Baristas Brew Up Their Best For National Coffee Competition

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Baristas from Minnesota, Iowa and all the way down to Texas are in town for the weekend-long "Big Central Coffee Competition" at Uppercut Gym in northeast Minneapolis.

So, what does this coffee competition entail?

The baristas are judged on three different rounds of beverages: espresso, cappuccinos and a signature beverage.

Each competitor gets 15 minutes to make 12 drinks.

One of the local baristas competing explained her signature drink she'll be serving up.

"It's a tamarind brown sugar syrup with my espresso. And then hazelnut horchata that I made with a little bit of orange rim on the top," Spyhouse Coffee barista Kathie Hilberg said.

Last year the competition had about a thousand people in attendance each day.