USBC Qualifiers – Eastern Conference Day Two, Part One

Welcome to a recap from Day Two of Eastern Conference action at the 2016 US Coffee Championships Qualifying Event! 25 competitors competed today—we’re breaking these recaps into smaller, bite-sized portions, and will be publishing two a day throughout the event.

This year there’s a live scoring element that’s been introduced into the competition, with a total available points value of 430. That’s the number you’ll see accompanying each of these extraordinary competitors. This is the final day of competition, and you’d think we’d seen it all by this point in the competition, but whoa boy would you be wrong! Today gifted us with the highest scoring performance of any of the entire competition and a handful of truly unforgettable highlights.

Our coverage is made possible by direct support from Urnex Brands. The SprudgeLive competition coverage crew includes Charlie Burt (photos), Elizabeth Chai (photos), and Zac Cadwalader (producer). Notes in this article are pulled from our @sprudgelive  competition feed—follow us there for play by play throughout the week.

Tracy Gill, Joe Van Gogh, Durham, NC–202.5

El Salvadoran coffee here for Tracy Gill of @joevangogh sourced by @caravelacoffee—both located in Durham

espresso for Tracy Gill “juicy clementine, cinnamon spice, syrupy body like molasses, crisp lime finish”

capps “cinnamon spice, hard to tell where the espresso ends and the milk begins—think spiced toffee”

clementine juice, chilled espresso, black strap molasses, and cinnamon zest in Tracy Gill’s #uscoffeechamps sig drink

Radames Roldan, Blueprint Coffee, St. Louis, MO–305.5

“I’d like to invite you to my feedback loop” – Radames Roldan of @blueprintcoffee. Bucket brigade barista. Love it.

“lemon acidity w/ floral aromatics and hibiscus” R. Roldan’s espresso from Hacienda La Papaya in Ecuador.

3:1 milk to spro for R. Roldan’s “milkies”. Notes of butterscotch and berries.

Rose water, pomegranite, honey, and nutmeg w/ a nitro charge for silkiness for @radprojection‘s sig bev

Hadassah Wilson, Square One Coffee, Lancaster, PA–271

Deja vu. @hadassahedith is using coffee from Hacienda La Papaya. Same as our previous competitor @radprojection

Hacienda La Papaya definitely the *it* coffee of #uscoffeechamps qualifiers

6 oz milk beverage from #uscoffeechamps competitor @hadassahedith  of @squareonecoffee —variable size milkies lotta fun

blueberry ginger reduction in @hadassahedith‘s sig drink—charged espresso + egg whites, brown sugar syrup, g-fruit bitters

Trevor Corlett, Madcap Coffee, Washington, DC–342

Pasto Narino, Colombia coffee from @madcapcoffee competitor @tjorle — caturra variety

“cinnamon, black cherry, complex big sweetness…medium bodied, silky, lingering finish”

lil tiny macchiatos from @tjorle — “ovaltine, gingerbread” — 90ml beverage total—”the coffee has as big a show as the milk”

not nearly enough open flame at #uscoffeechamps so thanks for correcting that trev

Robert Varner, Sump Coffee, St. Louis, MO–241.5

4 oz milky from Mr. Varner and @sumpcoffee —”orange citrus, soft caramel” — hey milk beverage sounds pretty good

“a longer, more continental European style extraction” in these @sumpcoffee espressos via @mahlkonigusa EK43 grinder

sig drink for Mr. Varner of @sumpcoffee takes a ristretto shot — playing with espresso styles throughout this routine

Robert Varner’s competition spot only opened up last weekend—that’s a compressed prep time!

Jonathan Moehlig, Land of a Thousand Hills, Roswell, GA–302.5

Here’s a Rwandan coffee from the Rwanda coffee experts at @1000hillscoffee and Jonathan Moehlig

lavender orange simple syrup, Tanzanian chocolate, espresso in J. Moehlig’s sig drink

“There’s nothing better I can do to create community b/t people than making coffee for them” —J. Moehlig

would have perhaps expected more Macklemore this week? Believe this is the first Macklemore usage.

Jon Lewis, Deeper Roots Coffee, Cincinnati, OH–302

Jon Lewis has what looks like either a cider press or a moonshine still up there on stage.

This is a Colombia, Antioquia coffee for J. Lewis & @deeperrootsDRC — #uscoffeechamps —apple acidity, panella, floral bittersweetness

“do you like apples? how about these apples.”

sig drink Jon Lewis @deeperrootsDRC: pressed apple cider & apple peel tisane ice cube, La Palma espresso poured over to melt

Wolf Barn Marnell, Pavement Coffeehouse, Boston, MA–305.5

“candied orange flavor” in Wolf Barn Marnell’s #milkys —it’s an El Sal bourbon-dominant coffee, “great in milk”

sprudge live on-site tweet bunker appreciates @misterbarn‘s use of Deltron 3030 at #uscoffeechamps

It’s another @aidabatlle / @counter_culture combo up here—let’s get geeky, it’s an Agtron of 76

pulp natural / washed combo from El Salvador “like a mango flavor” in @misterbarn‘s #uscoffeechamps espressos

note to future competitors, if you play deltron we will tweet at you about it. this has been a note to future competitors

cascara steeped in milk, clementine juice, filtered—”cascara clementine whey”—hey that sounds whey cool

Jason Mundie, Prevail Coffee Roasters, Opelika, AL–195

“In the south we pride ourselves on quality craftmanship and handcrafted materials”

This is a Costa Rican coffee from J. Mundie & @prevailcoffee served with a little southern hospitality.

“blackberries, raspberry tartness, pine nut finish” in Jason Mundie’s Costa Rican espressos

coffee cherry, honey, coffee grounds, espresso—steeped together in hot water. “a unique tasting experience”

Luis Colon, Fuego Coffee Roasters, Rochester, NY–247.5

“Coffee becomes an event, rather than just a simple beverage.” Luis Colon

“Apricot, plum, and honey…creamy mouthfeel, lasting finish” in Luis Colon’s Ethiopian espressos

“raspberry, cashew, buttercream” in these @fuegoroasters #milky drinks from Luis Colon

Andrea Allen, Onyx Coffee Lab, Fayetteville, AR–285.5

“Competition showcases the best baristas, coffees, practices—the ceiling of specialty coffee”

“sparkling lime acidity, blackberry flavor, whole milk like body, black tea finish” in @andreaarkansas‘ #uscoffeechamps natty Colombia spro

“It is an outdated way of thinking that all natural coffees are fermenty or flawed” — YES.