PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Within a few years, Morgan Eckroth has gone from filming her latte art at a Corvallis coffee shop to being crowned the best barista in the United States. Now, she’s adding one more achievement to the list.
On September 30, the Portland-based barista was named runnerup at the 2022 World Barista ChampionshipEckroth was judged on her ability make great coffee beverages and her ability describe the flavors.
“I’m pretty familiar nowadays with the U.S. circle of competition, but being able to see it on a global level was incredible,” Eckroth said.
She isn’t afraid of competition. Eckroth won the United States Barista Championship April
From there she moved to Melbourne, Australia where she competed in the world championship, Sept. 27-30.
She didn’t make the trip alone. Eckroth took along her team. Onyx Coffee LabHer coaches, as well as her coffee roaster. Eckroth was prepared by the team, which had been working together for weeks.
Eckroth brought her own coffee with her to the competition. It was roasted and brewed by Onyx. They helped Eckroth practice how she would present her beverage and to identify the flavor profiles.
“You get to know your coffees kind of like your best friend. I was very, very familiar and comfortable with them and kind of knew them backwards and forwards by the time I got to Melbourne,” she said.
Eckroth presented a 15-minute speech while making three coffees to her best ability. It was like someone multitasking and giving a TED Talk.
“When you’re serving the judges, you are giving them both flavor descriptors and tactile descriptors. So, you’re telling them exactly what the espresso is going to taste like,” Eckroth explained. “And then they are grading based on the accuracy of what you’re describing.”
Eckroth prepared an espresso course, a milk course and a signature beverage – which is expected to be a contender’s showstopper.
If the judges like the beverages and agree with the flavors the presenter describes, they’ll give them a high score.
Eckroth’s hard work and preparation paid off, earning her second place in the competition.
Eckroth said that the World Barista Championships were one of her most stressful experiences. Competing is not something she has done since childhood. She was a performer and played sports growing up. But still, she said she couldn’t have made it this far without her team.
She compared herself, as the barista, to a NASCAR driver, and said her coaches and support team are her pit crew and they’re just as important as the driver.
“That’s one of my favorite parts of this competition is that it’s not just you. It truly does feel like you have a full team with you,” she said. “It’s an honor to be able to be the one on stage, but it’s not just me. It’s always like this huge village of people behind as well.”
Eckroth still marvels at how her passion for coffee led her to this point. She said it felt like a dream come true when she accepted her first barista job in Corvallis, but didn’t know if it could be a sustainable career she could continue to do in the future. She said it can be physically and emotionally exhausting.
After graduating from Oregon State University’s college, she moved to Portland to pursue other opportunities.
Her success as a content writer has made her a household name in the coffee world. She also works in marketing and in specialty coffee.
“I’ve been very privileged to have been given a lot of opportunities because of the content I do and also because of competition… to get to this point where, at least for now and for the near future, I’m able to work in coffee very sustainably in a way that works for me,” Eckroth said.
Portland is Eckroth’s home for now, but said she doesn’t think she’ll stay in the Rose City forever. She knows her career might take her elsewhere and she’s preparing for that.
As for whether Eckroth will compete in the 2023 World Barista Championship, she said that’s the million-dollar question. She’s still deciding what she wants to do.
“I am a very competitive person. And so, there’s that itch that’s like ‘You could do better,’” she said.
However, another part of her is eager to leave the barista business and move on to other opportunities such as coaching or judging top savoristas.
“I’d like to help others if I can. So, you’ll see me around the competition area,” she said, “in what capacity is still to be decided.”
Eckroth continues to produce videos for her followers on social media. Follow Eckroth on Twitter @morgandrinkscoffee See more of her work.
from Salem – Salem Local News https://bit.ly/3VAPKPX
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