Kaldi's Baristas Qualify for National Competition in Boston

Kaldi's Coffee baristas Jacque DesMarais and David Fasman placed second and third in the south central region of the Big Central Barista Competition held in Kansas City last weekend. Nora Brady finished fifth.

Fasman and Brady work at the Kaldi's Coffee House deMun location. DesMarais works as a trainer responsible for overseeing Kaldi's barista education program.

Anyone who places in the finals round of the competition is eligible to compete in the national competition. That includes first through sixth place, which means all three Kaldi's baristas will be going on to Boston to compete in the Specialty Coffee 25th Annual Exposition.

DesMarais was a finalist in the national championship last year.

You can read a Twitter account of the coffee expert's routine on the Kaldi blog. The competitors had to brew four espressos, four cappuccinos and four ‘signature’ beverages of their choosing for four judges in 15 minutes.

According to the U.S. Barista Championship,

The SCAA believes a barista is much like a bartender or a sommelier, a barista is a coffee professional who has the experience and training to deliver coffee and espresso-based beverages to customers that demonstrate craftsmanship and quality, creating a culinary experience for the customer. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is the governing body of the United States Barista Championship. SCAA's United States Barista Championship, through its focus on excellence, encourages and recognizes professional achievement in the art and skill of espresso beverage preparation and service.~United States Barista Championship website

This article was updated to the correct information that all three Kaldi's baristas are going to the national competition. That wasn't stated previously.