Wow, did we ever snap a lot of photos from the 2005 United States Barista Championships! We had over 450 photos to choose from, from the Day Two of competition alone, and another 250 or so from the Semi Finals day. Below you'll find a series of photo essays, including a look at judging, random photos from the event, and featured mini-series of various Baristi doing their thing. Hope you enjoy!

Judging at the USBC

As you can probably tell from our article on Judges' Certification judging is a pretty difficult job. The USBC had a good core of judges this year, and they all took the task seriously. That said, there were a couple of performers (hint hint Jay... hint hint John H.) who tried hard to make judges "break kafabe", or show emotion in the form of laughter. Lemme tell you - it's tough being a judge! ;)

Conferring A judge confers with a head judge on a point of contention on their forms. Judges do this, but with discretion, as to not throw off the competitor. Waiting... Before each flight of five competitors, judges wait to be announced to the crowd. More conferring In behind the competition area, judges will sometimes confer to make sure everyone is calibrated. Tasting Each judge has their own tasting technique, but some standards exist - shape, colour of crema, smell, and of course, taste.

Cappuccinos Cappuccinos are studied as if under a microscope for a variety of elements, including density of foam, volume of foam, and more. The forms The forms contain lots of areas for judges' notes to the competitors - competitors get their judging sheets after competition. Techies Technical judges have so much to watch for, and have a set of two stopwatches to time shots. Checking Cups At the start of competition, judges will check cups on top of the machines.

Random Imagery of USBC

I've tried to provide a good sampling of other things going on at the USBC with the photos below - pics of the crowds, pics of behind the scenes, and some pics of competitors who are not included in this round of "features" (below).

What it's all about The first place trophy... it's going to the national champion! 2nd Place In beautiful silver plating... 3rd Place The trophies are really nice this year. Waiting... Gimme Coffee's Chris Deferio waits behind the screen for his rollout time.

Jarrett's Tie Barry Jarrett had *the* best tie at the show - a corrugated steel tie! Sparse early on Crowd wasn't very big in the early days of the competition, but picked up by the semis and the finals. Still... Ellie in Action Ellie from Intelligentsia during Day Two. Look for her feature in the Finals report. Mo Ellie Ellie talks to the Emcee and crowd.

Shot pullin' Competitors have fifteen minutes to "warm up", including calibrating their grinders and shots... John Sanders One of the senior judges (not judging this day tho) confers with a runner. Setting up... While Billy Wilson sets up, he chats with wunderkind organizer of the USBC - Michelle Campbell. Sherri Johns Sherri talks with fellow judge Andre about the finer points of the competition.

Tamping Tip to competitors - your technique doesn't matter as much as your consistency when tamping... this Barista was great. The Setting... Super Aaron I gotta tell you - Aaron DeLazzer was one of the main cleaner guys between competitors, and he left the stations showroom clean - amazing job... Nervous! Not! Just happened to catch a moment where Elly was pursing her lips with a bit of tongue... but I'll tell you - she was definitely not showing nervousness her round up there.

Random Action Shots

Some of the best photos I took during competition were vertical (portrait shots) that just really captured some of the most intense action. Check these out!

Wilson Billy was all business during his set on day 2. Perry Heather's sig drink was very intriguing. Grinding Heather, like many Baristi, had her knock box set up below the huge Mazzer Robur. Steaming At this level, the Baristi all knew the art of steaming perfect milk.

Hornall John setting up the table for the judges. Tamping John tamps so fast, I was lucky to capture this image... Lewis Jon's tamping technique, as a blur. Finish As he finishes over his custom floor-sitting knockbox, the tamp is perfect.

Running down... Jon Lewis in the semis, trying to finish while remaining cool. Judging A flight of judges about to try an espresso round. Tran Phuong getting her espresso cups set up. Grinding Phuong's grinding techniques were some of the best at the competition.

Knock Box A growing trend - note the knock box right under the Robur grinder. Dennhardt Ryan's dosing technique, defined. The pour Ryan had a nifty thing - very 5 star waiter - he'd fold his unused hand towards his waist and keep it there. Steaming Ryan was steaming his milk perfectly in competition.

The Performers - Jon Lewis, Doma Cafe, Idaho.

I'll say this about Jon Lewis - there probably wasn't another performer who had better potential (and in many cases, execution of that potential) in their presentation. Jon had it all - a theme, beautiful accompaniments, and a spectacular setting. Several things were a bit of a hamper to him - as noted by the judges, his coffee wasn't the greatest of the day, and in his semi finals, his spritzer bottle had serious technical difficulties, changing the taste of his sig drink and creating a mess on the show floor. Even in the first round when the sig drink was properly prepared, it was delicious but coffee flavours were difficult to find. And also in is first round, the emcee on duty during that flight was terrible, but that was a minor thing.

Jon was my secret "pick" for winning the USBC, but it goes to show that even if your presentation is perfect, one can still be let down by the coffee. Here's Jon's first round performance, in photos.

Setting Jon had this amazing fountain made out of grinder burrs, for the judges' table. Setting pt. 2 The table set, Jon set off to start building drinks. Shells John's first two drink rounds were carried on this beautiful setting of natural shells as saucers. Perfect Caps Visually, Jon's capps were stunning in their presentation and setting.

Serving The judges get served the first round - the cappuccinos. Heating Jon heats his cups for the espresso round. Tamping Matt Jon has a rolled bamboo matt for under the grinder - tricky stuff! Grinds can fall down between the slats, fooling a sleeping judge. Espresso The tiny shells for espresso were amazing.

Serving Judges got the espresso round on a unique serving tray. Sig Time Shots pulled for Jon's signature drinks. Spritzer The spritzer - worked in the first round, didn't work so well in the semis. Sig Serving Jon's sig drink was a take on "beer" - he used barley to good effect, and served a bubbly drink.

Performer - Heather Perry, Coffee Klatch, California

Heather Perry is the 2003 United States Barista Champion, and a constantly good performer who in many ways sets standards other Baristi attempt to match or surpass. She has toned down her performance somewhat this year, showing much maturity and a new style of finesse she didn't have in the past. Again, she was let down slightly by her coffee. I should preface this though - no one competitor's coffee was bad... Heather's was amazing, like most competitors. But at this level and with the weighing of the forms as they are towards taste, only "perfection" in taste will carry the day. Some were more perfect than others. I sampled Heather's capps and espresso in the back, and while the espresso was old, and not comment worthy, her capps were spectacular to my taste buds.

Heather Perry Mucho concentration as she finishes up her 15 minutes prep time. Judges Checking the machine at start of competition. Setting... Heather sets the table, and addresses each judge by name. Drink building Early on, Heather was setting up elements of her sig drink.

Dosing Heather's a machine when it comes to dose and tamp techniques. Intense Intense tamp was consistent throughout her performance. Capps Cappuccino building on going. Evaluate Judges evaluate the foam on Perry's cappuccinos.

Sig Building More sig building taking place. Sig Patience Heather's sig drink looked amazing. I wish I could have tasted it. Still building Her sig took a lot of time, but she made up for it by pounding out her capps and espresso quickly. Shots for Sig Last to happen was the actual shots pulled for the sig drink.

Performer - Steve Fritzen, Coffee Hound, Illinois

Steve's a regular on CoffeeGeek (Latt3rt), and had a great performance that got him into the semi finals. It was a genuine pleasure to see one of our own performing to such a high standard. He was decked out, entertaining and robotic as well. (I should note - when I say robotic, that's a high compliment from me with regards to competitions. It means that the competitor is so fluid and consistent in their movements, they are like a robot).

Here's a photo essay of his performance.

Working Grinder Steve Fritzen works the grinder like a robot! Tamping Steve's tamping technique was polished and consistent. A geniune robot! Shots Shots pulled. Note a bit excess of grinds under the grinder though. Hawk Judges Judges are all over the competitor, but still keep their distance. Lookit how crisp Steve is!

Espresso Pulls Steve's pulls looked great. More Judging Vince Piccolo (glasses) was one of Steve's technical judges. Capp Pouring Steve had awesome pouring skills on his capps. Details... Steve's one of the competitors who paid serious attention to details, like refilling water glasses.

Performer - Phuong Tran, Lava Java, Washington

Phuong is the runner up in the 2004 USBC, and this year, she had some serious game on. By all judging accounts, she got better each round, and her espresso was near the top of class according to judges. The only thing wrong with Phuong's performance is that she's so laid back, so calm and quiet, it's almost boring at times (sorry Phuong!!!). I like serenity and calmness from competitors and actually mark them up a bit on this if they exhibit it - but at the WBC level, there's a certain amount of panache and showpersonship that goes on. Phuong's gonna have to turn up her game a tiny bit on the enthusiasm side, once she's at the WBC levels.

That said, the fact she won the USBC speaks volumes for her drink quality, consistency and professionalism as a Barista. Way to go Phuong! This is her first round performance.

Final cleanup Phuong Tran works her station, getting ready for her 15 min competition. Emcee Talking Great presence during the emcee talk! Setting Competition's on - setting the table for the sensory judges. Setting Continued setting of the table, as she talks about her drinks.

Spotless Phuong garnered a lot of points for the cleanliness of her station. Espresso Judges try Phuong's espresso round. Capps Capps are started, looking good. Pouring Another area Phuong scored high was on her milk texturing and taste.

Presentation Presentation of the drinks was pretty goood too. Service Many competitors made a point of serving women first, men last. Lots going on In this wide angle shot, you can see there's a lot going on during competition. Settings Phuong's settings were great, with a nice green theme.

Talking the shot Phuong talking about her sig drink as she builds. Cool! Nifty glasses used during Phuong's sig drink phase. Sig Drink Building Building the sig drink as judges talk and watch. Finished At end of competition, Phuong's all smiles again.

Performer - Ryan Dennhardt, Barista's Daily Grind, Montana

Ryan Dennhardt's a super star, and a guy I'd happily travel 500 miles to get an espresso shot from. I think he finished tops in the semi finals, which shows how good he is. I judged him in the first round, and his drinks were all top notch.

Here's his semis performance.

Gearing up Ryan getting into game phase just prior to starting his 15 mins. Interesting! Ryan's sig drink components sure look cool. Hrmm... Again, these look cool, and lent a "church" like appearance to Ryan's table. But some judges don't like the taste of steel with drinks. Knock Box Again with the knock box under the grinder! (kidding - it's all good)

Sig Drink Sig drink got partially built throughout his fifteen mins. Pouring Ryan opted to pour a "traditional cappuccino" style, which was a-okay by this judge. Dot on Top Dots of white, good colour, awesome texture. Tamper! Ryan had this super cool thing he always did with his tamper, fliping and twirling it while tamping.

Espresso Good tiger flecking on his shots, but crema did dissipate quickly. Comms! Ryan talks to the judges about his sig drink and what it's composed of. Intensity Intensity during the competition. Building the Sig Ryan's sig drink tasted awesome. He used an old-school Mexican hot chocolate vessel.

Performer - Mandy Robinson, Brew Mountain Coffee

Mandy Robinson was one of those awesome Baristi who you'd go out of your way to get an espresso from. Her performance was great, and it was a pleasure watching and photographing it.

Judging Judging's underway in Mandy's 15 minutes. Prepping Mandy was solid, prepping for her sig drink early on. Steaming Like many competitors, Mandy did her capps first. Spot on Mandy was a machine when it came to tamping. Lookit how little spare coffee she had!

Beaut! Pouring a luscious capp. Finishing it off Finsihing it off, good texturing and technique. Capps again Hey, I have those cups! Serving Serving up the capps to the judges.

Espresso Pulling the espresso shots next. Judging Andrew Barnett (a super palatte!) as technical judge, checking timings. Tasting Capps Judges taste Mandy's cappuccinos. Nick! Nick Cho was a great emcee, and was interacting with Mandy during her session.

Performer - John Hornall, Hines Public Market Coffee, Washington

I'll state up front. John Hornall is probably the best "real time" Barista in the US today. At the bar, in a high paced cafe, he's an absolute rock star. But I worried often how he would do at competition level where some old habits can knock you on technicals and other things.

He did great in his first round. He also told me he had a goal of making everyone laugh at least once - even judges, who are supposed to remain stone faced. He pretty much succeeded in that goal. The photos below are from the semis, where again, he was a machine, but a misunderstanding about how much time left made him go into overdrive, and still finish over time. Check out the shots.

John Hornall John was the senior competitor, and easily one of the best "real time" Baristi in the US today. Settings John's capps and espresso saucers set up. Casual Before his fifteen minutes, John was all smiles. Sneak Peek A sneak peek at the specialized cocoa powder John used.

Waiting Game Waiting for the judges to come back, John talks to the emcee. Engaging John engaging the crowd. He told me he made it his goal to make each judge laugh once. Lightning John is lightning fast with the tamper. Drinks Espressos. Not to knock John, but at competition level, those cups should have the sides clean.

Judge breaks! Andrew is one of the most stoic, stone faced judges... but John got him to laugh ;) Intensity Don't anyone ever accuse John of not being an intense competitor! Milk! Pouring beautifully textured milk. Mo' Milk One slight issue - John's prep of capps wasn't consistent - he held some cups, poured on the table for others.

Cleaning John's workstation was kept sparkling for most of his fifteen minutes. Sig Build The building of the sig drinks. Espresso to come. Espresso! Sig drinks get their espresso. Serving Judges are served their espresso. This was John's semi final performance, and unfortunately, he was over time.

Performer - Jay Caragay, Jay's Shaved Ice and Coffee

Jay's another superstar who's an amazing entertainer at the bar. He was a bit nervous pouring water for the judges in the first round, so with his shaking hand, he said 'a little latte art for your water' and increased the shake.. brilliant! He also had the crowd laughing and did a great job, making the semis with ease. These photos are from both his first round and the semis.

Jay Caragay Jay talking to the emcee and crowd before starting. Crowd Jay had the crowd laughing like crazy! Serious... ... for only a moment, as he sets the table. Setting continue with setting the table...

Pulling shots Jay's pulling his sig drink shots here. Looking good Sig drink shots look awesome. Techie Tech judging watches Jay like a hawk, scoring everything. Sig Drink Sig drink is served, round one over!

Setting Beautiful hawaiian themed setting, for the semis. Smooth Jay's tamping technique is rock solid smooth. Table His setting in the semis was even better than the first round. Building the Sig Jay builds part of his sig early on.

Building Capps Jay steams as his capps are built. Beautiful Beautiful capps served in Norma J. cups from Illy. Capps served Judges get Jay's cappuccinos. Espresso Jay's espressos looked good, but cups could have been cleaned up a smidge.

Performer - Matt Riddle, Intelligentsia Coffee, Illinois

Matt is my hero. Seriously. Here's why. He's primarily the web developer at Intelligentsia, and not a front line, day in day out Barista. Yet he finished high in the regionals, and also finished in the top six in the USBC. He absolutely rocks. His performances were stellar, and his drinks were top drawer. Check it out.

Matt Sets Matt Riddle sets the table for judges and serves up some Pellegrino. Technique He was an absolute robot on technique (highest compliment I can give). Luscious Matt's shots were stunning. He was making the most out of that Black Cat. Intense! Intensity defined, while pulling his shots.<