Who is the best barista? Try looking in Silver Lake
Who has the best barista? Yes, there is actually a competition. And the winner? (No, not the kid at your local Starbucks). He's a Tobey Maguire-type from Silver Lake. Details on The Times' Daily Dish blog by Deborah Netburn:
It's official. Southern California rules the coffee world. Baristas from the Silver Lake coffee shop Intelligentsia took first, second and third place at the 2009 Western Regional Barista Competition on Sunday, leaving competitors from nearby LA Mill, San Francisco's Ritual and Santa Cruz's Verve in the dust. In your face, Northern California! The first place winner, Nick Griffith, came as no surprise to those who have been watching the competition closely. "Just look at him," a coffee-world insider said, noting his mellow Tobey Maguire-esque demeanor. "How could he not win?"
EDITOR'S PICKS:
So Cal rules the coffee world? You have got to be kidding. No offence, but the average American would not know a decent cup of coffee if they fell into it. I just spent six weeks in North America, and the only proper espresso I could find was in Canada.
America needs a big influx of Italians, Greeks, Australians, etc in order to drastically improve the quality of that weak, flavourless stuff you call coffee.
Posted by: Aussie Bloke | January 26, 2009 at 05:53 PM