Mountain Regional Barista Competition

MRBC in the news

2009-01-18T19:35:00.001-07:00

We got coverage on the 5pm news on channel 9. Check it out!

Results!

2009-01-18T18:54:00.006-07:00

The finalists are:

Jesse Bladyka- Coal Creek Coffee, Laramie, WY
Greg Lefcourt- Ozo Coffee Co, Boulder, CO
Robin Crosby- Coal Creek Coffee, Laramie, WY
Philip Search- Sole Coffee Roasters, Boulder, CO
Emily Kryska- Caffee Sole, Boulder, CO
Thai Patton- The Cup, Boulder, CO

And here is the judging panel:
Head Judge- Lani Peterson
Tech Judges- Hugo Neuproler, Miguel Vicuna
Sensory Judges- Andrea Piccolo, Lee Walter, Josh Ferguson, Frank McGinty

The finalists waiting to hear the results

Happy finalists after the announcement of the top 6

A great turnout supporting the Mountain Region baristas

MRBC Champion Greg Lefcourt

One of the prize cups, prize tamper, and prize competition planner

And here are the results:
1. Greg Lefcourt (center)
2. Jesse Bladyka (right)
3. Philip Search (left)

Less than 2 weeks

2009-01-04T09:51:00.002-07:00

So Mr. BC is less than two weeks away and I hope you are as excited as I am. If you are planning on competing and haven't turned in your registration form yet, please turn it in as soon as possible.

And for those that are planning on volunteering, if you send in your volunteer registration form (instead of just showing up to volunteer) you can pick your position and time slots. Please, please, please volunteer!

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll see you soon.

Hotel and Schedule update

2008-12-29T14:19:00.002-07:00

Our fabulous MC, Chris Davidson, just gave a helpful tip: if you are making a reservation at the Hampton Inn reference confirmation code 86454972 to help the reservations folks assign the discounted rate faster. Sorry about the hassle!

Also, the official event schedule is now posted here. For directions to the event location click here, for directions to the judge's dinner click here, and for directions to the general reception click here.

If you need another reason to compete...

2008-12-23T11:11:00.001-07:00

Terra Keramik prize cups are back! As well as a Torr tamper for the winner!

Registration Forms

2008-11-24T16:17:00.002-07:00

The 2009 MRBC registration forms are out!

If you want to be a competitor fill this one out.

If you want to be a judge fill this one out.

If you want to be a volunteer fill this one out and please e-mail me or call me at 303.920.5451 to set up your exact slots.

Host Hotel

2008-11-20T08:58:00.002-07:00

This year's host hotel is the Hampton Inn where we have a deal for $109.99/night. Ask for Julian or Kyle and mention the MRBC and Allegro and they'll set you up. This is just over a mile away from the competition site.

The MRBC is at the same time as the National Western Stock Show in Denver, so I recommend making reservations as soon as possible.

Machine and Grinder changes

2008-09-02T12:39:00.002-06:00

With the new competition season also come new machine and grinder sponsors. The USBC and US Regional Competitions are going to have the same machine and grinder sponsors as the WBC and they are:

Nuova Simonelli Aurelia

Mahlkonig K30

I believe you will still be able to bring your own grinder, but the K30 will be provided if you don't.

Rule Changes!

2008-08-26T08:50:00.002-06:00

The World Barista Championship Rules & Regulations Committee has made some rule changes for the new year of competition. The full rules and regulations for 2009 WBC sanctioned events (including the USBC and therefore the US regionals) can be found here.

The biggest changes are that shot times no longer have to be 20-30 seconds, technical judges don't evaluate the crema appearance on cappuccinos and signature drinks, you no longer have to serve sugar, and that you no longer have to serve all 4 drinks at the same time. This pdf gives a great explanation of the rule changes, I would read both of them closely.

2nd annual Mountain Regional Barista Competition

2008-08-05T22:51:00.001-06:00

The 2nd annual Mountain Regional Barista Competition hosted by Allegro Coffee Company will be taking place from January 16-18th, 2009 at 1500 E. 128th Ave., Thornton, CO 80241-2602 (the same location as last year).

More details will follow, so please check back and e-mail me with any questions.

I'm looking forward to another amazing competition that showcases the best baristas that Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming have to offer.

Ranking Results

2008-03-06T06:33:00.002-07:00

MRBC 2008 Rankings

Congratulations to everyone and thank you so much for making the first ever MRBC a huge success!

news 2 coverage

2008-03-03T10:26:00.002-07:00

Check out the following video from the channel 2 news that they ran Saturday night on their 9 o'clock news:

Baristas Brew Up Strong Competition

They called me Nolan, I guess I'll take second place.

Results!

2008-03-02T13:57:00.001-07:00

3rd place- Heidi Bickelhaudt
2nd place- Nolan Dutton
1st place- Jon Lewis!

Press!

2008-02-27T15:03:00.002-07:00

The Westword Magazine just printed a great article about the competition. Check it out here: Baristas Abuzz With Caffeinated Competition.

Registration Forms

2008-02-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

Here you go! Please fill them out as soon as possible.

MRBC Schedule of Events (As of 02/25/08)

MRBC Competitor Registration Form

MRBC Judges Registration Form

MRBC Volunteer Registration Form

Rules, Regulations, and Score Sheets

2008-02-24T09:36:00.002-07:00

We have the first installment of official MRBC documents. Expect the registration forms very soon.

MRBC Competitor Rules And Regulations

MRBC Judges Rules And Regulations

MRBC Head Judge Score Sheet

MRBC Technical Judge Score Sheet

MRBC Sensory Judge Score Sheet

Weather Forecast

2008-02-24T09:34:00.002-07:00

If you're into that sort of thing, here's the forecast for the competition weekend. Showers on Sunday, but Friday and Saturday have highs in the 50's. Just watch out for the pouring espresso!

Competitor Cups

2008-02-07T08:39:00.001-07:00

On coffeed I mentioned that there will be custom Terra Keramik cups for competitors, and I just received the first view. There will be even more exclusive cups for first through third place.

The only catch is that you have to compete to get one.

Flyers!

2008-02-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Please post these in your shops, roasting facilities, homes, and where ever else the coffee obsessed might be. Come one, come all, let's try and get as many people watching the competition as possible. High resolution files are best for printing.

Collect all three!!!

Flyer 1, Flyer 1 High Resolution
Flyer 2, Flyer 2 High Resolution
Flyer 3, Flyer 3 High Resolution

Competition Videos

2008-01-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

For anyone who is looking for videos of past competitions, zacharyzachary.com is possibly the best resource. They flew to the 2007 World Barista Championships and videoed every competitor, and these videos are worth checking out.

Finals

1st day of preliminaries

2nd day of preliminaries

Host Hotel

2007-12-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

The Radisson Greystone at 83 East 120th (about 2.5 miles from the competition site) has given us a great rate for the competition. Mention Allegro Coffee when you make your reservation and you will get an $89/night rate that includes a complimentary breakfast. They will also have shuttles available to take you to and from the competition site.

Pre-competition Jam

2007-12-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

Sole Roasters has generously volunteered to host a pre-competition jam on Thursday, January 24th at their roasting facility in Boulder at: 4699 S. Nautilus Court South #504. Show up around 6pm and we'll get going at 6.30 or 6.45pm.

The jam will consist of a run through of a competition routine to give an example of what the competition will be like for first time competitors. There will also be open time for discussing ideas and questions about your routines, and free time to practice on La Marzocco espresso machines.

Send me an e-mail or comment here if you're going to attend or have any questions so that we can get an estimate of a head count.

The Real Deal

2007-10-16T17:54:00.002-06:00

The Specialty Coffee Association of America presents the 2008 Mountain Regional Barista Competition, hosted by Allegro Coffee Company, February 29th - March 2nd, 2008. This fabulous event will take place at the Adams 12 school district administrative office building in Thornton, CO. Fearless baristas will be coming from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, to test their skills and might against one another on the ever forgiving espresso machine. The winner will be crowned 2008 Mountain Regional Barista Champion and will receive a trip straight to the semi-finals of the United States Barista Championship at the SCAA's Annual Conference & Exhibition in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 2-5, 2008. Stay tuned and keep your ears peeled, we will be coming around, spreading the word and making the calls to promote this event. Its time to start getting excited!

Mountain Regional Barista Competition

MRBC in the news

Results!

Less than 2 weeks

Hotel and Schedule update

If you need another reason to compete...

Registration Forms

Host Hotel

More competition videos

Machine and Grinder changes

Rule Changes!

2nd annual Mountain Regional Barista Competition

Ranking Results

news 2 coverage

Results!

Press!

Registration Forms

Rules, Regulations, and Score Sheets

Weather Forecast

Competitor Cups

Flyers!

Competition Videos

Host Hotel

Pre-competition Jam

The Real Deal