How to Run a Community Building Coffee Competition: A Guide to our Barista Hurly Burly
How to Run a Community Building Coffee Competition: A Guide to the Barista Hurly Burly
We recently hosted our own Barista Hurly Burly Coffee Competition as part of an Industry Night for our local coffee community to celebrate our newest cafe location, The Colombian Forest Heights. It was a fantastic night that brought our local coffee community together, and we're excited to share how you can host a similar event for your community!
Event Structure:
- Team Format: Pair up baristas into teams of two. For our competition, we had 8 teams.
- Elimination Rounds:
- Round 1: Espresso:
- Each team gets three shots to dial in.
- The fourth shot is submitted for judging.
- Judging criteria: sweetness, flavor, crema, acidity, balance, and time.
- Six teams are eliminated after judging.
- Round 2: Crush the Rush:
- Each team makes three drinks: cappuccino, latte, and traditional macchiato.
- Judging criteria: taste balance, visual presentation, and speed.
- One team is eliminated.
- Round 3: Pour Over:
- Teams are given a dial range and 8 minutes to practice.
- They must submit a minimum of 150g for judging.
- Judging criteria: sweetness, flavor, acidity, balance, and time.
- The top two teams advance.
- Final Round: Signature Beverage:
- Teams receive five mystery ingredients and must use four of them with espresso to create a signature beverage.
- They have 5 minutes to practice and 5 minutes to prepare.
- Each team presents their creation to the judges, explaining their interpretation, ingredient choices, and beverage name.
Prizes:
- For our event, the winning team won a $500 cash prize! Having prizes is really fun and makes competitors feel appreciated and fuels that friendly competition vibe.
Tips for Hosting Your Competition:
- Engage Your Community: Send personal invitations to all local cafes, roasters and other local hospitality based businesses and individuals that typically engage with your coffee shop.
- Clear Rules and Guidelines: Ensure that all participants understand the rules, judging criteria, and time constraints.
- Recruit volunteer judges: We asked people the night of the event to be judges and calibrated them with the scoresheet. This is casual and fun event so there is typically no need for advance calibration.
- Creative Atmosphere: Set the stage with music to create a vibey atmosphere.
- Food and Beverage: Provide food and beverages for participants and guests to enjoy during the competition. We hired a local food-truck to park out front of our shop to serve food and inside we provided beer, natural wine and non-alcoholic options. We covered all costs for our event and do recommend doing so to show appreciation for your team and all attendees.
- Create a fun name for your competition: We came up with the name Barista Hurly Burly as an original name based on this old fashioned word that means “busy, boisterous activity”.
- Physical Promotion: Create a poster and send out personal invitations to spread the word. We had our designer create a fun poster.
- Swag: We used the poster design and had it printed on t-shirts that we gifted to all participants and gave out the extras to regular attendees.
What You'll Need:
- Equipment:
- Scoresheet for competition
- Scoreboard
- Timer
- Coffee grinders
- Espresso machine
- Pour-over equipment
- Cups and saucers of various sizes
- Measuring spoons and scales
- Filters
- Supplies:
- Coffee beans
- Milk
- Sugar
- Syrups
- Mystery ingredients
- People:
- Three volunteer judges
- Event coordinator
- Volunteers to assist with setup and cleanup
- MC to guide the event
By following these guidelines, you too can host a successful coffee competition that brings your community together!
