From March 5-8, the Oregon Convention Center in Portland is hosting the United States Barista Championship. Leading up to the USBC, Food GPS is showcasing baristas who placed in the Top 6 in their respective region and decided to compete for greater glory. Here’s a contender for the American coffee crown:

Jesse Crouse
Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea – Chicago, IL
Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition Finalist

1. Did anything surprise you about your regional competition?
To be perfectly honest, placing 2nd surprised me a lot. This was my first time competing and just making the finals was big news, so when my name was called for the 2nd place trophy, I was pretty pumped.

2. Will adjust your approach for the United States Barista Championship? If so, how?
I’m only adjusting it slightly. I feel that with only a week left before the competition, I would be shooting myself in the foot to change too much.

3. What is your goal at the USBC?
My goal is to do better than I have previously. I want to show progression in the field, and not that I had one good go in me.

4. What did you learn by competing at your regional?
I learned that competing is nerve racking, for sure. I couldn’t stop pacing around before and after going out there. I also learned that there are some stellar barista in this area, and it is awesome to watch them go out there and be proud of their coffee.

5. What’s your training schedule like until the USBC?
My training is going to be hard to come by, I work in the quality control lab, and we are seeing sample flying in everyday now. So basically I have just entered the busy season in my job, and now have to stay busy with competition training. At least training means making coffee, and not running around a track or on a treadmill, though I may work that into my routine, because at the very least they won’t be able to say I didn’t run fast.

6. What’s a coffeehouse you didn’t know about before your regional competition that you now plan to visit?
MadCap and Ugly Mug. MadCap is in Grand Rapids, Trevor placed third in the region and he is the owner there, I am excited to get out there. Ugly Mug has some pretty cool folks working for it, so I really want to go visit them too.

7. What’s your approach in choosing the music that plays during your performance?
I really want music that sounds like me and represents who I am as a person. I needed something quiet for the first minute and half or so, and so I chose a short instrumental piece by Summer Hymns and looped it. I also really wanted a song that kicks in nicely to start when I have to pull my first set of shots, so I chose this killer Midlake song called “Kingfish Pies” which makes me move every time.

Related Posts

1. USBC Competitor Jesse Bladyka (Coal Creek Coffee)
2. USBC Competitor Ryan Willbur (Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea)
3. USBC Competitor Devin Pedde (Intelligentsia)
4. USBC Competitor Michael Phillips (Intelligentsia)
5. USBC Competitor Trevor Corlett (MadCap Coffee)

This entry is filed under Coffee Pros.