Community. Skills testing. Coffee.
Three, technically four, words that sum up a week at barista camp in Santa Barbara, California.
Our homes for the week in el Capitan Canyon
It all started with a long trip from the on the brink of snowing weather of West Michigan and ending in the beautiful, ocean side city of Santa Barbara nestled in a grassy canyon. California is about as beautiful as I would have hoped it to be, even on a grey cloudy afternoon. Some palm trees, mountains and the Pacific Ocean surround you the whole trip from LAX to el Capitan Canyon. It seemed so ironic that such a well populated state could have so much natural beauty to it still! But that’s all beside the point of this whole post. From the moment of walking past all the cabins and tents that we would be staying in and even the various lecture halls I was like a child on her first day of school; excited to meet new people, to learn new things about coffee, to put my learned skills to the test and to ultimately immerse myself in the community and take back as much as I possibly could. It is needless to say it was hard to fall asleep the first night.
Day one was greeted by a crisp morning full of clouds and a slight oceanic breeze. Before any of the classes even began some of us had to get through our level one test. This meant that we needed to jump on an espresso machine, pull some shots and make a cappuccino all within time limits and up to standards set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. After this was completed there was a written test formed by multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks and some writing questions. Basics in espresso preparation and customer service are the main topics in level one and, to most, are a part of everyday life in the shop. Once our tests were taken care of we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon by the water. By the time we got back it was time for dinner and the start of our nightly team competitions. Each barista was put on a team and given time to think of team names which included things such as “Coffee the Harrard Way”, “BeseXXXy”, “Puck Yeah” and many others. After a heated Jeopardy-like challenge that included trivia on barista celebrities and machine prices, most everyone decided to call it a night and get ready for the first full day of classes and lectures.
BGA Milk and Latte Art class
With notebooks in hand and similar morning “where’s my coffee” expressions, the next two days were all geared towards learning and lots of hands on experiences. One of the classes was focused on machine maintenance which covered topics of changing out gaskets, adjusting pump pressure and what the difference was between single and double boiler espresso machines. All very useful topics to cover and something baristas will encounter at some point in their career. Another class was titled Espresso Bar Efficiency and Workflow which provided pivotal information about how to keep things flowing in the shop in a well-organized manner. From tag-teaming the espresso machine to knocking out drinks in a strategic order, the importance of creating an efficient workflow in the shop was brought to light. That night our team competition was to ultimately brew a single cup of coffee that would be divided up for three judges to taste. Starting with a completely empty table, we had to send pairs to different locations of the campground to gather filters, a brewing device, coffee and serving cups. At each one of the locations was some sort of mini-challenge such as spinning around a bat, bobbing for apples or making the team captain put on a ridiculous costume before coming back to the team table with the object being retrieved. Needless to say it was a time full of laughs and competitive spirits. After the challenge we all stood around the fire and like most of the week, talked coffee with others.
The next classes were to focus on cleaning up our basic bar skills. From grinding, dosing, tamping (and working it!) to pouring consistent latte art, I couldn’t wait to get back to Grand Rapids and put to practice all that was learned at camp. But first we had to get through some final team competitions and our level two tests. Similar to level one, we had a practical which included a little more in depth test of our actual espresso dialing in skills and drink preparation. This was then followed up by a written test that dug into our machine and grinder knowledge. That night’s final team challenge was to form a line from one side of the room to the other. Located on each side was an espresso machine in which one member would have to pass the portafilter down the team line to the other end in which that end person would then have to grind, dose and tamp the coffee into the portafilter and pass it back to the starting side. This went on back and forth until a cappuccino was made as well as a shot of espresso.
Never have I felt so encouraged about being a part of the coffee community and the industry as a whole. It was like the puzzle was coming together and everything I was learning was all starting make sense. Being able to talk with others about what they’re doing to differentiate themselves from the next shop, how they’re brewing their coffee or pulling espresso shots, and even sharing common difficulties of the day to day operations was all so reassuring to me as a newbie to the coffee world.
When asked how to sum up camp, Courtney Vaquera added “I had met so many people, acquired so much helpful information & polished myself as a professional while having so much fun at camp. Being able to attend camp & be surrounded by coffee lovers/enthusiasts/professionals from around the United States [as well as a few from around the world !] was an amazing experience & the fact that the BGA is continually growing so much with such focus on bettering coffee, the community & the ones in it & involved with it is mind-blowing. It made me feel so connected, & gave me so much inspiration, hope & encouragement to be an ambassador for specialty coffee whether it be at competition, MadCap, around the world, or even in my home.”
Stacey and Courtney at the Pacific Ocean
That concludes the raves from this years camp. Until next time!
Stacey Wieck
