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How is it phrased in the rules this year? I'd be happy to advise after knowing that. I wouldn't want to give generic advice that doesn't help you.

I'm so glad it helped! They were always on the Hub before. They were always slow to take down previous years' forms, too. In fact, old forms stayed up for several years which was at least proof I was looking in the right place. Release dates were never consistent even when there was a consistent person or team organizing it from Seattle. Also, they released the score sheets and guides in stages. To make sure all competitors had the same time to prepare, they only released district after the hard finish date from all store competitions. The area rules only came out after the hard finish date for all district comps. I wish you all the luck. As of 2022, as a barista, I had access to all of the competition documents. I did not need to rely on a manager's access to find them. Just watching this video will give you a huge advantage even if the particulars have all changed. Competing is so much fun.

While I'm no longer with the company, I'm really excited for you. The point distributions have undoubtedly changed but even knowing the sheet and planning ahead will put you leaps and bounds ahead of most other competitors. I wish you the best.

AM There on monday

@@sarahkaranja786 Good Luck! Make it fun. It will be over before you know it. Help where you can and walk with an air of awesomeness.

Jaypee, I am very excited for you! The rules in the EMEA are different than the rules in the United States. In fact, the United States has not even announced a competition this year. We may not have one. I would be happy to write to you privately but there might not be much for me to say. I want to help you win but I don't know if I can. Nate

Diana, I wish you all the luck in your competition! Please know this video is from the US and it is from 2021. The US is adopting a different timeline this year (2022) and the specifics have not yet been announced. If you are competing in a different country within the EMEA or elsewhere these points will not apply to you. Each region develops contests independently of the others. I hope the skills you learned about reading the score cards, knowing your point systems, connecting with customers, and story telling are useful to you but please don't rely on this video at this time. Nate

Hello Ginnil, This video is from the US 2020 competition year. Many things may have changed. I have not seen any published news for the 2022 US competition season. I have corresponded with the new organizer so I know it's not dead but I do not know the intended timeline. I hope the video helps you build a strategy to win using your competition's guidelines! Nate

The competition in the US has been cancelled. I found this out on Workplace and not through an official announcement. I'm sorry.

Perfect Score!!! Those are not common even when we're completely prepared. I bet they were really impressed. This is amazing news. I'll get the area video up as soon as the info comes out. I'm genuinely happy for you. Even through COVID this is turning out to be an exciting championship season.

@@natef877 I studied like crazy!!! It was nice to be in person as well!!!! Originally I thought I would be going to Kentucky for the next round but it’s looking more like virtual. I look forward to your next video, you were a big help in me getting that perfect score!

This is confusing because you’re right. Why would they take off a point for that? Also a tie breaker (In the official rules) is settle by a latte art throw down.

@@mollyganasa621 Yes, I was genuinely confused especially since they still pre-wet at reserve locations. 🤔 I’m sure there’s more deductions on my overall performance that my SM hasnt mentioned to me, but I still wish I could know if this was the point that separated all the competitors.

Roman, There is a lot of info in your comment. First, I'm sorry it didn't work out better for you. On the plus side, there is always next year and you will be even more fierce then. Next, according to the rules, the judges have final say so there is nothing left to do this year other than learn from your SM and other judges about how to do better. Now to the coffee discussion. Yes, most aficionados will rinse their filters. Yes, the official pour over instructions at Reserve stores do list rinsing as a step. Non-reserve stores do not list rinsing as a required step. Your observations and understanding of rinsing paper for taste and to warm equipment is 100% right. The issue of losing a point for that is suspect under these contest rules. There are no points for the actual brewing. It should be possible to get all brewing points while brewing through an old used cowboy's sock as long as you can discuss all of the talking points on the list. There are no actual points assigned for brewing correctly or even brewing well. COVID has really messed with the sensory aspect of the contest. The real judging challenge this year is trying to figure out who told a 3 point story bout CAFE practices vs. a 2 point story. Were your 3 coffee facts each unique or did they overlap or did they mention flavor? Grading story telling is tough and not nearly as objective as "visual standards met and cup is free of spills or drips." When the contest comes down to just a couple of points it means all the competitors were strong and it gets really tough to find where or why a single point was or was not awarded. My best advice is to treat it as a victory. With this experience you'll be a shoe in for next year. I won my area championship in 2018 by 2 points out of nearly 200 available. Does that mean I was actually a fraction better than the others? Not really. When it's that close it means I just happened to grab two points somewhere. Maybe I didn't have a drip on a cup and #2 did. Maybe my story was slightly more engaging in some arbitrary way. Maybe I had one less bubble in my foam. There is no way to tell. Any of the top 3 in 2018 would have beat me in 2016. In 2016 I was a clear winner. From your comment, I doubt it was anything you did wrong. Be sure to go to the area championship to cheer for your district winner and learn as much as you can so you are ready for next year.

@@natef877 Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my lengthy post! Now that you mention it, one of my coffee related facts may have overlapped so that could help explain my score. When my SM told me that I lost only one major point, I didn’t consider that I may not have been given credit for all the bonus points as well. Your comment gave me a lot of closure and I’ll definitely be improving my storytelling skills for next competition if I decide to compete☺️

That's amazing! I'm so happy for you that it worked out so well. You are exactly the barista this competition was designed for. I'll get an area video up as soon as they announce the particulars. I read your comment last night and went to bed smiling.

Perfect Score!!!!! That's amazing. A personal story with a French press is worth far more than any super-fancy brewing technique without a personal connection. I'll get to the area video as soon as they announce the particulars. I'm checking twice a day now. I'm so glad you made it. You'll do amazing at Area, too.

Yes! This!

The great thing about using this year as a test year is you will have a leg up next year. So many competitors feel so much more stress the first year. You've finished that. You know exactly what to expect and how to prepare. Next year is your year, James.

If you search barista championship on partner hub it should bring up a page you can click on. It has everything you need!

Please do this video for the area competition! I really want to do well!

I'm so excited for you! That is great news. I won in 2018 by only 2 points. It was close. I know what it is like to be a hair above/below. It's tough. We'll prep you for area. They won't even know what's coming! I'll do a video as soon as they announce the particulars. I'm checking twice a day. My guess is that it will be out on the 11th but it could be earlier or later.

@@natef877 that would be amazing!

Geena, You'll do great. Have a wonderful time.

Update: I WON!!

@@geenatabler677 Geena, I'm so happy for you!!! Enjoy the moment. Brag to everyone you can brag to. Tell all your regulars. They will root for you, too. Well done. There is nothing like the feeling you will carry with you for the next few shifts.

Abby, Amazing! I'll get the area one up as soon as the info is released.

It is much easier to focus on the drinks and the talking separately. Talk for a bit, make drinks, talk for a bit more is the easiest. You could just discuss the major steps while making the drinks. which keeps things easy. Everything else before or after. Keep it simple. If you weigh two options and one feels easier or more comfortable to you, do that one. Grabbing all the points only works if you're already having fun. No matter how this plays out, you're already demonstrating you're dedicated to excellence. Your peers at your store, your SM, and your DM already think it's great that you're competing. Take winning out completely and what's left is you get to hang out with other highly motivated baristas for half a day and you get paid for it.

@@natef877 thank you. I’ve been at the company almost four years, but just transferred to my current store less than two months ago. But now that it’s so close I’ve been starting to freak out a bit 😂 I’m trying to get good with an iced pour over, because i personally like iced over hot coffee, and since I have one seen one person ever request an iced pour over I think it could impress the judges a bit. I’m soooo nervous!

Iced pour over is a great idea and so infrequently done. It would absolutely impress the judges. You won't feel like freaking out if you make a couple iced pour overs using whatever beans you want to use for the competition. Share it with your friends in your store first and get confident with your ratios and pour times. I bought a Chemex in 2016 just to get good at pour overs on my own so it would be easier to share with others later.

@@natef877 I’m feeling pretty confident with the pour over itself.... the biggest issue I face right now (because it is tomorrow afternoon) is that I planned to have two fifteen minute sections.... and I found out today I’m getting 15 minutes total. So now I have to take a bunch of stuff out that I had planned

Rachel, On the plus side, everyone will be stuck with the same constraints. It will be interesting to see how many points you can grab that fast. I guarantee with so little time many people will miss the 4 points for four fundamentals (and a bunch of other high-point categories). Also, the way they enforce the time limits may play to your advantage. There is a chance you will go first but probably not. Nearly every championship I've been part of has run late. It wouldn't be impossible for it to be on time but don't count on it. If they're not actually punching a buzzer and kicking you off the bar, you can just do your whole presentation (but fast). There are no points lost for going over time. There may be points lost if they stop you exactly at 15 and you haven't touched four fundamentals. Use the time to your advantage and know how they're enforcing. Play it off gracefully and watch everyone else panic. This isn't a bad thing for you.

Coffee master isn’t available anymore. But there is the coffee academy program online (which I recently completed) there are 5 different courses (a 100 level, a 200 level, and three 300 levels) When I did it I just google searched starbucks coffee academy and they popped up. But you have to do it on your own time can’t get paid for it. There’s a lot of super interesting things on there but it does take a bit of time. Sadly you don’t get a cool apron at the end like coffee master program did though.

@@RachelF-ge9wb I've actually already done everything on coffee academy! I thought it was interesting as well. 😊 I ask because he said he had to go to the UK for something related to it so I was curious if that's how far you have to go if you wanted to participate in the program!

I just happened to have a UK trip scheduled. The program hasn't been discontinued there. For what it's worth, black aprons are orderable again. I've not read anything on their official use anymore. The Coffee Academy is the best we have right now. The education is a lot better. All that's missing is the community component. The old program required more drinking coffee with people and pairings and presentations. Academy has a few suggested tastings. They are a great place to start but, by no means, the end of what is possible. If you've done all the Academy courses there is a chance you can convince your SM or DM that you'd like to do a presentation to earn the apron. It's not official but you'd have done everything that used to be required and then some.

@@natef877 Thank you for the information! I'm going to the area competition soon (Speaking of, any tips on that? It's my first year at any barista championship!) and am hosting a coffee tasting for this month so I'll definitely approach my SM about it and explain what I've completed! Thank you again. 😊

It's unfortunate that there is not a formal process to recognize you for your dedication and expertise. While it is extremely informal, the best I can offer about black aprons is to make it so obvious that you deserve one that your SM orders them for you and feels good about giving them to you. It's great you are doing tastings. Those are what's missing. I'm setting up a taste-a-thon where we will taste our way through all our core coffees in one sitting. Each person will bring a French Press and 8-10 mugs from home (depending on how many coffees we actually have in stock that week). The from-home mugs let us warm them to keep our samples warm and waste a whole lot less paper cups. I've done this before back when we had 16 core coffees and then we did 8, an intermission to throw all our mugs through the sanitizer, and then another 8. This gives each coffee a story and makes some of the differences very obvious to attendees. It's a lot of fun and divides the labor between many people which helps reduce stress on the host (you). Invite your DM and other SM's. Once word gets out that you have done this kind of thing you will start bumping into people who have heard of you but never met you. It's a little surreal to have a reputation that extends beyond places you've been. While this part is also informal and certainly not SB official, you may be able to negotiate training pay for the time it takes to host something like this. If you are working with SM's, you will be one of the only people not on salary. I've learned, the hard way, not to give my time freely. I'll post info on the area championship as soon as there is info to post. Congrats again.

Daniel, That's amazing! Well done. I'm so glad it helped. This is going to be a great year for championships. I can't wait to see what Area competitions will have in store for us. Nate

Joce, Awesome! I've known some amazing people on the spectrum. I am no expert and am only speaking from personal experience but let me say this: while my friends on the spectrum have some difficult moments, they have all shined in ways other people don't. Own what you are good at and don't worry about how everyone else does it differently than you do. The major steps for the drinks are listed on the recipe cards and on the iPad. You can brew coffee any way you like as long as you can say how your brewing affects the result. I just watched your summer bucket list video. You'll do fine. You may have some awkward moments with people but that doesn't mean that every moment with people is awkward (even if it feels like it). I think the steps you are taking with starting social media channels will do wonders for your story-telling powers. I hope you have a wonderful time at the competition. Nate

​@@natef877 please do for me a video of Sumatra coffee testing

Marco, Wow! That's amazing! I'm so happy for you. I'll get the next one up as soon as the info is officially released. What story did you tell? Nate

I told a story about a woman who came through our drive thru for a Vanilla Bean for her daughter’s birthday. I wrote a silly birthday message and drew a picture of a cat on the cup. When the woman got it, she burst into tears because her daughter loves cats and their house was robbed recently, so she really wanted her daughter to have a good birthday. It was amazing to be part of something so special 😭

@@Celloman01 We do a tough job. Most of the time it's really hard and it is difficult to keep in perspective how much of a difference we make. Thanks for sharing your story here, too.

You'll do great. I'm in Colorado. I think it's more common than not to end up competing at district just because you have more interest at the store level than others. Have fun with it. There is nothing to be scared of. You get paid to spend half a day with other people and you only have to make two drinks and some coffee. The whole thing is a party they pay you to attend. If you win that's even better but if not, you still got to spend the day having fun. Besides, even if you're pretty new and feel out of your element, doing it this year will really help you have an advantage next year.

Me too, I’m really scared but overall I just want to have fun!

One reason they include story telling in these is to help people who are good at other things overcome this, too. They know that part of the promotion process is confidence in front of people. Own it and give it what you have. Telling an honest authentic story that means something to you will mean more than someone who tells a generic story really well. The goal is to help people see it's not that bad. When I judged, every one of the judges wanted people to do well and wanted to give as many points as possible. The people you'll be talking to want you to do great. They're friendly judges, not the kind that are there to take away points to make people feel bad. They know how hard it can be and already think it's pretty great that you're willing to go out of your comfort zone and try this.

Marco, If you have fun being there it will come across in your drinks and how you engage with the judges. People who are having fun are so easy to give points to. I think they are trying to create an atmosphere that is similar to the customer experience. When you're having a great day the customers all talk to you more and you tell better stories and connect more with them. It's the same idea. If you have fun and treat the judges as you would treat your favorite regulars, you'll do great. Nate

Hi..am going for barista championship in dubai

Kathryn, I'm so happy for you!!! That's great news. How did it go? What was it like? The district comps go until August 10th. Historically, they've release the Area rules after Districts are over so everyone has the same time to prepare. I'll be watching and will do a walkthrough in the days immediately after they're released. Congrats again.

@@natef877 okay thanks for the info! It went amazing! I made a cold brew from the Peru roast and I also made a homemade food pairing since I’m an avid baker haha. The person judging the coffee tasting portion was actually the area winner from the last competition and he is from my district as well. I’m super excited for Area level and wanna step up my game even more. What’s your opinion on using a siphon for my tasting? Is that impressive enough haha.

Brooks, Just to clarify, this comment is on last year's video. There are new ones for 2021. I've been asked about the docs and Hub search terms for the 2021 competition and posted the best terms in the comments. I hope you can find what you need. Either way, you'll do great. In which part of the world do you live? Nate

Edwin, How did it go? I'm so happy you found this useful. Nate

Trené, Good luck! Please let me know how you do. It is an easy competition and if you have your stories ready and touch on the places where you get points you'll do amazing. Out of curiosity, what is your customer story? These always make me feel happy inside. I'm really excited for you. Remember, in the end, you are inspiring others by being yourself. You already have what it takes to inspire people and remind them of their innate human dignity. If people can walk away from your competition space feeling better because they spent 15 minutes with you, you have won already no matter how you score. Your challenge is just to grab as many points as you can. Nate

How did it go? What was it like?

I'm volunteering for a bicycle race across America until the end of the month. I'll try to keep an eye on UA-cam notifications. If you have questions that may benefit others, please post them here. If yours is a bit more specific, DM me on Instagram if you have it. @coffeenated1 If that is impractical, let me know here and we'll share email or numbers here and then delete as soon as we confirm with one another. I have coached people through victory and I absolutely love meeting people who are driven enough to give this their all.

Or on Workplace if you have that. I'm at store 52502.

Hello Nate! Is it possible we can exchange emails? I have some questions about your experiences at Area?

Seth, I checked the Hub today. There is a folder titled Reserve Bar Brewing. I can't find anything specific to the Black Eagle espresso machines but there is plenty around brew methods and talking points for entertaining customers as you brew.

Excellent. Competing is a lot of fun. In the meantime, enroll in Starbucks Coffee Academy. It is free and great for partners and the general public. The Academy teaches advanced coffee knowledge and touches on latte art. If you're eating up the info and are thrilled by the huge amount of knowledge there is out there, this is a fantastic place to start.

Gab, Sorry I missed your comment. I'm really glad you're competing. How did it go? What special Refresher modification did you end up making? Nate

Seth, I'm glad you found value in it. Things have changed a bit this year and I haven't done a new video. I hope you are able to compete. A big difference this year is that stores are allowed to send more than one delegate to district. The store level competition is mostly about convincing your manager that you are a good candidate. The store level will also prepare you for district. Start thinking about good customer connection stories that demonstrate your ability to touch other humans in a meaningful way. They will ask you questions around that. Again, this is only my experience talking and I didn't help write the contest. Nate

Cobalt, I volunteered to be a station busser in Seattle for the WBC at the SCAA Expo in 2018. The few of us professionally carted everything behind the black curtains out of audience view and tasted so much amazing espresso. There can be no comparison between high-level competition micro lot artisan everything and anything commercially produced. I think they have different aims. I agree completely with your comment on relative quality but still have to recognize that by commercial standards, Starbucks does a consistent job delivering intended quality. My job here is to help Starbucks baristas get the most mileage out of the equipment we have. Who knows, today's local Starbucks champ may be tomorrow's WBC competitor. Nate