Great Lakes Barista Jam 2009 - DATE CHANGED

JP’s Coffee and the Midwest Barista School

present the

Great Lakes Regional Barista Jam

and

West Michigan Latte Art Throwdown

(check out a video montage of the last jam)

Update to the Jam:

La Marzocco has finalized its "divorce" from Franke USA (for those of you who don't know, Franke is a super automatic machine and La Marzocco has for years been thought of as the espresso machine by espresso geeks). The new company, La Marzocco USA, will be the sole distributor for all things La Marzocco.

They have already agreed to be a sponsor of the Midwest Barista School, which means a new LM GB/5 is installed and operational for the jam. We've been playin' and it's awesome!

What is a Barista Jam?

A gathering of baristas from different coffee shops, from different areas all getting together for education, training, practice, fun and more.

A good time will be had by all with an experience that generates a renewed sense of enthusiasm and a new drive to a more refined level of espresso expertise. In other words... it's a big party where you learn a lot and get to see top-notch coffee artists push their limits.

Come out and join the fun!

Barista Jam goals:

1. Enhance baristas knowledge and skill.
2. Enhance espresso drink quality.
3. Build community between coffee people.

Latte Art Throwdown goals:

1. Challenge baristas to compete at the top of their game - and get rewarded for doing so.
2. Allow for friendly competition and learning under pressure situation.
   
3. Support Coffee Kids with a portion of the proceeds.
   

Who can come?

We have limited the attendance to the following:

• No more than 2 people from one store location.
• Must be over 16 years old.
• Must be employed as an employee, manager or owner of a coffee shop, store, kiosk, cart, drive thru or other place where espresso drinks are made and served
• Must have at least basic training in espresso drink preparation.

Who are some of the Sponsors?

• JP's Coffee and Espresso Bar and the Midwest Barista School
• Barista Exchange and Bellisimo Coffee Group
  
• Rancilio espresso machines
  
• Nuova Simonelli espresso machines
• LaCimbali espresso machines
  
• Magnum Coffee Roasters
• Bareman's Dairy dairy supplier for Great Lakes area
  
• Kerry Food Group distributor of Oregon Chai, DaVinci syrups and Jet Tea
  
• Stirling, Oscar and Monin syrups
• Espresso Parts
• Espresso Supply
• Barista Magazine
  
• and more...

How much does it cost to attend?

$40 per person (attendance limited to first 32 to sign up). Latte Art Throwdown is an additional fee to compete with additional prizes. Also a portion of the proceeds goes to Coffee Kids.

What does that include?

• Training classes - espresso, milk steaming and latte art
  
• Educational classes - learn about coffee, its' history and the industry
  
• Learn from other baristas from other stores and locations
  
• Free Time on machines with espresso, syrups, milk, etc. all provided
  
• Coffee and muffins in the morning before the day begins
  
• Pizza party with refreshments afterwords
  
• Door prizes and gifts for attendees
  • 1 copy of "Barista Basics" training DVD to give away (drawing)
  • 1 copy of "Latte Art" training DVD to give away (drawing).
  • T-shirts, mugs and other goodies as give aways from sponsors.
  • Free bag of espresso for all attendees to take home.
    

Who is going to be teaching and training?

We have invited a list of well known world class and highly skilled baristas and latte art champions to be our guests and help teach. Check back for an updated list of who will be attending.

JP's Coffee and Midwest Barista School trainers Justin DeWaard, Emily Fairchild, Jonathan White, Nick Van Slett and Terika Raak will be training and demonstrating. JP's trainers are responsible for JP's Barista Training and Certification Program for all JP's baristas, as well as being Advanced Barista trainers for the Midwest Barista School and On Track Coffee Consulting.

Coffee cupping will be lead by Kevin Kinkhe and Robert Shangle of Magnum Coffee Roasters. Kevin is one of the most highly respected coffee cuppers in the world. He travels to source regularly and personally cups all the coffees his company sells. Kevin did his Masters on the creation of a specialty coffee roastery, was part of the original group of vision setters for the SCAA's coffee roaster guidelines, and has a great ability to keep things simple when cupping coffee. Robert is Magnum Coffee's "second in command" cupper and has been cupping coffees for Magnum and other roasters for years.

Jack Groot will be leading the Coffee Education Classes. Jack has been in food service for over 30 years and in the coffee industry for over 15 years. He owns and operates JP's Coffee in Holland, MI, is the founder of the Midwest Barista School and On Track Coffee Consulting and has consulted with hundreds of coffee bars and individuals throughout the U.S., Canada and more. Jack is also a certified judge for SCAA Barista Competitions.

May I bring my own espresso?

No, JP's and their sponsors will be providing everything needed for the day.

Summary: what’s gonna be happening at the Barista Jam?

Educational classes

• Training classes - we’ll have 4 espresso machines set up with class time for espresso extraction, milk steaming, and latte art. Our own Justin DeWaard, Jonathan White, Terika Raak, and Emily Fairchild will be training, plus we hope to be bringing in other regional and/or national champion level baristas.
  
• Coffee cupping - Kevin Kinkhe and Robert Shangle, quality cupper and owner of Magnum Coffee, will be leading coffee cupping sessions. This is a rare opportunity to learn from a master cupper.
  
• Coffee education classes - Jack Groot, owner of JP’s and founder of MBS, will teach classes on the history of coffee, how coffee goes from seed to cup and all about the coffee industry.

Fun time

• Jam time (free time on machines) - there will be free time for all attendees to practice, learn and challenge one another on 4 different espresso machines.
  
• Evening party - We’ll be providing pizza and refreshments after the event with a couple of hours to hang out, get to know baristas from other stores and have more free time on the equipment.
  

Schedule

• 7:00AM - 8:00AM - Early arrival
• 8:00AM - Get Started information and sign up.
  
• 8:30AM - 11:45AM - Morning classes
  
• 11:45AM - 1:45PM - Free time (lunch, free time on machines)
  
• 1:45PM - 4:30PM - Afternoon classes
  
• 5:00PM - 8:00PM - Pizza and Latte Art Throwdown (competing in the throwdown is an extra fee with cash and other great prizes for the top performers - details to be announced)
  

Updates

To receive updates on this and future Jams, submit the form below (make sure to respond to the confirmation email or you will not receive updates):

Jam Schedule

(If the Barista Jam Schedule PDF doesn't show up in your browser, Click on the link below or copy and pasteit into a new browser window - http://jpscoffee.com/glbaristajam/BaristaJamschedule.pdf - Schedule is subject to minor changes)