Jay's Strange Blog: Campeonato Salvadoreno de Baristas, Los Finales

Guatemalan Barista Champion Jose de la Pena prepares a cappuccino for Judges Calibration.

To be honest, I probably could have judged the finals, but I certainly wasn't feeling 100% (more like 78%), and I had already named my alternate and Rob was going to Head Judge the finals. Originally we tossed a coin to determine the head judge slot but I really don't know why. I was going to let him do it regardless, mainly because I knew I would be head judging Nicaragua next week and it was important to him to head the finals. Add to that the fact that I was well on my way to being ill yesterday evening and I didn't want to judge the competitors unless I could give them my full 100%.

It's a good thing because all the judges were on top of their game and ready to do a great job.

Finals Head Judge Rob Tuttle reviews the calibration cappuccino.

Selecting the judges for the finals is a fun and curious exercise. I'm looking for the most consistent and most calibrated of our judging field. People who can evaluate quickly, consistently, fairly and to the rules. It's not an easy task - especially if it's your first time out, and we had some great people in the ranks.

The challenging part was the diversity of the competitors. Clearly, the most progressive performances were given by the Viva Espresso team. They were sharp and pushing the envelope. They've been involved in the El Salvador competitions for years and have paid very close attention to the trends in the progressive competitions around the world, like the USBC and the WBC. They signaled early on that they were going to push it to the limit and they didn't disappoint.

The Girls.

One of the most difficult things about judging is that you really don't want to field a team of judges that aren't qualified to assess the competitors they are evaluating. As a competitor in the United States, I've had that problem and I didn't want that to be the case here in El Salvador. For the finals, our judges had to be sharp and had to be on top of things. Going into the finals, I felt comfortable with our mix of experienced International Judges and national judges.

For lack of a better term, the more "advanced" competitors know the rules and they know the flow of the station with regards to their judges. They know what rules to exploit and which to burn. Some, like former WBC Sensory Judge Rodrigo Giammatei, will "play" with the judges to see if they are sharp enough to catch his nuances. It can be tricky work.

Jonathan Rodriguez does his thing.

But even experience as a WBC Judge doesn't guarantee you a win. Practice helps and the rumor was that Team Viva Espresso had been training for six months, with the last month dedicated solely to preparing for the championship.

Whether you're in the United States or at the World Barista Championship, the questions are always the same: why did those people win? Who do they know? Is the competition corrupted? And no doubt, those same questions would be posed here in El Salvador. It's the nature of the game.

Nice setup!

But when you're a judge, it's almost obvious. Those with the time and resources to practice and practice with focus and knowledge stand out. They don't necessarily win, but they stand out and increase their chances of winning tremendously.

In the end, the champion Alejandro Mendez was polished. Smooth, clean, confident and with a good disposition, as well as a very supportive company and team, I think he makes for a great champion to represent El Salvador at the World Barista Championship this June in Bogota.