At One Line Coffee in the Short North recently, Michael Lantow sipped a creamy espresso, a "raspberry cheesecake" cappuccino and a signature coffee beverage that mimics red wine - all in less than 15 minutes. In that short time, barista Sean Hundley had artfully concocted the frothy creations, relying on a blend of experimentation and experience. "They're amazing," offered Lantow, of German Village.

At One Line Coffee in the Short North recently, Michael Lantow sipped a creamy espresso, a "raspberry cheesecake" cappucino and a signature coffee beverage that mimics red wine - all in less than 15 minutes.

In that short time, barista Sean Hundley had artfully concocted the frothy creations, relying on a blend of experimentation and experience.

"They're amazing," offered Lantow, of German Village. "My favorite is definitely the signature drink. I'm a fan of complex flavors, and it tastes more like a fine wine than coffee. And the cappuccino is really fantastic."

Now all Hundley has to do is leave the judges at the U.S. Coffee Championships equally impressed.

The 28-year-old North Side resident, director of education for both the Short North shop and its Downtown location, is one of 48 people nationwide who qualified for the U.S. Barista Championship. Introduced 15 years ago, the competition has expanded into the larger, three-event Coffee Championships, taking place today through Sunday in Atlanta as part of the annual Specialty Coffee Association of America Expo.

During the barista contest, Hundley will make those same three drinks in 15 minutes for four judges (12 drinks in all), who will assess not only the taste of his coffee but also the way he makes it, serves it and describes its origins.

Hundley's colleague Mick Evans, co-owner of One Line and a Downtown resident, will compete against 36 others in the Brewers Cup: He will have 10 minutes to brew manually - using a pour-over dripper - three cups of the same coffee and maintain consistency.

"Most people are used to getting coffee in a drive-through and drinking it in the car or at the office," said Heather Perry, a two-time national barista champion from Los Angeles and vice president of the specialty-coffee association. "It's a whole new level of detail they've never seen. No. 1, they get to see the care the baristas give to the coffee."

That attention was on full display for Lantow and about 10 other loyal One Line customers, who gathered at the shop on Sunday night to act as judges and an audience.

Yes, a national coffee-making competition requires dress rehearsals - as well as months of research, practice sessions and recipe tinkering.

It also requires special equipment and high-quality ingredients (found locally or halfway around the globe) - all of which must be carted to the event along with glassware, utensils, towels and other supplies.

"It's a huge commitment, one that really requires a ton of work," said Evans, who competed in the barista contest from 2009 to 2011 before switching to the brewing specialty 18 months ago.

"There's a lot of emotional investment."

Backstage, Evans must make sure the water is heated to a particular temperature and his coffee-ground size consistent. While brewing in front of the judges (and hundreds of spectators), he will perfectly time how he steadily pours water over the grounds - about 30 to 40 grams of water every 15 seconds for nine pours.

"There are a ton of variables that can change a cup of coffee," the 29-year-old said.

The brewers competition has less flair than the barista contest, Evans acknowledged, but it better reflects what he does daily at the shops.

The barista contest calls for pizazz, with the baristas performing to music as they whip up their concoctions - always mindful of the clock - in a manner reminiscent of the reality show "Iron Chef."

"You have to have technical efficiency - there are technical judges, too - but you're also serving a story," Hundley said. "It's meant to propel the industry at some point.

"You need to communicate clearly, be passionate and create that passion in others."

Hundley struggled during his first regional competition in late 2014 (for the 2015 championship), he said, because he lacked the precision necessary to reach the finals.

"I got my score card and was shattered," he said. "They're looking for grounds of coffee.

"If you drop one-tenth a gram, it's no longer a perfect score. If you drop a half a gram, it's a zero in that category. The top competitors are separated by tenths of a point."

This year, he mapped out every move, adding cues in his music (mostly 1980s techno) to help him stay on track.

The coffee beans, though, represent the crux of the presentations.

Both men spent months researching varieties with the help of their importers before deciding on coffee bases. They both chose Colombian beans - and, during the performances, they describe in detail the farms on which the beans are grown.

From there, each tried different roasts for each drink with the help of One Line co-owner Dave Forman, who has competed in the past.

The finished product for Evans: a coffee with notes of peony, lime and coconut.

Hundley uses a slightly different roast for each of his drinks, but all have hints of blackberry and chocolate. His signature drink, the Mock Malbec, also uses the cascara - or shell - of the bean and homemade extractions of fruits and vegetables (raspberries, blackberries, hot peppers).

Neither Hundley nor Evans has expectations for the weekend beyond learning new best practices and representing their city.

"This is a way I can further my craft and bring it back home," said Evans, noting that One Line is introducing a new way to brew espresso based on a competitor's performance at one of these events.

Added Hundley: "There are cities that have established coffee cultures, and Columbus is in an upswing. There's a great responsibility to show all these baristas the cool stuff happening in Columbus."

Most important, the competition is about innovating - and chasing the perfect mug of joe.

"Every barista has that one cup that changes everything," Hundley said. "It's what we get to do - serve coffee all day long - and you hope you give that to one person."

The road to the championships

The U.S. Coffee Championships - consisting of the Barista Championship (the showcase event), Brewers Cup and Roaster Championship - will take place today through Sunday at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The event was founded on the notion that, like any other community, the specialty-coffee community can continue to grow and thrive through friendly competition.

Competitors in the barista and brewers contests won the right to participate through regional qualifiers in February in Kansas City, Missouri. Columbus residents Sean Hundley (Barista Championship) and Mick Evans (Brewers Cup) both emerged from the Eastern Conference.

The winner of the Barista Championship wins, among other prizes, a trip to Dublin, Ireland, to compete in the World Barista Championship and an all-inclusive "origins" trip to Brazil.

Source: uscoffeechampionships.org





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