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Spring man wins competition, becomes Ultimate Barista
By VAL CLIFTON
A local man recently clenched the an esteemed title for his artistic skills. His canvas: a cup of coffee.
Competition barista and head coffee roaster at Cuvée Coffee in Spring Clancy Rose won the Ultimate Barista Challenge in the latte art category at the Texas Restaurant Association’s Southwest Foodservice Expo held at the George R. Brown Convention Center June 22.
The Ultimate Barista Challenge, coordinated at major food and restaurant events all over the world, features professional baristas who duel against each other at espresso stations.
“Their goal is more of an Iron Chef-type of competition that goes around to different cities,” Rose said.
For the competition, baristas compete in one or more of four categories, including latte art, frappe, blended brew, and espresso cocktails. They have 10 minutes to prepare several specialty espresso drinks for a panel of judges comprised of coffee specialists, trainers, food writers, chefs and sommeliers.
“You’re encouraged to be creative with the additional ingredients,” Rose said. “Half of your points come from visual appearance, and half come from the taste of each beverage.”
The winner in each category secures the right to challenge one of the reigning international champions, and if successful, earns the title of “Ultimate Barista.”
Before this event, there were only four national, and seven international Ultimate Baristas, so Rose said a bit of mental preparation was necessary prior to the competition.
“Because of the latte art, there’s a degree of having to calm yourself down because it can be pretty nerve racking,” he said. “I was just a little more shaky than usual because I’ve never done the ultimate barista challenge.”
After edging out the competition, Rose challenged and successfully defeated one of the champions and became an Ultimate Barista. He now will travel to various food, restaurant, and coffee conferences and trade shows around the world to compete against others seeking to rise to the same rank.
“Being a barista for four years in Austin and for me as a competitor, it’s an enormous accomplishment and it’s also going to give me the opportunity to travel,” Rose said of his latte art title.
Before joining Cuvee Coffee, Rose worked as a barista at Austin’s Caffe Medici and also served as assistant manager for Texas EXpresso in the University of Texas Alumni Center.
He placed second at the 2007 SCAA South Central Regional Barista Competition. Rose also provided freelance barista training and produced online barista training videos.
The Ultimate Barista and others at Cuvee provide twice monthly training seminars for budding coffee entrepreneurs and home enthusiasts. He is scheduled to participate in several barista competitions in 2008, including the United States Barista Championship.
Competition barista and head coffee roaster at Cuvée Coffee in Spring Clancy Rose won the Ultimate Barista Challenge in the latte art category at the Texas Restaurant Association’s Southwest Foodservice Expo held at the George R. Brown Convention Center June 22.
The Ultimate Barista Challenge, coordinated at major food and restaurant events all over the world, features professional baristas who duel against each other at espresso stations.
“Their goal is more of an Iron Chef-type of competition that goes around to different cities,” Rose said.
For the competition, baristas compete in one or more of four categories, including latte art, frappe, blended brew, and espresso cocktails. They have 10 minutes to prepare several specialty espresso drinks for a panel of judges comprised of coffee specialists, trainers, food writers, chefs and sommeliers.
“You’re encouraged to be creative with the additional ingredients,” Rose said. “Half of your points come from visual appearance, and half come from the taste of each beverage.”
The winner in each category secures the right to challenge one of the reigning international champions, and if successful, earns the title of “Ultimate Barista.”
Before this event, there were only four national, and seven international Ultimate Baristas, so Rose said a bit of mental preparation was necessary prior to the competition.
“Because of the latte art, there’s a degree of having to calm yourself down because it can be pretty nerve racking,” he said. “I was just a little more shaky than usual because I’ve never done the ultimate barista challenge.”
After edging out the competition, Rose challenged and successfully defeated one of the champions and became an Ultimate Barista. He now will travel to various food, restaurant, and coffee conferences and trade shows around the world to compete against others seeking to rise to the same rank.
“Being a barista for four years in Austin and for me as a competitor, it’s an enormous accomplishment and it’s also going to give me the opportunity to travel,” Rose said of his latte art title.
Before joining Cuvee Coffee, Rose worked as a barista at Austin’s Caffe Medici and also served as assistant manager for Texas EXpresso in the University of Texas Alumni Center.
He placed second at the 2007 SCAA South Central Regional Barista Competition. Rose also provided freelance barista training and produced online barista training videos.
The Ultimate Barista and others at Cuvee provide twice monthly training seminars for budding coffee entrepreneurs and home enthusiasts. He is scheduled to participate in several barista competitions in 2008, including the United States Barista Championship.
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