Saturday December 12, 2009
Go Starbuck Yourself:
The Birth of Ultimate Barista Fighting
by Sir Thomas More
East London plays host to the largest concentration of working artists in the world. Indeed there are creatives of all kinds to be found -- fashion designers, musicians, writers, designers, and so on.
There is a drug that fuels all this creativity. I don't mean the stuff you chop out into lines. I'm talking about rocket fuel, black gold, the devil's cup, or rather coffee if you really insist. Which is why the East has given birth to a curious form of coffee-based competition called Ultimate Barista Fighting.
UBF began as a reaction to mainstream barista competitions and have rapidly evolved into nothing short of a new spectator sport. UBF was created by Scott Griffiths of stalwart roasters Monmouth Coffee Co, along with James Hoffman and Anette Moldvaer of scene upstarts Square Mile Coffee.
While the inspiration for UBF came from the world of wrestling, there is little connection with anything approaching athleticism. Competitors and spectators cram into industrial units after hours bearing food and alcohol to share.
Hopeful baristas arrive in old Naval uniforms and Mexican wrestling masks in the hope of currying favour with the audience -- after all, it is they who will be voting to decide the winner's of tonight's rounds.
The contenders face off head to head to pour the best cup and footage of the two cups is projected on a large screen. It's the cheering of the crowd that decides who is victorious.
Whilst a contest of coffee making may not sound very exciting, UBF events are riotous standing room only affairs. As London will be hosting the more staid UK barista championship in 2010, UBF may well react by introducing a new variant on this new sport. The enigmatic working title is 'Caffeine Samurai'.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the Ultimate Barista Fighting blog.
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