Michael Phillips won the United States Barista Championship, 18th of April 2010.
Originally from Michigan, Phillips began working for Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea four years ago packing coffee bags on the production floor. With the opportunity for a little training with a colleague, he decided to compete in the Great Lakes regional barista competition and placed 4th despite no experience behind the bar. 5 years later, he's the Assistant Director of Education at Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, have won the United States Barista Competition two years in a row and placed third last year in Atlanta’s competition.
These are the final results of the WBC 2010:
1st – Michael Phillips (USA)
2nd - Raul Rodas (Guatemala)
3rd – Scottie Callaghan (Australia)
4th – Colin Harmon (Ireland)
5th – Soren Stiller Markussen (Denmark)
6th – Stefanos Domatiotis (Greece)
The World Barista Championship is the preeminent international coffee competition. The organization—founded by the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe and the Specialty Coffee Association of America—focuses on promoting excellence in coffee, advancing the barista profession, and engaging a worldwide audience with an annual championship event that serves as the culmination of events held in more than 50 member nations around the globe.
The World Barista Championship 2011 takes place in Bogota, Colombia.