Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. Wins 3rd Place in America’s Best Espresso Competition.
Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. adds to their accolades with a third place title in America’s Best Espresso Competition. On Sunday October 6 at the Coffee Fest Conference and Trade Show in Seattle, WA, Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. demonstrated that they roast and brew one of America’s best espressos in a head-to-head winner move on/loser go home tournament. They competed with their signature Big Truck Organic Espresso Blend, the espresso used in their three Olympia cafes.
The Americas Best Espresso Competition is a vehicle to determine and acknowledge the three best coffee roasters in North America. Thirty-two roasters from the U.S. and Canada compete. Each coffee roaster sends their coffee and a barista to pull shots of espresso at the competition venue. Judging criteria is based on evaluation of the shots of espresso from each competitor in the categories of flavor complexity; mouthfeel & appeal; and aftertaste.
In addition to this new award, Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. currently holds the title as 2013 Micro-Roaster of the Year, an honor announced at the end of 2012 by Roast Magazine.
What is Espresso?
Espresso is coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Espresso is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods, has a higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids, and has crema on top (literally cream, a creamy foam on the surface of the coffee). As a result of the pressurized brewing process, the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso are very concentrated. Espresso is the base for other drinks, such as a caffè latte, cappuccino, caffè macchiato, cafe mocha, or caffè Americano, which make up the majority of specialty coffee drinks in cafés throughout North America.