Pittsburgh has already welcomed home its sixth Super Bowl trophy, but the real competition starts now as the city hosts a regional barista championship

Get ready to froth the milk and start practicing those rosetta patterns – the Mid Atlantic and Northeast Regional Barista Competition is here! Competition-bound baristas and their fans will descend on Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, today to froth, whip, and pull their way to espresso-flavored glory.

This is the first time the competition has taken place in Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region is glad it’s here. Sanctioned by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, more than 50 baristas from 11 states and Washington DC will compete today through Sunday for the chance to move on to the SCAA’s United States Barista Competition in Portland, Oregon, this Spring.

Local flavor, intense competition

Venerable Pittsburgh coffee roaster Kiva Han Coffee will play host for the event, and owner Ed Wethli is excited to have a front-row seat for the “Iron Chef”-style competition.

“The event is as much of an entertaining food show featuring coffee as the star ingredient as it is a serious competition,” Wethli said. “Anyone who loves drinking coffee, enjoys cooking and watches food shows on television will have a great time, plus they’ll learn a lot about specialty coffee beverages.”

Contestants will be judges based on the preparation and execution of three signature drinks of their own choosing. Judges will sample each beverage through three rounds each day in a single-elimination format. But it’s not just about serving a great espresso; style and energy count for much of what the judges are looking for.

“The baristas are judged not only on their preparation process, ingredients, final presentation and flavor, but also on their personal style, physical movements, and verbal explanations during the demonstration,” Wethli explained. “People who come to watch the event will see some of the region’s most talented baristas create some incredible, gourmet drinks.”

Sip, admire, enjoy

Admission to the event is free and Wethli is encouraging area residents to come out this weekend and see this unique competition for themselves. Attendees will be able to watch every move the baristas make thanks to video-projected close ups of the competitors at work.

There’s also a sweet treat in store for coffee lovers who come out to watch. Local restaurants and bakeries like McGinnis Sisters, Mimi’s Bake Shoppe, The Fig Tree, and Sweethouse Bake Shop will host a dessert bar at the event. For just $10 per person, guests can sample desserts from each participating restaurant while watching demonstrations of how those desserts were prepared. Best of all, the proceeds from the dessert bar will go to the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank.

And since it wouldn’t be fair to keep all that wonderful coffee in the competition rooms, guests are also invited to enjoy a drink at the on-site coffee bar including a signature drink from each day’s winner.

If you live in the Pittsburgh area, come on out and enjoy an event we’re luck to have in our backyard. I’ll see you there!

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