Barista Magazine

AUG-SEP 2017

Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005

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MAYBE YOU'VE WATCHED A barista competition before— maybe even a World Barista Championship (WBC). You'd be familiar with how people pack into the stands during the final round, how impressive each of those top six competitors is, and the sheer prestige the whole production lends to the specialty-coffee craft. Ever seen Mexico's national championship, though? It's like any other coffee competition, only times 1,000. Not only do hundreds of people gather for the final round, they're there for the entire three- day competition. You know how at barista contents, oftentimes there's a lot of disparity in professionalism between competitors in the preliminary and final rounds? In Mexico, these entrants are all pros. They know what it takes to be a champion, and they're committed to work for it. As for the production value, well, the Mexican Association of Specialty Coffees and Cafés (AMCCE) has been doing this longer than most countries. In late August, the 16 th Mexican Barista Championship will begin in Mexico City at ExpoCafe, which is the association's enormous, exciting annual convention and trade show. To put it in to context, 2017 was only the 14 th time the United States Barista Championship has taken place. Trying to determine if ExpoCafe is responsible for the success of the barista competition—or if the barista competition is what makes ExpoCafe great—is impossible, but it's safe to say they're both part of a whole. What's more, that whole is reflected throughout the gargantuan landscape that is Mexico City, known worldwide for its progressive restaurant scene, and these days also for an exceptional specialty-coffee culture. That impressive café scene is in fact a direct result of the national competition: Almost every single past Mexican Barista Champion owns their own successful coffee company, and one such company even has two champions at its helm: Café Passmar. This story is about Alelí Labastida who, yes, is one of the owners of Café Passmar. Alelí, 32, is also Mexico's first woman barista champion, and to begin to understand the kind of strong, skilled, and determined person Alelí is, we have to go back to the year she won, 2008. Here are the important players: There's Alelí, of course. At barely 5-feet tall, she's always being underestimated, especially men in Mexico City's macho coffee scene. Lots of people haven't even bothered to learn her name—they only know her as Chava's girlfriend. That brings us to Chava, the nickname by which Salvador Benitez is known. He's pretty famous not only for running the family business, Café Passmar, but for winning the Mexican Barista Championship in 2006 and 2007. Thirdly, there is Arturo Hernandez, without whom the barista championship may not have ever come to Mexico. You can read all about Arturo and his tireless efforts to build a world-class competition as well as coffee culture in Mexico on page 96 of this issue; he's the focus of our "Master Q+A" feature. In the story of the 2008 Mexico Barista Championship, however, just keep in mind that Arturo runs a flawless event; is beloved by competitors, judges, and spectators alike; and is just one of the most pure-hearted coffee professionals you'll ever meet. Finally, there's a stranger—a woman few of the regulars have seen before. She showed up at ExpoCafe, happened to see some of the barista competition, and was fascinated. She stayed to watch the entire thing. The crux of this story is that Alelí, having trained relentlessly for the past year and working full-time at Passmar, won. She became the first woman Mexican Barista Champion. Standing onstage hearing the names of her fellow finalists called in sixth place, fifth place, fourth place, and then third, she grew dizzy. She started to sweat. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Alvaro Carrasco, a good friend of hers, she couldn't wrap her head around the idea that she might win. Time slowed down. She saw her mother and sister among hundreds of spectators, all on their feet. She saw Chava, and he smiled reassuringly at her though she could see the anticipation in his eyes as he, too, waited to hear who would succeed him as champion. She saw Arturo and the judges panel—everyone appeared about to burst. And then it all went dark. Chava told her later that when Alvaro's name was read as the second-place finisher, Alelí's eyelids fluttered but only a little, not enough to warn him that she was collapsing right then and there. As she fainted, Chava darted to her side, press photographers be damned. Her mother and sister pushed through too, and Arturo—he couldn't believe it. Having supervised the tabulation of the scores, he had known, of course, that she was the winner. What he couldn't believe was that it was such a surprise to her. Alelí's mother and sister, along with Chava and Arturo, half- walked, half-carried Alelí away from the fray. The audience noise level had climbed to an all-time high when Alelí fainted; her loved ones just wanted to get her out of there. She would be OK, everyone knew. It was all just such a shock. Hours later, the judges and competitors gathered to celebrate the competition's conclusion. Arturo arranged for food and drink, and while everyone was in good spirits, the mood was subdued. Then the door swung open and Alelí, followed protectively by Chava, entered. She smiled sheepishly. " No puedo creer que gané," she said. I can't believe I won." And everybody cheered. It is now nine years later, 2017. Alelí and Chava are married, and have just celebrated the first birthday of their daughter. " We hope she'll get involved in coffee," Alelí says, "but we'll support her either way." So much has happened since that day in 2008 when she famously fainted, and even more famously became the first woman barista champion of Mexico. Arturo expanded the coffee competitions offered in-country to include Latte Art, Brewers Cup, Cup Tasters, and Roaster. In 2010, Alelí won the Mexican Latte Art Championship, and traveled to Holland to compete at the world ALELI' S UNFORGETTABLE CHAMPIONSHIP BY SARAH ALLEN 60 barista magazine

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