Collected Thoughts on Montreal

The city of Montreal is absolutely beautiful. There is so much to see and eat and experience I am not sure how we did so much in a matter of days! I thought instead of writing some big convoluted blurb on what the experience was like I would just highlight some amazing parts for me. If you want to read a detailed coverage of the Championship, check out what Liz Claytonhas to say.

Ah Cuisine

One of the best meals out I have ever had was out at Au Pied de Cochon. This guy has got it right! I am sure that Jason would be able to give you a much more apt description of what goes on in his cooking and how he pushes the boundaries of fine cuisine but for me it was all about taste and flavour. And I mean flavour of the whole atmosphere! We got to the restaurant at 7:30 and wasted no time getting some wine and a few appetizers. This is when I had my fateful try of the fois gras. Fateful for the duck, but delicious for me! In the end, I had an amazing Fois Gras Poutine that would stop most people's hearts and I couldn't resist ordering the Creme Brulee for dessert (though it was a little over torched... does that make sense?).

Also to note about Montreal food:

- I will never look at a croissant the same way again after eating the creamy, crunchy, buttery ones there.

- The best cafe in Montreal is currently Cafe Sante Veritas right in Old Montreal. They also had the best paninis! Unfortunately though, as a whole, Calgary's coffee scene is much more present and delicious than what I saw in Montreal...

CNBC

The whole reason I even skipped class for a week to go to Montreal was, as most of you know, to watch Phil and others in the Canadian National Barista Championships. This was a lot of fun! I haven't been out other years, but the caliber of the baristas who competed was amazing! And for a nerd like me the competitions were so interesting and amazing to watch. 

Thoughts on the competitors:

Phil Robertson - I work for this guy, was trained by this guy, and seriously thought he did SO amazing. His sig drink was like drinking fine, coffeed up, unprocessed Nutella. In fact, I ate so much of his leftover drink at work one night that I made myself actually nauseous. And I think it may have been worth it.

Spencer Viehweger - It was funny because when I met Spencer I realized a funny coincidence. I had met him years ago when I worked at Java Jamboree and actually showed him the place for the first time! He looked VERY nervous throughout his presentation but really impressed the judges and finished less than 10 points behind Sammy. Very nice.

Sammy Piccolo - He's done it before, and he's done it again. I think Sammy's presentation was so smooth from start to finish, and that Beloya in his 'spro really couldn't hurt either. I tried the 49th roast of this coffee earlier in the year and was duly impressed.

Joel May - Calgary really represented at Nationals this year which may have surprised a lot of people. Joel seemed to have a lot of fun during his presentation and had a fairly smooth ride throughout. Though he, like some of the others, rushed at the end to finish up those sig drinks! Pulled out a nice 3rd finish though! 

Anthony Bender - I only met Anthony briefly at the impromptu throwdown (which is a story for another day...) and he seems like a super nice guy. And in fact, Anthony won the other contestants approval as well with a "Mr. Congeniality" award. I thought his presentation was really relaxed and the most personable of all the 6. And he did so well making it to the finals with a cafe to open the same week!

Chad Moss - Another great representation from Alberta, Chad from Transcend seemed relaxed and confident as he went through his routine. His was actually one of the few 'spros I got the opportunity to try. An interesting shot though I thought the brightness (of the fruit he described?) may have overtaken it. I wouldn't go by my unexperienced palate though, the judges placed him at a solid 4th place.

Overall the difference in points between all 6 of the competitors was so very close. Sammy kept the title in the Artigiano family but it was so close. A great show all around and I can't wait until next year in Vancouver. Should be super interesting with so many new and amazing talent popping up all over the country! The comp took awhile and I did feel a bit bad for keeping my Mom waiting around after as I cornered Stephen Morrissey to be a fan. 

Showshowshowdown

A clip of some of the pours (including mine) at the throwdown that took place while we waited for the judges. All I'm saying is, the title of Canada's latte artist champ should be mine. 

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