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THE CITY OF GUADALAJARA SPRAWLS out from its historic colonial downtown core across the Valley of the Atemajac in the heart of the Mexican state of Jalisco. Guadalajara sits at an elevation of more than 5,000 feet in the middle of Jalisco, which is in the center of Mexico, on the western side, close to the Pacific Ocean. More than 1.5 million people call the capital home, among them the country's two-time national barista champion, Fabrizio Sención Ramírez. Without question, Fabrizio is proud of his hometown—"The land of tequila," as he'll quickly tell you—and his history is closely entwined with it. He first coffee memories stem from his family's home in Jalisco. "At my grandmother's house," he says, "I can still remember the aroma of coffee. Fresh coffee ground and put in a thin filter. And, spoon by spoon, hot water [was added] on the top." Fabrizio smiles easily. He is friendly, outgoing, knowledgeable, and always willing to listen and learn. Really, he's everything you could want in a barista, whether that barista is behind the bar or on competition stage. He is instantly recognizable with his trademark mustache-and-hat combination, which he sports everywhere he goes. "[It was] very folkloric and artisanal," he says, recalling his grandmother's coffee-brewing technique. "The result was an extract that each member of the family [modified] according to their preference, either adding more water, or milk. We still brew coffee that way, and with the same pot! I love it." After graduating from high school, Fabrizio moved to Montreal for a year. "I had several jobs," he says, "painting houses, cutting the grass, harvesting raspberries, and finally I ended up in a very cozy Latin restaurant. My first missions [there] were dishes, working the floor, and customer service [which meant] making coffee. So it all started—I fell in love with the dynamics of coffee." After his year abroad, he moved back to Guadalajara and began working on a degree in international studies at the local university. Meanwhile, Fabrizio says, "One of my best friends, Oscar Núñez, and his parents where starting a coffeehouse. They invited me to [join] the project, and that was really my starting point. That was 11 years ago. I finished my degree, but always combining school with coffee. So far I still enjoy both and apply them on my daily life." In fact, in 2007 he took an opportunity to merge both interests, and Fabrizio headed across the Atlantic to London to explore its rapidly growing café scene. It was a seminal experience in Fabrizio's life. "I had the fortune to meet Olivier Vetter, an amazing, passionate person full of energy," he recalls. "He is the owner of Bean About Town, and he gave me a job as a barista at one of his locations. I had a fantastic journey, and decided that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life." While living in London, Fabrizio heard about the World Barista Championship (WBC) being held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2008. Intrigued, he set out to see it for himself. While there, he met Arturo Hernandez, owner of Café Etrusca and a principal organizer and supporter of the Mexican Barista Championship, who was in Denmark serving as a WBC judge. "For me," Arturo recalls, "it was quite interesting and surprising to find a Mexican barista out of Mexico looking for his own way in the trade, and also to pay his own expenses to be [an attendee] at the championship." It was an eye-opening experience for Fabrizio. He was intrigued on the concept of competition and wanted to learn more. "I started by doing calibration for the judges in order to understand the 58 barista magazine philosophy of competitions and what judges were looking for," he says. "I had the fortune to have some really good colleagues with more experience [who were] willing to share their knowledge, people like Javier Gamboa, two-time national latte art champion, and Salvador Benitez, two-time national barista champion. [They] were key elements for me." On the competition circuit, Fabrizio has enjoyed nothing but success—he won both national contests he entered in 2010 and 2012. That doesn't mean, however, that he's not under pressure, even if that's what it looks like on stage. He made the semifinal round at the 2010 WBC in London, and he came in second in Vienna in 2012. "The experience to represent your country in a world event was mind blowing," he says. "[It's] one of those things I will never forget. At the end of the day you're there not representing a coffee shop or a name. You are representing a country. A bit of a scary thought!" Fabrizio's success on the world stage has not gone unnoticed in his home country. "Fabrizio is a role model for many native Spanishspeaking baristas," says Arturo. "In Mexico he is well-known not only because of his barista skills but also because he has become a 'coffee connoisseur' that has grown in many aspects of the trade: production, quality control, cupping, roasting, equipment, and coffee service. He has made his own path in the trade, and he is a reference to follow. I know that for many young baristas, Fabrizio is an example, and for us as organizers of the Mexican Barista Championship, he is a strong pillar that sustains our work and goals. Fabrizio is a