If there were an award for the world’s most original barista event, the crown would surely be bestowed upon the three-year-old Scandinavian barista bonanza, the Nordic Barista Cup (NBC). Combining an eclectic mix of education, entertainment, community, and competition, this year’s NBC was held in Norway’s beautiful capital city, Oslo, September 26-28. Most of the event took place at the mammoth but welcoming roastery of Solberg & Hansen located just outside of the center of the city. How to find it? Easy, according to 2004 World Barista Champion (WBC) and co-organizer of the Oslo NBC, Tim Wendelboe: “Take the Ryen subway stop, go up the hill and follow the smell of green coffee.”

After three days of unscripted and unexpected competitions for the five participating countries—Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland—Team Norway was deemed the official winner. For their efforts, the five teamates (four competitors and one coach) were rewarded with a trip to origin, specifically the coffee farms of Brazil. Unofficially, the winners were numerous and could be found everywhere. They included everyone who participated and attended the NBC. Not only did the other Nordic barista teams each claim their share of competition victories, their enthusiasm, energy and team spirit were on display throughout the event. If there could only be one team declared the winner, it was also true that no one who was in Oslo for the NBC could feel like a loser.

Troels Overdal Poulsen, the current World Barista Champion and member of Team Denmark, remarked that unlike the WBC, where only oneperson takes home the championship title, and where losing leaves a very bitter taste in one’s mouth, at the NBC, no matter who wins, everyone feels as though they did. “It’s a unique event,” he said. And while that’s true, it’s also a bit of understatement.

Like some sport from a science-fiction movie, the NBC has only one rule: there are no rules. The host country changes from year to year with event organization and creativity, and scoring and scheduling falling solely on the shoulders of the host country’s barista faction. At this year’s NBC, each team competed in a number of fun and entertaining challenges determined by organizers from Norway's coffee companies including Solberg & Hansen, namely barista den mother Tone Liavaag and former NBC competitor and team captain, Wendelboe. One competition, for example, required the teams to diagnose a malfunctioning espresso machine, repair it and produce shots within 60 minutes’ time. After a training period the day before, the teams were set loose to open up the machine, fix it, then calibrate it, correct the water pressure and temperature, and finally, set up and adjust the grinder, before brewing espresso. If that’s not your idea of a good time, then you’ve never been to an NBC.

Barista teams were also challenged to roast coffee. After some hands-on training from Solberg & Hansen’s roasters and Probat’s Training Center Manager, Arno Schwenk, the teams went to work on individual Probatinos. Using the official coffee of this year’s NBC, a tasty El Salvadorian bean from the Kilimanjaro estate, the teams’ efforts were graded in a blind cupping by the attendees. After tallying the scores, Denmark’s roast narrowly beat out the others.

Besides grading the teams’ roasts, NBC attendees were also treated to a number of educational presentations from representatives of Da Vinci, Probat, Mahlkonig, Bunn, the Costa Rican Embassy, Kilimanjaro farms, and others. Additionally, each and every attendee was entitled to an almost unlimited amount of fun.

What does the NBC mean by fun, outside of the coffee education and events? It goes something like this: after the first day of the competition, all attendees and team members were instructed to meet in the city center. There they found a reserved streetcar waiting for them, and on board, Liavaag and Solberg & Hansen’s Andreas Hertzberg were handing out champagne flutes and pouring bubbly. As the clock ticked past seven, the streetcar departed for a tour of the city. Though night had fallen and the sights were hard to see, no one seemed disappointed when the streetcar pulled to a stop just below what would be the evening’s dining location, Ekebergrestaurant. Perched on a hill high above the city, the restaurant boasted a breath-taking view of Oslo’s city lights stretched out below, fading into the mountains on the north side of the city and the dark waters of the Olsofjord to the south.

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