Judging lattes at the annual Southwest Foodservice Expo in Dallas

by Teresa Gubbins

DALLAS — One surefire way to cure yourself of liking something is to spend a day judging it. So if you're someone who really likes espresso drinks, don't volunteer to judge a barista competition -- unless you actually like grinding your teeth, itchy skin, and the buzz of loud machinery in your ears.

Sherri and Danny Johns of Portland-based WholeCup Coffee conduct barista competitions at trade shows around the world. On Sunday, they hosted the Ultimate Barista Challenge competition at the Southwest Foodservice Expo, a three-day trade show for the restaurant biz at the Dallas Convention Center which continues on Monday and Tuesday.

Theirs isn't the only barista competition. There's also one called the World Barista Championship. Baristas like to compete. And yet most are also friendly and clannish with their fellow competitors.

Sunday's competition drew six baristas from Texas and beyond who prepared three espresso-based drinks: 1. macchiato, 2. latte, and 3. specialty drink creation. Danny emceed and Sherri supervised the judging, with a panel that included coffee experts Heather and Jay Kurima, and me.

Getting to be a judge was no snap. You had to have spotted Sherri's solicitation posted on Belo's Eats blog, then sent an email to sjohnswholecup@aol.com. You also had to spend Sunday at the Convention Center drinking more espresso than you'd ever thought you want.

Most of the competitors came from small coffeehouses in Houston and Austin; Dallas doesn't yet have the glut of indie coffeeshops that seem to foster barista artistry. All were masters at frothing milk, and all created nifty heart and flower designs on top of the drinks. Therefore, judging got down to focusing on nitpicky details. Were the tiny bubbles in the foam a smidge too large? Did the streaks of milk have fuzzy edges instead of the more desirable sharp?

Two rounds of competition left time in between to roam the Expo, where companies such as Pre-Gel and Ben E. Keith offered samples of gelato and beer. Attendees included local restaurant folk such as York Street chef-owner Sharon Hage; restaurateur (and new president of the Texas Restaurant Association) Mark Maguire; PR practitioner Jeff Yarbrough; and D Magazine Twitterer Nancy N., who brought a posse of bloggers.

At the barista contest, it was time for the final face-off between challenger Lorenzo Perkins and reigning champion Heather Perry.

Much attention was paid to the colorful specialty drinks: Lorenzo combined espresso with pureed blackberry and a mantle of cream. Heather presented her "lime in the coconut" drink on a rectangular slab of wood. She ended up winning -- but not for her novelty drink. As judge Jay Kurima put it, "it was those beans."

Four hours later, the waves of acid stomach and post-contest jitters had subsided, but not the memory of too many espressos. Twelve hours later, the prospect of sleep still seemed impossible. But the house had been vacuumed, the dishes washed, and every last lint ball trimmed off the hoodie purchased in 1998. That's what you get for buying a 65% cotton-35% poly blend.

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