USBC: talk about your tobacco overtones
April 9, 2006 – 6:36 am
regardless of what you think about the large amounts of hot air frequently wafting from the portafilter podcasts, you need to know this about co-host jay caragay’s specialty drink in the barista competition. espresso. vanilla. aged cigars. served in flaming red ashtrays, no less.
let’s try to guess what the judges thought about this idea, shall we? note the nonverbal signals:
we should inform the cypriot of this development, given his proclivity for mixing the juice and the leaf. fortunately, this blog took video of the whole thing (the tripod, alas, was left in the car). when it’s done compressing and uploading, you’ll be able to see it here.
p.s. it’s been edited not so much because i wanted to chop any portion of the performance, which is funny all the way through, but because the camera was running dangerously low on battery juice and thus had to be paused during slower moments.
7 Responses to “USBC: talk about your tobacco overtones”
Tobacco and coffee can work so well - if you have enough fat in the drink then when you swallow you get that lovely warm throat feeling.
I used pipe tobacco infused cream to make a ganache last year and it is probably the tastiest sig drink I’ve ever made.
By jimseven on Apr 9, 2006
Thanks for the clip..
By Steve on Apr 9, 2006
jim:
i believe you. jay made today’s semifinal round and has competed several times before — clearly he knows what he’s doing. the judge frame grabs were just too good to pass up. and the general reaction from the audience was a bit befuddled. after today’s round, jay offered extras to people who wanted to taste. i had to bail rather quick, but i would be curious to taste the stuff sometime. or, er, try my own version.
By bz on Apr 9, 2006
Oh my God - the video and captures are HILARIOUS!!! Vick and Brent’s reactions are priceless! I love it! And look at that tummy - lots ‘o love to give!!
Thanks for the video. I hope you were able to taste the drink.
By onocoffee on Apr 11, 2006
Jay is amazing to watch. He had the crowd engaged, and his music was awesome. Its hard to keep a “stone” face when judging him because he is just so much fun.
I apoligize for my facial expression. Very unprofessional of me. I personally loved Jay’s drink, every time I had it (twice at USBC, and twice at the Mid-Atlantic regional). I thought it had better balance at the USBC. Some of the judges were disappointed by the fact that Jay already had his base ingredients in his cups.
He makes coffee fun, and that is, in my opinion, a big part of what this should be about. Our competition can at times, be a bit dull to watch, and we always always always look forward to Jay’s performances. I am a HUGE fan of Jay C, despite what my face might say.
Did he really say “Holy Mother of God” when his milk spilled out of the fridge? So great.
By brent on Apr 11, 2006
woohoo! let’s just have a barista-blogger-judge smackdown right here in the comments!
jay: whew. glad the gratuitous brow-mopping emphasis in my, er, editing job didn’t offend. not that you would have ANY room to complain…
brent: it appeared fairly obvious to me that the facial expressions were not necessarily related to the actual presentation of the sig. still, it was an opportunity too good to pass up. agreed on all points concerning jay. i did not get to taste the drink, but would have loved to.
the semi-finals milk-spilling incident. now THAT i would have paid money to get on camera. what did he use, 10 rags to mop it up, all while carrying on with his presentation? even more astounding was the sheer number of those things he had sitting right there on the table! coulda stocked a costco janitorial aisle with that rag stash. it was almost like he was poised for disaster….
By bz on Apr 11, 2006
Congratulations to Jay for a very fun and friendly performance. I have had the distinct honor to judge Jay several times (with Brent) at the Mid-Atlantic and United States Barista Championships. Each time I look forward to a fun and exciting 15 minutes.
As a cigar fan I really loved Jay’s drink and thought the concept of the pairing was truly original - however it is hard to say original after you judge the same routine three times. Nonetheless, between the cowbell, ashtrays, decorative cows, sweat, great music, and larger than life personality, Jay is hard to beat!
Spencer
By Spencer on Apr 12, 2006