The internet has been a bit spotty at the Olympia convention center here in London, so please excuse the tardiness of this post. Here are lots more images from day one, June 23, of the 2010 World Barista Championship and Caffe Culture show! And please keep checking back for more: today is Day Two of the competition, which will wrap up the preliminary round. At the end of today, the 12 semifinalists to compete on the morning of Friday, June 25, will be announced! Also to come today: shots from the WBC and Coffee Kids party, sponsored by Mathew Algie, which will feature a barista champions game show!
Two-time Barista Champion of Uganda, Roberts, during his prep time.UK Barista Champion John Gordon addresses his judges.John Gordon creating his signature drink. Pots and pans and cooking are again a big theme at this year's WBC.After his performance, John Gordon talks with emcee Heather Perry. (Please excuse the overexposure -- the bright light in the WBC area is lovely in person but challenging for photos!)Nordic Barista Cup meets World Barista Championship! I shot this as I climbed the stadium stairs at the WBC to say hello to Tone, Bjorg and Imma!There was a very nice sized crowd at the World Latte Art Championship, going on at a different stage, all day, as well.The always uber fashionable Sonja Grant, a judge at the Wold Latte Art Championship, wait to be called to stage.I couldn't resist a photo of Klaus Thomsen with his son, Isak's, pacifier in his mouth. Sigga Dora says this is a popular pastime for the two of them.At 3 p.m. at the La Marzocco booth, Kent Bakke gave a press conference about the long awaited Strada espresso machines, to announce that they are now available for sale. There was a huge crowd gathered!Klaus and, at right, Tim Wendelboe, will bring home the first two Stradas to their cafes: The Coffee Collective in Copenhagen and Tim Wendelboe in Oslo. You can tell they are quite pleased about this.Jeppe of Denmark sports his official World Aeropress Championship competitor jersey.Overview shot of the WBC Espresso Bar and WBC Brew Bar. They were really this busy all day long.M'lissa Owens, who works at Intelligentsia's Venice cafe, donned her Team USA cheerleader outfit just prior to US Barista Champion Mike Phillips' performance.When Barista Champ of Mexico, Fabrizio, was onstage, he had a huge cheering section from his home country!Fabrizio works on his complicated signature drink.Fabrizio's coach and good friend, Chava -- who is himself a past barista champion of Mexico -- watches Fabrizio compete from the side of the stage, enjoying the performance with emcee Carl Sara of New Zealand.Ishan Natalie, two-time Barista Champion of South Africa, is very focused during his prep time.Backstage, US Barista Champ Mike Phillips readies his cart, with help from his coach, Charles Babinski.Zachary Carlson, of Stumptown Coffee's Amsterdam cafe, hopped over to London to do some Sprudging (see Sprudge.com) during the WBC.The crowd gets thick in the mments before Mike Phillips takes the stage.It's one of my most happy feelings when I see a barista smiling to him/herself during their performance -- because this is supposed to be about celebrating coffee and having fun! So I was so touched to see Mike smile as he really got into his performance.This is a farmer from Coopedota in Costa Rica, from which Mike sourced his coffee. Costa Rica has felt very much a part of Mike's performance, and Mike is very adament about making sure everyone knows how much he values their hard work and the amazing coffees he is lucky enough to be using.Mike carefully prepares the flights of coffees that comprise his signature drink course.Team Intelligentsia watches Mike from the crowd.
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.
Dig M’lissa’s cheerleader outfit! Do any of the other countries have cheerleaders?