Day One of the Western Conference Barista Competition Qualifying Event has come to a close. 23 baristas entered the hallowed KC Convention Center halls and competed their hearts out. With only a tight 10 minutes per routine, the action came fast and often. Here’s a look at the final tallies after the dust settled from the first of four crazy days.
25 more baristas are due to compete tomorrow in the Western Conference. The top 18 baristas from the conference will advance to the US Barista Championship tournament this April in Atlanta, Georgia, and the top six of those baristas will earn a coveted first round bye.
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1. Casey Soloria, Intelligentsia Coffee, Pasadena, CA—301
2. Ashley Rodriguez, Sightglass, San Francisco, CA–301
3. Kelly Sanchez, Blue Bottle Coffee Co, Oakland, CA–297
4. Isaiah Sheese, Archetype Coffee, Omaha, NE–291.5
5. Jared Gum, Bar Francis, Olympia, WA—287
6. Joel Bigelow, PT’s Coffee Roasting Co, Topeka, KS—283
7. Jonathan Dail, Hidden House Coffee, San Juan Capistrano, CA—268.5
8. Tamara Vigil, The Coffee House, Lincoln, NE—267.5
9. Brian Ensminger, Barista, Portland, OR–261.5
10. Seth Fuller, Colony Class, Colorado Springs, CO–255
11. Eli Ramirez, Shift Coffee, Denton, TX—246
12. Breanna Lloyd, Royal Drummer, Seattle, WA–214
13. Samuel W. Smith, Topeca Coffee Roasters, Tulsa, OK–212
14. Suzy Lippmann, Augie’s Coffee Roasters, Redlands, CA—211.5
15. Perry Czopp, The Coffee Chop, Phoenix, AZ—207
16. Derrick Wessels, Beagle Coffee Company, Fort Collins, CO–205.5
17. Hugo Cano, Bar Nine Coffee, Culver City, CA–204
18. Andy Fung, Hide Out Café, Rowland Heights, CA—198.5
19. Matthew B. Henderson, Lift Coffee Roasters, Riverside, CA–198.5
20. Kim Alexander, Tanager Coffee Roasters/Cathedral, Portland, OR—177.5
21. Jeffrey Dow, Steamdot Coffee Roasters, Anchorage, AK–175
22. Mae Clark, Street Bean, Seattle, WA–DQ
23. Chelsea Rae, The Roost, Lawrence, KS—DQ
For more in-depth coverage of today’s events, check out Parts 1 and 2 of our recap here and here. And for up-to-the-minute coverage, follow @sprudgelive on Twitter.
