Mid Atlantic Baristas Square Off in D.C.

Come 7 a.m., D.C.-area coffee counters turn into mini-war zones. Every morning, baristas are assaulted with wave after wave of java-heads, looking for their morning fix, and only the most grizzled, hardened and well-trained survive.

This weekend, the Mid Atlantic Regional Barista Competition comes to D.C. to weed out the weaklings and find the best local barista. This year’s competition, hosted by Murky Coffee, takes place in the Washington Convention Center from February 15-16 alongside Coffee Fest, a coffee products-related tradeshow.

The rapid-fire contest tests each baristas’ ability to pour four espressos, cappuccinos and signature beverages in 15 minutes, and will be judged on taste, presentation, cleanliness, technical skills, and overall impression.

According to current Murky Coffee general manager Tommy Gallagher, the shop’s team -- chosen from in-house competitions -- has been training hard for the past couple months. The four baristas on Team Murky (Randy Kindle, Allie Turner, Anne Boatner, and Marianne Hines) have been working with Aaron Ultimo, director of coffee quality, who Gallagher jokingly referred to as the team’s “Mr. Miyagi.” Working in a busy coffee house helps, too, added Gallagher, since the competitors can hone their skills under Ultimo’s watchful eye, while churning out hundreds of cups of black gold.