Drink from the chalice of victory.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Throwdown for a new challenge: The 2012 WDC Cup Tasters Championship.

Flying Fish Recap

What a start to 2012! This was a TNT of a lot of firsts; Flying Fish hosted their first TNT, we had our first TNT of the year, this was the first in our year long District Cup series, Filter finally won their first TNT (we kid!), and it was the first time, of my knowledge, that we had a near death catastrophe involving a milk jug. The quote of the night came early before the event even started. In regards to Tim (creator of the Tim rule) forgetting the traveling trophy, our soon to be winner Anna, from Filter said;

“Don’t worry about it, its no big deal. You know the trophy is coming back to Filter anyway!”

Strong words but an even stronger performance. Fiter continued their dominance with another win to start off the new year. The final round came down to Anna and Alegra; aka The Battle of Miss Filter. With that win, Anna not only took home a boatload of prizes (Aeropress, cash money, Apollo T-Shirt, CCC La Frontera, bragging rights, “I told you so Duggan” mocking) but she sits alone, on top of the leader board of our District Cup. Check out the results from our bracket and all the points gained!!

DISTRICT CUP STANDINGS
21 - Anna (Filter)
15 - Allegra (Filter)
10 - Joseph (Vigilante)
10 - Antarah (Chinatown)
8 - Tim (Filter) Judge
8 - Josh (Flying Fish) Judge
8 - Judith (Peregrine) Judge
6 - Joey (Peregrine)
6 - Andrew (Peregrine)
6 - Alex (Chinatown)
6 - Taylor (Baked & Wired)
3 - Josue (Dolcezza)
3 - Bryan (Buzz)
3 - Kris (La Mill)
3 - Dan (Comet)
3 - Russ (BBC)
3 - Matthew (Peregrine)
3 - Christy (BBC)
3 - Kristen Michele Powell
1 - Kevin (OC)
1 - Dawn (Peregrine)
1 - AJ (Diner)
1 - Matt
1 - Maggie (Buzz)
1 - Chris
1 - Kelly (Buzz)
1 - Caitlyn (Buzz)
1 - Ezatt (Tryst)
1 - Camillo (Pitango)
1 - Antajuan (Pound)
1 - Justin (Tryst)
1 - Stefan (Vigilante)
1 - Amanda (Filter)
1 - Alex (Baked & Wired)
1 - Amanda (Baked & Wired)
Please let us know if we included the wrong shop in our standings so we can keep an accurate record throughout the year. We also remembered that ‘Hey, if you won the previous month and you are judging a TNT that falls into the District Cup schedule, how can you score?”… so we’ve awarded some points to our judges for helping out.

Big shout out to Flying Fish for hosting a great party, a nice post from Alejandra Owens, and an awesome flickr set from Ian M. Cunningham. Next month’s TNT will not be a TNT but yet a ‘Cup Taster’s Challenge”. Anyone not familiar with the format should check out this video from our friends in Atlanta.

Thursday, February, 16th
Counter Culture Coffee Training Center
1840 Columbia RD NW
Suite 202
More details to come!!

Let’s Do This 2012

Happy New Year all! We’re stoked to be starting the year with some great coffee events to look forward to. Kicking off 2102, is the January throwdown.

Our friends at Flying Fish Coffee and Tea (3064 Mt. Pleasant St. NW) will be hosting on Thursday January, 12th. Deets:

• Signups at 8:30 p.m.
• Pouring starts at 9 p.m.
• Limited DC Brau will be on hand, so get there early and feel free to BYOB.

This throwdown will be the first in our year-long TNT series, the District Cup. Every three months, the throwdown will count towards this cumulative series. Regardless of the competition format, if you advance during one of these TNTs, you will earn points that will accumulate throughout the year. The following months will be part of the series: January, March, June, September, December.

Points will accrue based on how many brackets (or bracket-comparable groupings) you advance through. 1 point for 1st round, 2 for the 2nd, 3 for finals and a bonus point for winning. Yay for ongoing competition and super sweet prizes to look forward to in a year!

See you Thursday!

TNT World Cup 2011 Recap

What a night! Thursday was the first ever World Cup TNT and the last competition of the new year. The night was full of surprises, excitement, new faces, and awesome prizes. We had 24 competitors placed into 6 groups of 4, with the top finisher moving on to a knockout round. The group stage went by real quick with each barista pouring 3 times which meant 3 times the cheering, 3 times the glory, and 3 times the chance to spill your cup before showing the judges. Our group winners were Trevor from the champions Spain, Matt from Netherlands, Tim from France (OVERALL CHAMP!!), Kyrae repping the underdog USA, Justin with the favorites Brazil, and Liz out of England.

Lets check out some highlights from a great night of pours……

Tim from Filter won the knockout bracket over first timer Justin from Tryst. Congrats to Tim for dominating 2011 and Justin for a promising future in upcoming TNTs! Probably the biggest surprise of the night was that there are close to zero soccer supporters in the DC coffee scene. We cleverly continued with our themed masks for our judges to wear when competitors are presenting, to avoid any biases. This month the masks were soccer themed. Anyone out there know who our the men on the mask are??? (a little hint; think back to who the our judges are!)

Big thanks to all of our sponsors, supporters, and fans. 2011 was a great year for TNTs in DC and we are all looking forward for 2012 to be even bigger and better. Keep a lookout for more on 2012 but here is a sneak peak for those who can’t wait;

* Cup Taster’s Challenge
* Brew Down
* DC’s Very First Year Long TNT Series
* Philly vs DC Round 2? Looking at you Philly
* New Venues! (Pitango Gelato, Flying Fish, and more)

*Thanks to District Bean for the photo*

Meet the Judges: Alex Bean

In our final segment, we meet Alex Bean, barista at Chinatown Coffee Co and November TNT Champion.

What are you looking for in winning latte art?

   It’s not as important for the art itself to be good as it is for the barista to make me BELIEVE it’s good. A real champion sells it with her eyes.

If you were competing, what would you pour?

   I would pour a skull and crossbones so the judges would know better than to vote against me.

Are you susceptible to bribes? If so, do you prefer money? Stock options? Sexual favors? Other?

   Pro Tip: If you are up against a pretty girl with a nice smile and I’m on the judge’s panel, don’t even bother pouring.

If you likened your persona as a barista competing at TNT to that of a World Cup Qualifying soccer squad, which nation would you be and why?

   France. It was the vicious head butt I delivered to Dan Brown in the finals that sealed the victory for me in November.

Meet the Judges: Alex Brown

In part two of our three-part series, we meet Alex Brown, Counter Culture Customer Relations Representative in the D.C. Field Office.

What are you looking for in winning latte art?

   A little brown, a little white…and a thin layer of AWESOME!

If you were competing, what would you pour?

   I would pour the brilliant face of the Mighty Lord crying a single espresso tear.

Are you susceptible to bribes? If so, do you prefer money? Stock options? Sexual favors? Other?

   I am not susceptible to bribes!  But if you want to pay me $50 to choose your latte art over someone else’s, I will gladly do it!

If you likened your persona as a barista competing at TNT to that of a World Cup qualifying soccer squad, which nation would you be and why?

   I would be the LA Galaxy…cuz I would be as big as the whole… galaxy…?

Editor’s note: The LA Galaxy is not a sovereign nation and thus cannot compete in the CONCACAF qualification process. While Mr. Brown excels in the realm of coffee, he struggles with the occasional analogy.

Meet the Judges: Miguel Cervoni

Ladies and Gents: The final Throwdown of the year is a mere two days away. In preparation, WDCTNT spoke with Thursday’s judges for a window into their judging philosophies. In part one of our three-part series, we highlight Miguel Cervoni of Peregrine Espresso.

What are you looking for in winning latte art?

 The Mona Lisa, but I’d settle for hollow leaves.

If you were competing, what would you pour?

 Multi layer tulip.

Are you susceptible to bribes? If so, do you prefer money? Stock options? Sexual favors? Other?

 Yes. Red velvet cupcakes.

If you likened your persona as a barista competing at TNT to that of a World Cup qualifying soccer squad, which nation would you be and why?

 Team USA. They have a lot of heart, but they always choke at the end.

Stop back tomorrow for part two. Tomorrow’s subject: Alex Brown.

December TNT Flyer!

Coming to a coffeehouse near you.

Results of November TNT got you down?

Then rally December 8th for a World Cup-style TNT tournament at the Counter Culture Training Center in Adam’s Morgan. What’s World Cup style?

• The “first round” is similar to the Group Stage in the FIFA World Cup: Four baristas per group, with each guaranteed three pours (one pour against everyone else in the group). In this round, each pour will be scored as a Win, Loss, or Draw. Depending on the number of competitors, 1-2 baristas will advance from each group. (For a visual aid, check out the 2010 World Cup Results.)
• Group Stage winners and runners-up will then enter a standard, single-elimination bracket.
• A new champion will be crowned. (For appropriate celebrations, see acceptable reaction vs. unacceptable reaction)

Great at baking, but bad at latte art? We’re holding a Cookie Contest! Terrible at both? BYOB and wear your finest holiday attire! Save the date: December 8.

A Tale of Two Baristas

On behalf of WDCThursdayNightThrowdown.wordpress.com (Yes, we recognize the necessity that is changing our url), I recently sat down with Alex Bean and Dan Brown, the Champ and Runner-up of November TNT. After eight straight hours nestled together behind the bar, followed by a grueling run through DC’s most talented latte aesthetes, the competitors settled the score on the GB5. The final throwdown yielded no dispute over the victor, but our brave finalists shared disparate perspectives on the outcome’s influence on their relationship. First, we spoke to Dan.

The Sympathetic Whipping Boy

WDCTNT: How does it feel to lose in the finals of TNT?

Dan: It feels amazing! This is the best I’ve ever done! I get to do all the dishes. Easy, I worked eight hours with this kid right here, every hour was amazing. Alex Bean is the champion!