The old fort, El Moro, overlooks San Juan and is a symbol of the island.
Today marks the start of the first national barista competition on the way toward Colombia next year with the beginning of the Puerto Rican championship at Coffee Cast. It’s also the site of the first competition of the cycle for the Coffee in Good Spirits championship.
Daniel Rivera and Christopher Alameda (aka Nicely) make espressos featuring local coffees.
Yesterday classes started for baristas and other coffee professionals. Meanwhile, the competitions’ head judges, Jose Arreola (for the barista competition) and Sonja Grant (for Coffee in Good Spirits), along with the event organizers, sponsors and some other lucky folks were invited to the governor’s mansion to meet the First Lady. Former Puerto Rican champion, Daniel Rivera, and Intelligentsia’s Christopher Alameda made espressos and cappuccinos for the guests.
Sonja and Jose enjoy reading about themselves in the paper. The event has received a lot of local press. It seems like folks are pretty excited about Coffee Cast.
Thirteen baristas are registered to compete today and the finals will be tomorrow. I’ve got to get over to the convention center so I don’t miss anything.
