LONG BEACH, Calif, US. – The Specialty Coffee Association of America is pleased to announce that the Big Central Event, hosted by Café Imports and Wilbur Curtis Co., will be held October 25-27, 2013 at Uppercut Boxing Gym in Minneapolis, MN.
The North Central and South Central regional competitions will be held at the Big Central Event, which includes a Barista Competition and Brewers Cup.
This three-day event (Friday – Sunday) will mark the beginning of a new format for regional competitions in the U.S., with two regions competing at each of the three events: the Big Central, Big Eastern and Big Western.
The changes to the structure of these competitions are intended to create larger, more impactful and inclusive events for attendees, competitors, volunteers, sponsors and equipment providers. “We believe this new format, which proved so successful at the Big Central last season, will add real excitement for the audience and build a greater sense of community for the competitors,” said SCAA’s executive director Ric Rhinehart.
Additional changes to the structure of the event include updates to the 2014 Rules & Regulations for the Barista Competition. Each regional Barista Competition will be comprised of one qualifying round.
The top six (6) scoring competitors from each region, placing 1st – 6th, will move on to compete at the United States Barista Championship (USBC). The highest scoring competitor in each region will be named the first (1st) place regional winner, earning themselves travel and accommodations to compete in the semi-finals of the USBC on Saturday, April 26, 2014.
The second (2nd) place runner-up will also be invited to compete in the semi-finals, (travel and accommodations are at the competitor’s expense). Third (3rd) through sixth (6th) place will be invited to compete in Round 1 at USBC on Friday, April 25th (travel and accommodation is at competitors’ expense).
Baristas who are interested in competing are encouraged to attend PrepFests in their area, as well as review the revised 2014 Rules and Regulations. For Brewers Cup, refer to the Competition Structure document for the number of spots available at the regional and national Championships.
If you are interested in participating one of these events or have questions regarding the competitions, email competitions@scaa.org. For more information, see the 2014 Competition Structure document available online at www.usbaristachampionship.org .
Additionally, the BGA will be offering a competition-focused lecture at the upcoming Barista Camp: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Competitions: Demos, Details & Rules for USBC, Brewers Cup, World Latte Art Championship & More. Details on this session are available at www.baristaguildofamerica.net/get-involved/barista-camp/fall-camp/classes/.
More information about regional coffee competitions will be available at www.usbaristachampionship.org and www.baristaguildofamerica.net .
