music:. U.S. Barista Competitions, Round SemiFinals, 2015

Notes + Quotes

1. Sam Lewontin, Everyman NY | New York, NY

‘Black Sands’ Bonobo | “I want this drink to be simple and accessible.”

2. Brady MacDonald, Olympia Coffee Roasting | Olympus, WA

‘O leaozinzo,’ Caetano V | “I know that coffee is the product of a living organism.”

3. Hadassah Edith | Square One Coffee, Lancaster, PA

‘Respect,’ Norma Frazer | “Getting to know this coffee meant getting to know this country.”

4. Cole McBride | PublicUs, Las Vegas, Nevada

‘Turn Up The Radio,’ Ok Go | “Coffee like this allows us to bring more people into the specialty coffee universe.”

5. Ryan Soeder, Intelligentsia | Chicago, Illinois

‘The Boy in the Bubble,’  Paul Simon | “I’m fascinated with how many terms we have for coffee.”

6. Radames Roldan, Blueprint Coffee | St. Louis, MO

‘Why,’ Les Sins Feat Nate Saman | “I’m excited to connect with coffee in ways that I hadn’t thought possible.”

7. Michael Harwood, Ceremony Coffee |

‘Still Life,’ The Horrors’ | “Every coffee has an ideal context.”

8. Charles Babinski, Go Get Em Tiger | Los Angeles

‘Be Your Girl,’ Teedra Moses | “Coffee thrives on large scale systems.”

9. Trevor Gruehn , Independent, Madison WI

‘Let’s Do it Again’, Staple Sisters | “We need to be aware of our expectations, manage them and challenge them sometimes.”

10. Kevin Bohlin, Saint Frank Coffee, San Francisco, CA

‘The Believer,’ John Legend x Common |  “Passion in coffee isn’t by flavor alone but, the people and cultures of coffee.”

11. Matthew Scott, Lemonjello, Holland, MI

‘Shoelaces,’ Submarines | “Stories are really important in coffee.”

12. Brandon Paul Weaver, Slate Coffee | Seattle, Washington

‘I Can’t Help Myself,’ Four Tops | “I want to provide space so acidity can shine.”

13. Dev Chapman, Verve Coffee Roasters, Los Angeles

‘Warm Water,’ Her Name is Banks | “One element can be a catalyst.”

14.  Andrea Allen, Onyx Coffee Lab | Springdale Arizona

‘Down Home Girl,’ Old Crow Medicine Show | “Natural processing is the future of coffee.”

15. Eden-Marie Abramowicz, Intelligentsia | Silver Lake, CA

‘Rather Be,’ Kristin Royal Ft Jess Glynne | “Specialty coffee is extremely diverse.”

16. Trevor Cortlett, MadCap Coffee Co. | Washington D.C.

‘Elation,’ Isbells | “What is creativity? The ability to transcend traditional ideas.”

17. Sam Schroeder, Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. | Olympia Washington

‘Pulsing’ Tomas Barfood Feat Nina K. | “The café community is not complete without the consumer.”

18. Lemuel Butler, Counter Culture Coffee | Durham, North Carolina

‘Make the Road by Walking,’ Menahan Street Band, “The process determines the product.”

For Round One click here.