Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/123507
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( OFF the WIRE ) ) )) ))) ) DAN LEIF NEWS BR IE FS AMERICA'S FINEST BARISTAS: (from left) Pete Licata, Trevor Corlett, Sam Lewontin, Nick Purvis, Charles Babinski and Charlie Habegger. THE BEST IN BOSTON: LICATA REPEATS AT USBC, MCCARTHY TAKES BREWERS CUP Boston, April 11-14; in the weekend's other main coffee-making competition, Erin McCarthy from Counter Culture Coffee won top prize in the U.S. Brewers Cup (moving on to May's World Brewers BOSTON—Second place, it turns out, was not enough for Cup, also in Melbourne). Pete Licata. In his successful 2011 competition cycle, Licata used Hawaiian In 2011, the then-Hawaii-based barista took first at the U.S. coffee he picked, processed and roasted himself. This year, repreBarista Championship, but his effort at global dominance ended senting Kansas City roaster Parisi Artisan Coffee (where he works when he finished runner-up to El as quality assurance manager), he Salvador's Alejandro Mendez at the opted to use a coffee he connected World Barista Championship. He with in a different way. Licata says THE TOP SIX IN THE USBC took 2012 off from competing, and he was drawn to the passion of the 1. Pete Licata, Parisi Artisan Coffee, Kansas City, Mo. in that time relocated from Hawaii producer, Arnulfo Leguizamo, who 2. Charles Babinski, G&B;, Los Angeles to his hometown of Olathe, Kan. is a member of the Asociacion Los 3. Trevor Corlett, Madcap Coffee, Washington, D.C. (a suburb of Kansas City, Mo.). Naranjos co-op in St. Augustin in 4. Sam Lewontin, Everyman Espresso, New York City It wasn't long before the veteran Colombia's Huila department. "He 5. Nick Purvis, The French Press, Santa Barbara, Calif. competitor—this year marks a has a lot of intention with what he 6. Charlie Habegger, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago decade that Licata has participated does," Licata says. "That's what I try in barista contests—began to get to do as a barista, and I think that's the itch again. "I figured, if I'm what our roaster tries to do. And so going to come back and do it one more time, it'll be this year," I think it all correlates in that chain of hands." During his routine Licata says. "If I wasn't going to do it this year, then I wasn't Licata offered examples of Leguizamo's meticulous approach, going to do it ever again." which includes lengthening the wet-processed coffee's drying His return to the fold paid off, as Licata captured the 2013 period in order to generate a more complex acidity. USBC title and will now have another shot at global gold: He'll Licata's 2011 effort grabbed attention because he played such represent the U.S. at this month's WBC in Melbourne, Australia. a large role in the seed-to-cup process, but this year he says he The USBC took place in conjunction with the SCAA Event in decided to get back to basics. "I really wanted to be myself," he MORE NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE WORLD OF SPECIALTY COFFEE AND TEA: QUEEN OF THE SLURP: The United States Cup Tasters Championship took place alongside the USBC and Brewers Cup at the SCAA show in Boston, and the palate-testing event was won by Erin Wang of California-based Molinos de Honduras. | continued on page 20 18 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com