Of maple and bacon: RVA Barista Jam

Goat cheese. Bacon. Lavender. Sriracha. Maple syrup. Chili powder. Bet you’d never guess these would be flavors in an espresso beverage. At this week’s Barista Jam competition, we sampled these unusual pairings along with traditional coffee beverages for three hours at GlobeHopper Coffeehouse & Lounge.

April 16, 2010; 1:12 PM • by Holly Gordon

Goat cheese. Bacon. Lavender. Sriracha. Maple syrup. Chili powder. Bet you’d never guess these would be flavors in an espresso beverage. At this week’s Barista Jam competition, we sampled these unusual pairings along with traditional coffee beverages for three hours at GlobeHopper Coffeehouse & Lounge.

I and three other judges evaluated nine competitors over the course of the evening. Representing GlobeHopper, Ellwood Thompson, Café Gutenberg, and a coffee bar at Wachovia, the competitors each presented us with a shot of espresso and a specialty beverage. They were judged on taste balance, crema, consistency of milk, visual appeal, presentation, customer service, and overall impression. Some stuck to familiar drinks, which really proved to be more challenging because there were no novelty items to consider.

GlobeHopper was pleasantly full as people cheered on competitors, enjoyed drink specials (both coffee and spirit varieties), and chatted with staff and fellow bystanders, even bidding cash to the baristas to make them their own version of their competition beverage.

Other judges were Patrick, of the Boka Truck, who was my fellow participant in the Café Gutenberg tofu-eating contest; Jason, the video guy/dad/musician; and Chris, the pensive guy with glasses who couldn’t decide on an expressive adjective for himself. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, sampling drinks, chatting with my fellow judges, and people-watching. GlobeHopper’s staff did a great job of serving everyone and I look forward to returning soon.

Competitor Chris’s (Gutenberg) maple-chili-Sriracha-salt latte was popular with the men, but I found it too salty and smelling of iodine. Barista Zach’s (Wachovia) exceptional attention to detail showed in his floral-infused, lavender-honey macchiato in a hand-painted, demitasse cup that he made locally at All Fired Up. It first tasted like tea, and then settled into more complex flavors with the espresso.

Ultimate winner and now two-time champion, Darren’s (Ellwood Thompson) maple bacon latte was a judge and crowd pleaser. The vegetarian barista wowed us with latte art and a bacon garnish. Though it wasn’t my favorite, his scores were high enough for him to take the $100 cash top prize. The $50 second prize went to Leigh from GlobeHopper’s classic latte. She had my highest scores on her pulled espresso shot.

Barista Jam is organized by Stephen Robertson of Advanced Coffee Tech and David Blanchard of Blanchard’s Coffee. They’re excited to bring us a third Jam on June 2 (location TBA). To tide you over until then, the organizers are hosting a free class about coffee on May 12 at Blanchard’s Coffee (see their website for more details) called Coffee: a 30,000 ft view. Blanchard and Robertson hope to continue to encourage local coffee drinkers and workers to come together to discuss their love of the ancient bean.

(Photos by Christof Meyer.)

April 16, 2010 1:12 PM 8