition of preparing and serving the highest quality coffee.
   On the other hand, it's hard to dismiss that closeness to the grower, and the intimacy with the product it engenders. One competitor who knows this well is current U.S. champion and 2003 WBC entrant, Heather Perry of Coffee Klatch, the San Dimas, Calif.-based roaster. Heather grew up in a coffee roasting family and has been a barista for six years. Her dedication and expertise eventually took her to Costa Rica as a volunteer with Coffee Corps, a USAID volunteer program geared to fostering coffee excellence and education in producing nations. Here she not only honed her craft, but gained an appreciation for the culture, and the people surrounding the bean. As she delivers drinks, she explains origins, and is thus becomes a living conduit of coffee education.

Passion And Pressure
Sammy Piccolo of Vancouver, B.C.'s Caffè Artigiano is the reigning Canadian barista champion, and feels that baristi are ambassadors for both café and country. "Therefore it is important to be involved in the coffee community and to get others excited." His emphasis on excitement comes from his pastime of many years: kick-boxing. Sammy believes that the discipline and energy of this strenuous martial art prepare him for the performances he gives at competitions. "When it comes to the barista competition performance, or the fight, you are the only one on stage or in the ring," he says. "You have to be focused and draw on all your experiences, then relax and give it your best shot."
   South Korean barista champion Jong Hoon Lee, of Dallmayr Coffee in Seoul has only been a barista for 18 months. Like Piccolo, he approaches it from a more physical side. Lee got his start in espresso and in the art of the barista after his father forbade him to break-dance. He had to do something for expression, he says, so coffee and "barista-ing" became his passion. Lee believes that a good barista is like a well balanced espresso. "The barista cannot just make a good espresso," he says, "He must surround himself with it, understanding its history, how to serve it--and of course, he must also have music."
   The newly crowned U.S. Barista champion is Bronwen Serna of Hines Public Market in Seattle, Wash. While she dazzled judges at the championship, her dedication goes beyond competition. Bronwen shares her expertise with others in a program called Fare Start, a Seattle-based organization that provides work skills to the homeless. By volunteering to teach disadvantaged youths how to work an espresso machine and create specialty drinks, Bronwen helps them discover opportunities they didn't know they had. Given her social ethic, it was no surprise that during the U.S. championships she took an afternoon off, to volunteer at the SCAA espresso labs.

Zen Mastery
Paul Bassett of Espresso Emporium in Sydney, Australia is the reigning World Barista Champion. He's also something of a zen master on espresso, and an unofficial but inevitable spokesperson for his craft. "A good barista understands the relationships that occur in the quality chain of espresso," he observes, "then technically executes and manages systems for the consistent reproduction of extraordinary espresso-based drinks. A good barista is committed to creating an experience for the consumer, not just a cup of coffee." Paul goes on to express, "Competition in any field creates an environment for the redefining of quality standards, personal assessment and measurability. When I competed, I learned about coffee, myself and life."
   I think the same could apply to all the current challengers for Bassett's crown. They are all explorers. While their non-caffeinated pursuits range from swimming to computers, to reading and wine, all enjoy exchanging ideas with other baristi from around the world. All are humble, sincere and dedicated. All express a positive assessment of an industry that depends upon them to provide brewed awakenings for millions of consumers each day. They have a passion for learning, and appear to live by Paul Bassett's mantra: "Always question and look to improve quality. Remain open-minded, but don't over-conceptualize. And remember that it's all about what's in the cup."
   These everyday champions and others like them are the face and the future of specialty coffee, making history with every cup, every day.

Sherri Johns and her husband Danny, own Whole Cup Consulting in Portland, Ore., and can be reached at sjohnswholecup@aol.com. She would like to thank Mr. Edgard Bressani of BSCA & Mr. José Cleofas Arreola of Mexico and SCACR/ICAFE for their assistance with translations.