Baristas of Boulder

 While waiting in line at the local coffee spot, take a moment to think about what that coffee has actually gone through before taking a sip. Ponder the amount of time, skill and affection that has gone into that one cup…(from the smiling person behind the counter). 

Greg Lefcourt is one of those people behind the counter. Lefcourt, of OZO Coffee Co. in Boulder, began his first job as a barista in Santa Barbara, Calif. during the summer of 2000 as something to do between schools and as a way to make a little extra cash. 

Now 30, Lefcourt is in the process of preparing for this year’s Mountain Regional Barista Competition, which will be held in Loveland Feb. 11-14 and hosted by the Barista Pro Shop. 

“I spent the summer surfing and making coffee. It was one of the best summers of my life,” Lefcourt said. 

Lefcourt said he has been working as a barista on and off for 10 years at places like Vic’s and Allison’s Espresso (now The Cup). He helped in getting Justin Hartman’s OZO Coffee Co. off the ground three years ago, and was crowned champion at the Mountain Regional Barista Competition in 2009. 

“It’s going to be great!” Lefcourt said. “We’re expecting a nice turnout this year. Every competition gets tougher because baristas are getting better and more creative and people are getting pickier.” 

He said he practices for hours on his routine: Pulling shots, steaming milk and working on his specialty drink. 

“For my specialty drink this year, I am working with essences and some spices. The signature drink is predominantly to be an espresso flavor, but I wanted to accentuate it somehow and bring out the best of the espresso by coupling it with other ingredients. This year my ingredients are awesome, but it’s the way I build the drink that’s really cool,” Lefcourt said. 

Many baristas in Boulder take their job and passion for their work very seriously. Dani Merriman, a 22-year-old anthropology graduate student and barista at CU’s Laughing Goat Coffee House, talked about why she likes being a barista.

“It’s a combination of making the coffee and also interacting with the people,” Merriman said. “It’s nice to see those loyal customers who come in two to three times every day and are excited each time to get their coffee. You know it’s the highlight of their day. [The baristas at The Laughing Goat] work hard to make the experience as personal as we can and show them that we care. We know their names and are already making ‘their’ latte while they’re still standing in line.”

So what exactly goes into the perfect cup of coffee? 

“Well, I’d like to think we make some of the best coffee in town [at Ozo],” Lefcourt said. “We care a lot about what we’re doing and have educated ourselves and continue to learn. I think the perfect cup of coffee has passion, dedication, education, knowledge and know-how; just showing that you care. You also need good ingredients: coffee, equipment and quality dairy.” 

This is the third year for the regional barista competition. The judges must consider many things before announcing the top barista of the mountain region, but flavor is the quintessence of the competition. 

“It’s like the Iron Chef of coffee,” Lefcourt said. “It’s important to have good mechanical skills, technical skills and customer service skills, but all it really comes down to is taste — that straight shot of espresso.” 

Mike Strumpf, 29, one of the volunteer judges at the upcoming Mountain Regional Barista Competition, shares just how the competition will go down. 

“[Specialty Coffee Association of America] has 10 different regions who compete, and I organized and hosted the first two [for the mountain region]. There are seven judges. A head judge oversees and helps with calibration. Two technical judges look at consistency of the espresso shots, coffee and milk waste, and the key steps that need to be taken. Then there are four sensory judges who evaluate appearance and taste of the drinks. The baristas are judged on a lot of different things. They must have knowledge, customer skills, presentation skills and be clean and organized, but the main emphasis is put on taste,” Strumpf said. 

Strumpf said he prefers straight espresso. In his opinion, the best cup of coffee is the one whose taste really grabs attention. 

“It’s something you’ll remember for years. That cup you’ll never forget,” Strumpf said. 

Strumpf said he got started in the coffee business when he began roasting for a small café in Madison, Wis. after college. This job led him to a roasting job with Intelligentsia Coffee and to his current job as a coffee quality control administrator. 

Strumpf encouraged everybody to come check out the regional competition in Loveland this year. 

“They’re going to be serving free drinks and the best baristas from around the region will be there,” Strumpf said. “It’s the best place for coffee that weekend. Everyone should come!” 

Merriman has been working on and off as a barista for about three years. She said barista-ing is more of a side job to earn extra money for school. She has never considered competing in a barista competition, but the people she works with at Laughing Goat are competitive among themselves. 

“They train us to be professional baristas,” Merriman said. “Some people here have been baristas for nine years.” 

When asked for her idea of the perfect coffee beverage, Merriman spoke for herself and as her fellow baristas. 

“Almost everyone who works here drinks Americano, which is a double espresso combined with hot water. We serve good espresso, so if you add milk to it, the sugars in the milk are going to cover up the quality of the espresso. We like Americanos because it doesn’t ruin any of the flavor,” Merriman explained. 

Most serious coffee aficionados are in agreement that the less dairy in a coffee beverage, the better off the drink is. Lefcourt said his favorite coffee drink was a cortado, a double espresso to equal parts steamed milk. 

“Everyone should try downsizing from a 20 oz. to 12 oz. and really enjoy their coffee drink without dairy. They should try to appreciate the espresso for what it is,” Lefcourt said. 

Lefcourt said he is passionate and dedicated to what he does and competes to get the mainstream coffee drinker to really start appreciating the craft. 

“Tip your barista. Treat them as you would a bartender,” Lefcourt said. “Tip because the service is good and they care about your coffee.” 

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Brooke Segerberg at Brooke.segerberg@colorado.edu.