a picture of what's possible

so the united states barista championship concluded this weekend with a new champion being named and sent off next month to the world barista championship in berne, switzerland.

the competition coincides annually with the specialty coffee association of america's big shin-dig and a bunch of ancilary pow-wow's hosted by various and sundry players in the industry.

anyways, the finals for the usbc are an intense affair, watched by a large number of people at the scaa. each barista has fifteen minutes to pull four espresso shots for the judges (one per), four cappuccinos, then create a signature beverage of their own choosing. cleanliness is next to godliness, of course. and of course, all the judges are scoring on a whole range of geeky areas.

here's a link to some videos of the top seven finalists. [hat tip: chemically imbalanced.]

some are beautiful in their presentation. some show very hypnotic, robotic, droll movements. some seem overpracticed and fake in their presentations. some, refreshing. only one had decent music. all have worked countless hours and extrememly hard and are well deserving of the finals, despite the mediocre music.

enjoy.