Hey, it’s Thursday, so of course it’s time for a TNT! Well, technically, this TNT, Belo Horizonte’s first, was held on Tuesday. But that starts with a T too so it’s all good!
With Dismas Smith, from Ladro Coffee in Seattle in the house, it was like the godfather of the throwdown himself was here for the inaugural run.
Next to a live band and salsa dance floor in a restaurant in downtown Belo Horizonte, Bruno Souza brought in his training lab’s, the Coffee Academy’s, La Marzocco and set it up. He was super excited to get this event going and quickly pressed Dismas into service acting not only as mc but scorekeeper.
The Brazilian baristas were a little hesitant at first to sign up, but as the throwdown started, they caught the bug, and Dismas, not wanting to turn anyone away, suddenly found himself drawing bigger and more complicated brackets.
He was a good sport, and with his always-affable manner, somehow managed to keep everyone involved, entertained and enthusiastic even though he speaks no Portugese and most of the baristas spoke no English. Hey, we always say coffee is an international language, and the Belo Horizonte TNT proved it!
With a camera crew on all the action, the baristas brought their best skills and competed against some great competition from Australia and the US with Nolan Hirte from Proud Mary in Melbourne and Ryan Knapp from Madcap proving the two toughest competitors for the night.
True, it may have been the longest TNT in history clocking in at just over three hours, but the obvious excitement and awesome attitude of the Brazilian baristas kept everyone involved and having a great time all night. No one left until the winner was announced.
