Cairdeas Coffee Competes in the 2008 Midwest Regional Barista Competition.

Andrea Barrale, Lou Barrale, Erika Darrough, Justin Rau, and Amber West competed in the 2008 Midwest Regional Barista Competition this year. This was Lou and Erika's second competition and both did a great job and represented Cairdeas Well. Andrea, Justin, and Amber competed for the first time and they did great! Congratulations to Alex McCracken of Kaldi's Coffee who placed 2nd overall.

The competition was held February 8th - 10th in St. Louis at The Third Degree glass factory. The event is sponsored by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and was hosted by Kaldi's Coffee. Competitors must prepare 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 signature drinks, taking no more than 15 minutes to do so. Competitors are judged by 4 sensory judges who evaluate the taste and presentation of the drinks and by 2 technical judges who evaluate the technical aspects of the way the espresso is prepared.

For more information on the Specialty Coffee Association of America, go to www.scaa.org.