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BGA EAST COAST CAMP PULL-A-SHOT BY MICHAEL HARWOOD ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIZ CLAYTON FOR THE SCAA Outside, as the sun sets behind the Appalachians and evening descends, inside the Activity Barn, we are just warming up. The microphone belongs to Barista Guild of America (BGA) Executive Council-member and future comedy-circuit legend Lorenzo Perkins, who has just laid out the rules of the next team event for the energetic crowd before him. It will test each team's decision-making prowess, skill, creativity, and ability to work together by simulating a coffee chain from green seed buying to brew and service. Surveying the room, the native Texan tries to restore order as his milling herd becomes restless with the thrill of competition. Knowing he cannot contain us much longer, Lorenzo delivers a hasty ''3, 2, 1, Go!'' and we're stampeding off on our quest to produce the best cup of coffee possible. Of course, that mission, which is what brought us to the BGA's Camp Pull-A- Shot—especially noteworthy for being the first to take place on the East Coast—started for each one of us long before this night. Through the dense mountain fog and a cacophony of coffee noise, more than 100 baristas and coffee professionals from near and far gathered in pursuit of a common goal: to improve our understanding of excellence in coffee. In this spirit, the cool, green mountains of Virginia welcomed us to the third iteration of Camp Pull-A-Shot, taking place for the first time at the Mountain Lake Conservancy and Hotel in Pembroke, Virginia. If you are of a certain age or simply prefer a healthy dose of Patrick Swayze in your films, you may remember our campsite, Mountain Lake Hotel, playing the role of the Kellerman Mountain Resort from the 1980s coming-of-age flick Dirty Dancing. Although many of us did indeed cut a rug after-hours, what brought us to camp was the chance to learn from highly-skilled teachers and to certify that education through the Barista Guild. Visiting all the way from London, 2007 World Barista Champion, and co-owner of the successful Square Mile Coffee Roasters, James Hoffmann deftly captured this reasoning for Camp Pull-A-Shot during his brief, but effective speech at the Opening Ceremonies. His message could be liberally paraphrased as, "When we venture outside of our bubble, we soon realize how much there is to learn. This camp is exactly that—leaving the bubble, engaging and learning with great coffee minds. That's brilliant!" Watching Jason Dominy teach the class, "Grind, Dose, Tamp, Extract" using anecdotes, humor and standards to hold the rapt attention of a room full of baristas reminded me of when one of my high school friends taught me to drive stick-shift: in theory, I understood how, but until my friend sat me down in the seat and talked me through shifting gears on the fly, I 24 barista magazine couldn't exit the parking lot. Jason is that kind of instructor. As his students hit the machines, he stood by to watch and guide them in applying their new skills. This mix of theoretical and practical/discussion-based learning throughout the coursework is at the core of what Camp Pull-A-Shot and the Barista Guild are all about. A typical class schedule for a camper hoping to attain Level One Certification (e.g. 2011 USBC Champion Pete Licata, true story!) over the course of Camp Pull-A-Shot might look something like this: Day one: "Customer Service" Day two: "Introduction to Espresso"; "Introduction to Brewing" Day three: "Introduction to Cupping"; "Introduction to Espresso, Part 2"; "Seed to Cup" A sample schedule of class for an aspiring Level Two barista probably looks more like this: Day one: "Espresso Equipment Preventive Maintenance" Day two: "Grind, Dose, Tamp, Extract"; "Espresso Bar Efficiency and Workflow" Day three: "Latte Art" From the teaching perspective, Lem Butler, a station instructor for "Grind, Dose, Tamp, Extract," had this to say about his experience at Camp: "I really enjoyed being a station instructor. I have always looked up to folks in the BGA as coffee professionals with an abundance of knowledge. To be able to volunteer my time and give back that knowledge I have learned over the years to young baristas overwhelms me with excitement for the future of the industry. " Well put, Mr. Sexyfoam. Aside from the formal classes, Camp also provides structured forums for thought-provoking discussion. Lorenzo and James held court on iced coffee, a hot topic these days. Two invigorating roundtables called "Describing Specialty Coffee" and "Untangling Issues of Sustainability" with a discussion on "Greening Your Café" provided opportunities for baristas to dig deep with these complex issues. At the Opening Ceremonies, Tracy Ging, Deputy Executive Director for the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), offered studied insight into what a customer really wants when they stop by our cafés (hint: it's not usually detailed information on the coffee). She stressed the importance of customers' positive, almost romantic relationship with coffee and how it makes them feel. Coffee is about love, empowerment, mood enhancement, feeling more alert and alive, and being ready to seize the day. What a great lesson! Almost too soon, our three days of lessons were over and it was time FIELD REPORT EAST COAST BGA CAMP, VIRGINIA VANCOUVER, B.C.