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
NINE BARS by Marcus Young MICHAEL LEWIS What's in it for the judge? W hen it comes to evaluation, farmers have yield numbers, roasters have cupping forms and shop owners have daily sales totals. But we also have a way of assessing the people pulling shots at the end of the chain: barista competitions. And this increasingly high-profile form of appraisal would not exist without the people doing the evaluating, the judges. Judging barista competitions is incredibly rewarding, but it takes a lot of work. I've judged for several years now, and this is my first as a "head judge," a position with increased responsibilities including the certification of other judges. I choose to judge because doing so gives me an opportunity to celebrate the skills of baristas. Competition is a venue for these coffee professionals to demonstrate their passions and abilities to an engaged audience, and by supporting competitions, the industry continually elevates the barista profession. 52 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com REASONS TO JUDGE People come to judging for a broad range of reasons. During judges' training we always ask people why they choose to judge, and at the 2013 Southwest Regional Barista Competition in March, I jotted down some of the reasons people gave: • It's a chance to give back to the industry. • It's a way to learn about multiple aspects of the industry. • I love tasting things. • I'm looking for opportunities to become a better trainer. • Competition is important for our industry because it showcases specialty coffee to the public and improves coffee quality. I started judging because I wanted to taste amazing coffees prepared by the top-tier baristas in my region, the Northwest. I came back the next year because judging had made me a better barista, a more effective communicator and had helped me improve my