us coffee champs nashville

US Coffee Champs Nashville Qualifiers 2020

Maya Crowley

The weekend of Jan 10-12, several Vermont coffee professionals traveled to Nashville, TN to compete and volunteer at the most recent US Coffee Champs event.  The venue was packed with competitors, professionals, volunteers, vendors, and members of the public.  The competitions held were:  Barista, Cup Taster, Brewer, Roaster, and Coffee in Good Spirits.  Vermont competitors were Daniel Guiterrez, from Royal Oak in Middlebury and competing as an independent, Ian Bailey, owner of Vivid Coffee, and Nate VanDeusen, co-owner of Brio Coffeeworks.

Near the entrance to the main stage area, there was an exploration group assessing interest in bringing back the US Latte Art Championship.  With Coffee in Good Spirits added last season, a latte art championship would help grow the competition circut in the US significantly.  The amount of capital and resources involved in high-performing barista competition routines (looking at past winners and high scorers) is unattainable for most working baristas.  Many competition routines tie in very close relationships with farmers and visits to origin.  Generally, that's a great thing!  People are connecting with producers and bringing attention to important issues and innovations in coffee.  However, it does making competing on the barista stage rather intimidating.  A latte art championship may help to make competitions feel more accessible.  During a time where accessibility is a major topic in the specialty coffee industry (and world), it may be time to bring the USLAC back.

Competitors put a lot into their competitions.  This year, Nate VanDeusen of Brio Coffeeworks will be moving onto the national roasting competition in Santa Ana, California.  Nate, Ian, and Daniel all had great showings in the competition and we hope to see them all return to the competition stage in future seasons.