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Permalink Reply by Dan Streetman on February 11, 2009 at 11:48am

from the people who started the phenomenon....

http://thursdaynightthrowdown.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/the-gist/

http://thursdaynightthrowdown.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/the-rules/


have fun!

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Permalink Reply by Vanessa Edwards on February 11, 2009 at 2:29pm

waht an awesome idea.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on February 11, 2009 at 6:56pm

Invite everybody. Give out prizes. Serve beer. Post pics online the next day.

Here in Charlotte we've been doing a roving throwdown for a few months now - it's hosted at different shops around town each month. Inspired by the one at that other big city here in the SE. I'd say it has gone well - the level of competition, number of competitors, and number of spectators has steadily increased. It has been fun and we've gotten a slightly different group at every one. Here's the main site for our throwdown: www.charlottecoffeecommunity.wordpress.com

2 things that we do that I think are great: Find a projector and put up a pic of each persons pour and score after judging, plus the leaderboard (like ATL's). We've also started doing"shot cam", which is a projector showing video feed from behind the bar so that everyone out in the "audience" could see what was happening behind the bar (think Jumbotron). This really gives the people that came to watch opportunities to know what is happening, and cheer at the right times.

Seriously though, you gotta have beer.

Have fun!

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on February 12, 2009 at 9:31am

Terinka,
check out what january is doing. I am a roaster and will be attending this one. This is my first.
http://www.baristaexchange.com/events/pdx-tamp-your-face-off-1
Best Regards,
Joe

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on February 12, 2009 at 7:39pm

Terika... for the sake of your 65%+ customers that are above retirement age and given the "No Beer on Sunday" feel of Holland (I know you guys got that overturned, but still) I'm thinking beer might not be such a great idea, haha. Maybe after the throwdown go across the street to the brewery. This all depends on if you are going to be open or not. If this is going on during normal business hours things would probably want to happen without the alcohol factor.

Regardless... that's probably the least important factor.

A little bit more about the behind the scenes stuff. Sara said you guys have been doing these for a while (as baristas) but not open to the public (or something like that). So as a "public" competitor some things that I have done when we host our jams/throwdowns are this:

Have somebody doing all the dishes. Seems simple, but I forgot this the first throwdown I held.

Have at least 3 judges.

Have these judges help familiarize everyone with the rules and the equipment before you start the jam. You might need more than three people to do this, but probably not if you keep it small (which, for your first public one, you definitely should try to do).

Make it very clear what you are being judged on to the competitors. Symmetry, contrast, and complexity are
great places to start with an "overall" being the last thing judged.

Knowing your setup, and guessing that you'll host it on the "other side" have everybody pull and steam on the same machine (probably the NS Aurelia, that's a pretty neutral machine). Don't let them pull and steam on the different machines you guys have, it makes for inconsistencies and possible gripes (although most people will, I'm sure, see it as a super fun, lighthearted event). But...

Depending on how many competitors you are going to have (I would keep your first one to around 10) give them all half an hour or so before the "official jam" to get used to the machine and grinder. It's frustrating to have your first time steaming milk on a particular machine be the time when you realize that this machine steams milk 10 times faster than your machine back home. Before the jam starts make sure that all of the competitors are comfortable with both the machine and grinder.

I've held jams where I've let people bring in their own coffee and jams where I have not, and never had problems with either one, but the thing is, make it clear ahead of time whether you can, or cannot bring in your own coffee. I like jams where you can bring your own. I know how the crema flows on my shots, how it breaks apart and how it stays together. If people can bring their own, you might want to let them set up their grinder while the person 2-3 ahead of them is pouring so they are ready to go and dialed in when they get up there.

Give a time limit, but no pour limit (this one sometimes gets some gripes). Give each competitor, say, 4 minutes of actual competition time, and allow them to pull as many shots and pour as many pitchers as they want in that time, submitting what they feel is their best pour. I especially suggest this if you are having a lot of people that aren't quite as used to the equipment they are working on, pouring into, and the blend they are working with.

If I think of any other pointers I'll let you know. If you guys need any extra hands let me know and I'll try to be up there to help out (read as volunteer). If you don't then let me know anyway so I can compete. :0)

Oh... and have fun... that's rule number one. Probably equally as important is don't worry about the first one, deal with the problems of the first one on the second one, the second's problems on the third and so on... You'll do fine.

-bry

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Permalink Reply by Brady on February 13, 2009 at 11:04am

Just poured in ours last night. Not so good for me, but it was a fun event.

I liked Bryan's post, but here's some additional thoughts...

PLEASE Be closed for the event unless you have more than one machine. All of our previous events had been soda and drip-only during the comp, last nights was not. I can't tell you how strange it was to be trying to make pretty drinks on a strange machine while working around another barista (with one grinder and one functioning wand). I'm all for degree of difficulty stuff here, but not if it gives only some of the competitors a disadvantage.

KISS - one machine, one coffee.

Skip the practice period. You won't need it if you go the time limit/no pour limit route anyway. If you can't figure out how to get a good shot and pitcher of milk on a decent machine in 4 minutes you weren't going to win anyway :).

Or, alternatively, use the practice period to make a few drinks for the judges to practice judging with. Maybe then the first one to pour won't get TOTALLY SCREWED (not saying that's ever happened to me...).

Hope we've given you enough thoughts. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on February 13, 2009 at 11:41am

Nice thread, keep it up barista's. Thanks to Terika for starting this one.
JoeR

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on February 13, 2009 at 1:58pm

They've got like 4(?) machines I think and the shop itself is almost divided (it is, in a sense). They would still be able to be open and host the jam as well.

Additionally, Terika, make sure that you do something with all the wall space behind (where the gift card ads and stuff are) to mount some screens, or maybe have a screen off somewhere else. If you can set it up so there is live feed to the TV behind the main counter of the event happening in back that would be super cool.

And promote this thing like crazy. Given the volume of customers you guys have I think you would definitely benefit from promoting it and letting people watch, even if they had no interest in competing at any point.

I've been thinking about it a little today and so far that is all I have come up with...
Have a tentative date/time yet?

-bry

Brady said:

Just poured in ours last night. Not so good for me, but it was a fun event.

I liked Bryan's post, but here's some additional thoughts...

PLEASE Be closed for the event unless you have more than one machine. All of our previous events had been soda and drip-only during the comp, last nights was not. I can't tell you how strange it was to be trying to make pretty drinks on a strange machine while working around another barista (with one grinder and one functioning wand). I'm all for degree of difficulty stuff here, but not if it gives only some of the competitors a disadvantage.

KISS - one machine, one coffee.

Skip the practice period. You won't need it if you go the time limit/no pour limit route anyway. If you can't figure out how to get a good shot and pitcher of milk on a decent machine in 4 minutes you weren't going to win anyway :).

Or, alternatively, use the practice period to make a few drinks for the judges to practice judging with. Maybe then the first one to pour won't get TOTALLY SCREWED (not saying that's ever happened to me...).

Hope we've given you enough thoughts. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on February 13, 2009 at 2:35pm

Nice thoughts Bry,
We will have a live webcam. Would be cool to have a live web feed to further promote an event like this.
JoeR

Bryan Wray said:

They've got like 4(?) machines I think and the shop itself is almost divided (it is, in a sense). They would still be able to be open and host the jam as well.

Additionally, Terika, make sure that you do something with all the wall space behind (where the gift card ads and stuff are) to mount some screens, or maybe have a screen off somewhere else. If you can set it up so there is live feed to the TV behind the main counter of the event happening in back that would be super cool.

And promote this thing like crazy. Given the volume of customers you guys have I think you would definitely benefit from promoting it and letting people watch, even if they had no interest in competing at any point.

I've been thinking about it a little today and so far that is all I have come up with...
Have a tentative date/time yet?

-bry

Brady said:

Just poured in ours last night. Not so good for me, but it was a fun event.

I liked Bryan's post, but here's some additional thoughts...

PLEASE Be closed for the event unless you have more than one machine. All of our previous events had been soda and drip-only during the comp, last nights was not. I can't tell you how strange it was to be trying to make pretty drinks on a strange machine while working around another barista (with one grinder and one functioning wand). I'm all for degree of difficulty stuff here, but not if it gives only some of the competitors a disadvantage.

KISS - one machine, one coffee.

Skip the practice period. You won't need it if you go the time limit/no pour limit route anyway. If you can't figure out how to get a good shot and pitcher of milk on a decent machine in 4 minutes you weren't going to win anyway :).

Or, alternatively, use the practice period to make a few drinks for the judges to practice judging with. Maybe then the first one to pour won't get TOTALLY SCREWED (not saying that's ever happened to me...).

Hope we've given you enough thoughts. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Terika on February 13, 2009 at 3:06pm

Thanks for all of the great input!

We are doing our first one after hours on Sunday for just our own employees to get our feet wet a bit. Hopefully next week we will choose a date for our first public one, but Coffee Fest might delay us being able to decide on a date right away. We will definitely be promoting it on here. Ultimately we want it to be at least a monthly event.

Thanks again for all of the help and keep the ideas coming! :)

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Permalink Reply by Terika on March 19, 2009 at 10:37am

Just thought I would mention that we will be having the Latte Art Throwdown at JP's on Sunday March 29th. The sign up for it is here: http://throwdown.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you there!

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