Barista Magazine

APR-MAY 2013

Barista Magazine is your home for the worldwide community of coffee and the people who make it.

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PU L L : EV E N TS %46-0 XLXLHYVMRK7'%% 74)%/)%7= 7 %8 ) 0 0 - 8 ) ' % * ) .SMRYWVMKLXSYXWMHIXLI 7'%%)\TS%PWSTEVX SJ'EJJIMRI'VE[P &37832 &EVMWXE2EXMSRGSQ; 8[MXXIV $&EVMWXE2EXMSR; *EGIFSSO 7IEVGL&EVMWXE2EXMSR; 22 barista magazine WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF FLORIDA, they usually think of oranges, beaches, and spring break—certainly they don't think of coffee. But they should, and the popularity of the Barista Jam & Latte Art Throwdown hosted by The Library Coffeehouse and Buddy Brew Coffee in early February proved it. When we first started talking about this event, we didn't know what to expect: How many people would come? Would we even have enough baristas to do the event justice? All we knew was that an event celebrating Tampa's coffee community was long overdue. By the time the jam rolled around, we'd publicized it on Facebook and Twitter big time. We even got the local newspaper to give us a nod. More than 100 people showed up at Buddy Brew Coffee that night for an event that goes down in history—at least, Tampa's history. More than 20 baristas signed up to compete, and tension ran high from the get-go. Folks were nervous! Most had never been to a throwdown, much less competed in one. Kristi Gonzalez of Barnie's CoffeeKitchen said she could hear her heart beating in her ears. In the end, she focused on her goal and was proud of what she accomplished. Ty Beddingfield from Buddy Brew Coffee was our emcee, and Anthony Rue of Volta Coffee, Tea & Chocolate out of Gainesville; Dean Hurst from SideBern's restaurant in Tampa; and Rich Mullins of The Tampa Tribune served as judges. Battle after battle, there was a winner and a loser, but in the end, it didn't matter.  This night was about building a coffee community, making new friends, sharing tips, and having lots of fun. Grant Conine from Buddy Brew says that "the best part of the evening was definitely the camaraderie. A lot of us come from shops that are direct competitors, but Thursday night we put all of that aside and just had some fun." We saw some amazing art poured by our top three competitors, and in the end, Mandy Spirito from Buddy Brew was the big winner, followed by Mandy's coworker Josh Bonanno, with Jason Waits of Kahwa Coffee placing third. "I joined the event to sort of see what kind of third wave coffee was really going on in Tampa, and to see how passionate the Tampa Bay area is about coffee," Jason says. "I'm definitely blown away by the turnout and the talent. I've been to throwdowns before and was curious to see if Tampa could hold its own against cities like New York or Portland [Ore]. I can now say it can." Baristas at the event represented a phenomenal number of area cafés: Barnie's CoffeeKitchen in Winter Park, Axum Coffee in Winter Garden, PHOTOS BY DANIEL MENDOZA GIVE IT UP FOR TAMPA! From top, Josh Galindo of the Coffee Barn and Bakery in Brooksville, Fla. pours in the throwdown; competitors from Barnie's CoffeeKitchen in Winter Park, Fla., from le : Mike Severn, Kristi Gonzalez, Olivia Benne , and William Craig; Throwdown winners from le : Josh Bonanno of Buddy Brew Coffee in second, Mandy Sprito of Buddy Brew Coffee in first, and Jason Waits of Kahwa Coffee in third. Coffee Barn and Bakery in Brooksville, Starbucks in St. Petersburg, Kahwa Coffee with shops in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Buddy Brew Coffee in Tampa, and The Library Coffeehouse in Tampa. —Marie Cullinan

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