Congratulations goes out to Chris Baca of Ritual Coffee Roasters after he "dazzled" judges at the Specialty Coffee Association of America's Western Regional Barista Competition this past Sunday. The barista outperformed, outwitted, and outlasted 33 of the top baristas in California. Awesome. The judges, it seems, were wooed by Baca's signature drink, "a three-tiered liquid cherry-lime cheesecake concoction." According to Baca, "I came up with the concept at about 2 a.m. while sleeping on my friend's couch in San Francisco..[t]he idea just floated into my mind and I worked out the details of the drink at our Ritual training facility."

Ritual Coffee Roasters has a training facility? Tour please. Thanks.

Anyway, the beverage that helped him swipe the top trophy goes like this: a bottom layer of "strained and chilled cherry-lime reduction with a mixture of cream cheese, milk and a dusting of powdered sugar comprising the middle layer...[t]he beverage's top portion featured a cheesecake mix blended with a rich Fazenda Sao Joao coffee."

Nice.

Baca will be the west cost contingent--represent!--in May at the 2008 United States Barista Championship (USBC,) happening in Minneapolis. Good luck, Chris!

[source: Drinks Media Wire]