Barista Bash 003 Recap








Thanks to everyone who came out for the Prima Coffee Barista Bash 003 hosted by Java Brewing Company on Friday night! There was a great turn out with both new and familiar faces in attendance.
A special thanks goes out to the folks lending their talents for the event. Kenny and Darren of Sunergos Coffee were kind enough to offer up their skills for the latte art classes and they did a great job teaching us novices. Sarah Welder and Sarah Buker of Java gave an excellent demonstration on brewing with the french press method. Phil Revell of Quills Coffee and Chris Heiniger of Sunergos brewed up some delicious coffee while demonstrating both the V60 and Chemex pour over methods. And our very own Matt Galyon and friend of Prima Brian Moats finished up the brewing demos with the Yama Syphon method, which of course drew an intrigued crowd! And to Kenny (winner of the Barista Bash 002 latte art competition), Matt Argo of The Anchorage Cafe, and Nathan Quillo, owner of Quills, for judging throughout the night!
Great coffee was to be had throughout the night, whether brewed or pulled. Mike Safai of Safai Coffee & Tea roasted several pounds of tasty coffees and donated them just for the Bash. Chris Cockrell of La Grange Coffee Roasters provided some delicious coffees as usual at the Bashes, and we are always grateful. And some of the folks from Alliance World Coffees made the trip down from Muncie to hang out and compete in the latte art competition, and donated some coffee as well to the Bash. You gotta love the coffee community!
Congratulations to the winners of the night! Josh Monroe of Java won the raffle prize for the night, which included a $10 gift certificate to Prima Coffee, a sweet Barista Magazine shirt, and a one year membership to the Barista Guild of America. Barista Bash 001 winner Chris Heiniger came in second in the latte art competition this time around, winning a Prima Coffee shirt, subscription to Barista Magazine, and $10 gift certificate. Sarah Reynolds of Alliance came down and became the first non Louisvillian to win the competition and surely made Muncie proud! The first place prizes included a Prima shirt, a Barista Magazine subscription, a $25 gift certificate to Prima Coffee, and a Prima Coffee tamper.
Thanks to Chris Lavenson and Stephen Ripley for being so accomodating and for being great hosts, as well as to the other Java baristas who worked so hard throughout the night. Thanks to Cameron Deeb for emceeing the events, and to Michelle Jones of Consuming Louisville for helping spread the word. The photos you see on the blog were provided by Brian Moats. Nice work! To everyone who came out and got excited about coffee and its awesomeness, we really appreciate your support and for supporting these great baristas who prepare coffee and espresso with excellence every day.
Until next time!
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When it comes to serving freshly brewed coffee in a commercial setting, one key dilemma has continually arisen. How can a commercial, high volume coffee shop make quick, fresh coffee without sacrificing quality? The solution has been either (1) to slightly sacrifice quality by making a large amount of drip coffee every hour or so, or (2) to preserve quality but to slow down production and possibly lose a potential profit with single-cup brewing (V60, Chemex, French Press, etc.). The brewing process that the Bunn Trifecta is built upon could be the answer to this significant dilemma.
The Trifecta has been anxiously awaited by the coffee community since Starbucks bought the rights to the Clover brewing system and took it off the market. At a fraction of the price of the Clover, the Trifecta could be the next-generation coffee system. The process is incredibly simple and efficient without sacrificing quality. It can be compared to a Syphon Brewer in its use of total immersion, constant temperature, and agitation of the grounds.
First, the hot water completely saturates the freshly ground beans resulting in a French Press like immersion. This takes advantage of the total extraction of beans that can only take place in full immersion brewing systems.
Second, Air is injected into the pressurized chamber which agitates the grounds. This further enhances extraction by exciting the grounds and water as they interact with each other.
Third, at just the right time (before over-extraction can take place), the pressurized air presses the coffee through a metal filter into the waiting cup. Similar to the Aeropress, this added pressure further enhances the extraction process and ensures a full-bodied flavor in the coffee. To read a full, hands-on review of the Bunn Trifecta by our coffee team, click here: Bunn Trifecta First Impression. -
Hario's stainless steel water kettle, the V60 Buono, has been spotted popping up in coffee houses and the kitchens of baristas for some time now. A detailed search on the web will reveal, for the moment at least, that the Buono seems to be widely accepted as the most useful pouring kettle available. What makes this kettle so popular amongst pour-over enthusiasts? Several reasons stand out.
First, the thin pouring spout enables greater pouring precision as well as a slower, more consistent and controlled rate of pour, both of which are very helpful in achieving a precise, prolonged extraction.
Second, the stainless steel construction and large 1 liter capacity contribute toward keeping up the brew temperature for the duration of the entire brew cycle.
Third, the ergonomics involved in the design of the kettle help to make using it much easier. This may not seem like much, but if you're brewing large batches of coffee and pouring for three or more minutes per batch, doing several batches of coffee will quickly become a chore if your kettle doesn't cooperate with you.
Combine all of these facets with the fact that the Buono is manufactured by Hario, a very popular name in the coffee-brewing community, and the kettle's popularity is easily understood. For best results, combine the Buono with a V60 Dripper or Chemex to get a truly exceptional cup of coffee. -
For most companies it's hard to find motivation for pushing out new products if you find yourself on top already. This is not, however, the case with La Marzocco. The Italian based espresso machine manufacturer continues to push the envelop when it comes to innovations in espresso machine technology. The newest line from La Marzocco continues their progression in the specific areas of temperature stability and pressure profiling. We've discussed the Strada Electronic Paddle version in detail in our Strada EP blog post and listing for the 2 Group Strada EP. The Strada Mechanical Paddle employs technology similar to the Mechanical Paddles on other La Marzocco models but with a few new features including individual pressure gauges, digital PID control, and dedicated group boilers.




Customer Reviews
why does Kenny always look
why does Kenny always look unrealistically buff in these pictures?