The cat’s finally out of the bag! The Big Central Barista Competition ”hosted by Curtis and Cafe Imports in Minneapolis, Minnesota ”will be held October 25 “27. Both the South Central Barista Competition and Brewers Cup, and the North Central Barista Competition and Brewers Cup, will take place over this weekend.
Registration opens September 4, and can be accessed HERE.
A new twist: both the first and the second place finishers in each regional will earn spots in the semifinal round of the United States Barista Championship (USBC) in April in Seattle.
Each of the three “Big” regionals to be held this year leading up to the USBC will include two competitions, as follows:
Big Central: South Central and North Central Regional Barista Competitions and Brewers Cups will take place
Big Eastern: Southeast and Northeast Regional Barista Competitions Brewers Cups will take place (dates TK)
Big Western: Southwest and Northwest Regional Barista Competitions Brewers Cups will take place (dates TK)
So if we take the top two from each of these regionals, that means the semifinals of the USBC will begin with already 12 spots taken. That means only 13 places will be open to competitors from the preliminary round. Drama!
