Brewer’s Cup 2020
This January, for the second time, I will be competing in a US Coffee Champs Brewer’s Cup qualifying event. For those unfamiliar with Coffee Champs, it is essentially a series of coffee “sports” that include the following events: Barista, Brewer’s Cup, Taster’s Cup, Roasting, and Coffee in Good Spirits. There are two qualifying events for Brewer”s, one of which took place recently in Sumner, WA. The second, which I will be attending, takes place January 11-12 in Nashville. The top 12 brewers from each qualifying event will compete at Nationals in Orange County, CA in February for the National title.
So just what’s involved in a Brewer’s Cup competition, you may ask? Well, there are two required services: compulsory and open. In the compulsory service, brewer’s are given 12 oz. of a completely unknown (to them) coffee that they have 45 minutes to experiment with and then brew three cups for three sensory judges. For the open service, the competitor has 10 minutes to brew three coffees manually for three judges (plus one head judge) while giving a presentation about the coffee and everything the judges should expect to experience from aroma to taste. The scores from both services are combined to determine the brewer’s overall score and placement.
Almost three years ago now (time flies!), I was living in Virginia and competed in the qualifying event right here in Knoxville, not knowing that in a couple of short months, I would actually be living and working here. I went on to Nationals in Seattle and finished eighth overall, which is where I received the Vienna nickname of...“Ocho”. It’d be nice to change that name to something like “Cinco” or dare I say, “Uno”?
There are two reason that I’m looking forward to jumping back into the arena. First, it’s great to keep a pulse on what’s going on in our industry at large. There is so much to learn at these events, and it’s a great time to be in the coffee world. Second, I’m super excited to be using a coffee from one of our direct relationships in Guatemala. The Bressani family that runs Finca San Jeronimo Miramar has produced an absolutely delicious honey processed gesha that I can’t wait to share with the judges (and with you very soon).
The qualifying event is open to the public, so if you feel like making a trip to Nashville in early January, I’d love to have you tag along and wish me well! We’d be happy to offer details to anyone interested. But even if you can’t come, I’ll appreciate your support from here at home base. Stay tuned...
Philip Hatter Director of Coffee and Training