CALGARY: Barista championships

If you’re looking for something to do on Sunday while the rain continues to come down, stop by the finals for the first-ever Prairies Regional Barista Championship (10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., awards ceremony at 1 p.m. at Espuccino Imports at 4021-9th St. SE). It’s also being streamed live online.

Six out of 13 baristas made it past day one today, including Phil Robertson of Calgary’s Phil & Sebastian, and Chad Moss (seen here pouring milk from beer bottles as part of his presentation) from Edmonton’s Transcend Coffee.

The top three go on to compete at the national championships in Montreal in October.

It’s a pretty intense event. Baristas have to produce an espresso, cappuccino and a signature drink within 15 minutes while being judged on presentation, technical skills, cleanup and of course, taste.

They’re given a microphone headset to schmooze the judges and the audience and show a little personality, but also to explain what they’re doing and what’s going into their signature creation. I can’t even walk and chew gum at the same time, much less be suave and pull an espresso.

Phil’s signature Screaming Strawberry entry used macadamia milk he spent three hours making this morning, fresh strawberries and espresso made with beans from Ethiopia. Sadly, only the judges were allowed to taste any of the drinks.

I was a little nervous chatting with people who are obviously serious about their coffee but they’re all so happy to talk about what their passion, and to pass on their knowledge. I learned that a good grinder is more important than a big, fancy espresso machine.

The other regional competitions happen this summer in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

May 25 UPDATE: Chad Moss, Brendan Toyne (from Cochrane’s Java Jamboree), and Jimmy Oneschuk (from Saskatoon’s Museo Coffee) finished top three and will be representing the Prairies at the Canadian finals this fall.