Fresh blended

Last year's Barista Champion spills a few secrets to making great coffee

By Martin S. Gonzalez
Staff Writer

At her family's coffee shop -- Coffee Klatch in San Dimas --one busy morning, Heather Perry watches as an espresso she is brewing begins to pour. As the broken stream of espresso dithers into the cup, Perry knows immediately this is not going to be a good cup of espresso.
"You want to have a steady stream of espresso coming out," she said. "It should be like pouring honey or syrup. That's the flow you want to look for."

Having grown up in her family's two coffee shops all her life, Perry has picked up quite a bit of knowledge about coffee and the proper methods of brewing. A testament to her skill and knowledge came last year when the just-turned-22-year-old became the U.S. Barista Champion at the annual competition sponsored by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Over a span of three rounds, Perry made espressos, cappuccinos and her signature coffee cocktails for a panel of seven judges, beating out 36 other contestants for the top honor of Champion Barista and picking up the $1,000 grand prize as well as a trip to San Francisco.

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