Lem creating "sexyfoam" Photo Credit: King Plow
When I was a barista at The Connection Internet Cafe’ (which, unfortunately, has since closed) we were required to attend our roaster’s beginner espresso course for staff consistency. So, off we went to Counter Culture in Durham, NC. This is where I met Lem Butler, our trainer for the day.
Not only did I learn to make a perfect espresso shot, but also Lem’s key term for the perfect milk steaming consistency-”sexyfoam”.
This was also the same day I realized my new passion, coffee. Soon after, I signed up for their intermediate course.
I was excited to find out that Lem won the Southeast Regional Barista Championship held last month in Atlanta, GA and felt this is the perfect time to catch up.
When did you start drinking coffee?
Wow, not sure. I remember growing up and my sister and I fighting over who gets to hold and smell the bag of freshly ground eight o’clock coffee that my parents would buy at the store. Whenever we would run out of Ovaltine, my sister and I would drink coffee but we would load it up with lots of cream and sugar. Picture that an 8 and a 5 year old sneaking into our parents coffee, running around the house buzzing off sugar and caffeine.
Later in college I would revisit coffee in order to stay awake for final exams, but as a serious coffee drinker who drinks to experience the different nuances of coffee, well that didn’t come about until much later when I worked for the Daily Grind Espresso Café on the campus of UNC-CH. The “Grind” is an independent business from Carolina dining services, so we were able to think outside the box as far as your average coffee shop. I believe we were the first shop in Chapel Hill to feature coffees from specific farms, I know we were the first to serve Direct Trade Certified coffee which blew a lot of customers away. “20% more to farmers than fair-trade”, that was awesome.
How and when did you decide to become a Barista?
When I was an undergrad at UNC-CH I had no idea that the Daily Grind existed. I went about my academics unaware of a future in the coffee industry waiting for me in a building I passed two or three times a day. After college I decided not to use my Political Science degree, and further pursue music. I toured like crazy up and down the east coast, only to have the band split leaving me with a void to fill. After living a nocturnal lifestyle for 4 years, I decided to live in the sun for a while and find a day job. In 2003 I was hired at the Daily Grind Espresso Café and slowly worked my way through the ranks: cashier, barista, trainer, GM.
How long have you been in the industry?
2003 – present
What all are you involved in within the industry?
I worked for Jane Brown at the Daily Grind for 4 years. I trained a lot of baristas and wrote the Daily Grind training manual. After the Grind, I moved on to the roaster (Counter Culture Coffee) where we bought all of our coffee and received countless hours of training courses. At CCC I started in production bagging coffee, shipping coffee, blending coffee, delivering coffee and then when a customer relations position opened, I joined the CR team. As a Customer Relations Representative for the local area of Chapel Hill, Durham and southern Virginia, I advise, consult and train our customers. I also do minor technical work on espresso machines, grinders and brewers. Here at our training center in Durham, I am also a part of the Counter Intelligence Program, where we teach labs/classes on espresso, milk chemistry, coffee history and origin, cuppings and the science and practice of proper coffee extraction. I also help customers in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill host Latte Art Contests each month. This month’s Latte Art Competition will be hosted by Busy Bee Café in downtown Raleigh on March 25 at 7 pm.
You recently prevailed, again, at the Southeast Barista Championship. Congratulations! Tell us about the competition.
All over the world the World Barista Championship rotates from country to country. The competition involves baristas preparing 12 drinks in 15 minutes (4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 signature beverages). There are four sensory judges that drink and evaluate the drinks, there is a head judge and then there are two technical judges that judge the competitors on consistency and waste. There can be only one barista representing each participating country, so each country holds its own national version. Here in the US, we have a National competition, but because we are so large, we hold regional competitions before the larger US Barista competition.
I have won the Southeast Region three times (2005, 2007, 2010). Each time I advanced to the national level, I have fallen short. This year’s Southeast was a little different than prior competitions, mainly because this was the first time I sat out a year and came back. I was concerned about competing because I haven’t worked a barista shift in years and I felt the talent in the baristas has improved drastically.
Before, everyone was using blends that have already been established, this year everyone was customizing espresso blends and using single origin espressos. There just seems to be more knowledge of coffee and coffee quality here in the southeast that has never been here before. The bar has definitely been risen since I was away.
Tell us about your signature drink and why you chose it.
Signature beverages are always, for me, the most challenging as well as the most fun part of the competition. Everyone (audience) wants to know what new and exciting ingredients baristas are bringing to the competition. One common mistake baristas make with the signature beverage is that they will find a really different ingredient that no one has used, but it does not pair well with the coffee.
Here’s my secret. I will choose the espresso blend that I want to use in the competition. Then, I will look at the coffees in that espresso blend and focus on the flavor profiles of each individual coffee. Then I will cup each coffee individually so I can experience these nuances separately from the blend. For example let’s look at the blend I competed with. La Forza has a Sumatran, Peruvian and an Ethiopian. Cupping these coffees individually I would pick up on fruity flavors, red fruit acidity, chocolate notes and with the Sumatran I would always perceive earthy roots and vegetal earthiness…immediately I thought of ginger root and cucumbers. That was my start. 3 months in the lab and I emerged with La Forza infused with a local bee hive honey topped with a non-dairy espresso foam flavored with cucumber and ginger.
Sounds interesting? Well, you should try it. In a cocktail shaker, add:
- lots of ice
- 1 oz water
- 2oz shakisso natural from Ethiopia
- 2 slices of cucumber (organic)
- ¼ tsp shaved ginger root
- Shake vigorously and strain into a whip cream charger
- Add one beaten egg white (organic)
- Shake and charge with one nitrous canister
- (this can be chilled in the fridge 3-5 days after 5 days I would toss it and make a fresh batch)
- Pull 4 shots of La Forza into a pitcher with tblsp of honey
- Stir and split amongst 4 2-3oz glasses and top with the non-dairy esp foam
- Stir and drink it fast!
How are competitors judged?
Competitors are judged on espresso taste, espresso taste of the cappuccino and espresso taste in the signature beverage. Also, knowledge of the barista, consistency of barista, cleanliness of the barista, and overall impression.
What does it take to compete in this or any Barista Championship?
Knowing the coffee and being ready for anything. Anything can happen and the barista has to be able to adapt. An example was my presentation at nationals in Minneapolis in 2008 where the top to my honey bottle came off in mid pour spilling honey all over the judges table. I have seen baristas knock over an entire tray of signature beverages and not have replacement glasses to make new drinks. One year a barista didn’t bring enough coffee and ran out of coffee on stage during her presentation.
Regardless of what will or what could happen, you have to have fun with it or it will drive you mad.
What advice would you give to Baristas who want to compete for the first time?
Do as many uninterrupted full run throughs of your presentation as possible. Do this in front of as many people that you know. It is more difficult to go through your presentation in front of friends than it will be in front of strangers (judges). If your friends get it, then the judges will get it.
Good Luck in Anaheim!
Jennifer Vaaler is the no-nonsense blogger of Daily Demitasse. Her fuel is also her passion as a Barista by day and freelance copywriter by night and has been featured in trade Industry Journal, Coffee Talk. She specializes in Consulting and writing copy for the Specialty Coffee Industry. When she’s not wielding a portfilter or pen, Jennifer enjoys a great book, crafts and good movie.
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