Barista battle in Cranberry

Coming this weekend to the Pittsburgh Marriott North in Cranberry will be "For the Love of Coffee," a regional barista competition. From the Trib:

Coffee aficionados can get their fix of caffeine and watch the best cafe baristas in the East this weekend at two simultaneous coffee competitions in "For the Love of Coffee," presented by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. The competitors will ply their skills Friday through Sunday at the Pittsburgh Marriott North, Cranberry, in either the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competitions. Local baristas participate in the Mid-Atlantic competition. Attendees also can browse an accompanying trade show.

About 60 baristas will compete in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic competitions. The finals for both regions will be Sunday. Winners from each region will be awarded all-expenses-paid trips to compete in the national competition later this year in Portland, Ore.

In 15 minutes, each barista will brew 12 specialty beverages -- four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks -- using music, choreography and patter.

"It is very entertaining," Wethli says. "It's very theatrical."

It may be fun for the audience, but competitors will perform before four "sensory judges" who will watch the barista and taste the coffees; two technical judges who will evaluate how the competitor used the machines and the size of the drinks; and a head judge, who will preside over all.

In addition to making the coffees with precision and flair, baristas will tell the audience where the coffee beans came from, whether from a small village in Mexico or the slopes of a mountain in Sumatra.

The competition runs 11am to 5pm Friday through Saturday this weekend. Admission is free. The schedule of events (in pdf form) can be found here.