Regional Barista Competition Dates Announced

We are excited to announce that we've secured the majority of dates and locations for the United States Barista Championship (USBC) & Regional Barista Competitions (RBCs) for the 2012 cycle! Visit the USBC website

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Complete your Customer Service requirement with a webinar

We're excited to present dates for upcoming opportunities to complete the CP103: Customer Service course requirement of the BGA Level 1 Certification program. Read More

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Grow your career opportunities through BGA Certification

The Barista Guild of America offers certification courses at regional SCAA Skill-Building Workshops throughout the year and at our annual Exposition. To see a list of upcoming courses, visit our events page. To learn more about Barista Guild Certification and view the list of certified baristas, visit the BGA website.

Colombian Coffee Hub

Coffee stories from the source. Find out more at www.colombiancoffeehub.com

Find answers to your questions

Posted by sLucey On 1:27 PM
It's not guaranteed that every question will have an answer, but on the SCAA expo website there is a FAQ page with a healthy dose of answers.

And even if you weren't pondering a question, reading through some of these answers is a great way to learn how our specialty industry works.

* There is a Professional Development section about half way down on the page that may be most useful to BGA and other info related to what is behind the curtain of Professional Development.


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Currently on the Event Calendar

Posted by sLucey On 11:48 AM
Hello Baristas,

Just a friendly reminder here to check out our upcoming events page. There's been a handful of new events added.
  • April 1 - BGA level 1 testing and CP103 intro to customer service available in Seattle
  • April 3 - Atlanta Manual Brewing Battle
  • April 3 - Kansas City Rosettas for Relief
  • April 7 - NYC Rosettas for Relief
  • April 9 - NYC Coffee People Party
  • April 28 - May 1: United States Barista Championship, Cup Taster's Championship, & United States Brewer's Cup
Don't forget - you can also use your BGA Membership to login to scaa.org where you can see more detailed information about these upcoming events.

If you're a bga member and have an event you'd like us to communicate you can email your chapter rep, an EC member, or me, scottlucey @ gmail . com


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Get Started on your Barista Guild Certification at the SCAA Event!

Posted by lily kubota On 6:08 PM
Barista Guild Level 1 Certification

Did you know? All five of the required courses and the Level 1 Certification Exam will be available at the SCAA's 23rd Annual Exposition, The Event, held in Houston, Texas April 28 - May 1.

Sample Itinerary for completing your Level 1 Certification:

Friday: Take CP151 (Introduction to Coffee Brewing & Extraction) in the morning and CP103 (Introduction to Customer Service) in the afternoon.

Saturday: Take CP101 & CP102 (Introduction to Espresso Part 1 & 2) (this is a 6-hour class with a 90-minute lunch - experienced baristas can take the Level 1 Exam during the lunch break)

Sunday: GE103 (Introduction to Cupping) in the morning, and then join us for USBC and USBC Brewers Cup Finals in the Activities Hall!

* Please note: experienced baristas can choose to pursue and obtain Level 1 Certification by achieving a passing score in CP190 AND attending CP103 (may test out of all other requirements).

Barista Guild Certification courses for Levels 2 & 3 are also available. To see the list of available courses that will be given at the SCAA's 23rd Annual Exposition, The Event, click here!


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NYC Coffee People Party - Saturday April 2

Posted by sLucey On 9:49 AM
Head over to shotzombies.com for a bit more info & a helpful map.








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It's open nomination time for new leadership

Posted by sLucey On 9:15 AM
Hello friends and members of the Barista Guild of America.

Spring is the time of the year for our annual SCAA expo, which is also the time of year we cycle through the members of our leadership who have spent they're required time as either an executive council director or chapter representative.

Both executive council directors and chapter representatives commit to a two year term.

The BGA will have 3 open spots on the executive council and 4 open spots as chapter representatives. The regions for our chapter representatives will remain the same despite regional changes to the USBC organization. The four regions open for new representatives are: The Great Lakes, Northeast, Southwest, and Mid-Atlantic.

If you, or someone you know would be willing to commit to the responsibilities of being a BGA leader, fill out the nomination form which can be found on the home page of the BGA website - or you can simply click here.

To learn more about the responsibilities asked of BGA leaders, have a look at the guild's by-laws, which are found on the about page of the BGA website, located in paragraph one. Or you can simply click here to see the by-laws.

Nominations for new leaders will close one week from today - March 28.
You our members will vote for our next round of leaders. Voting will be open from April 1 through April 15.

It's always an exciting time to see who is willing to step up and why. We look forward to processing nominations, and stay tuned for your online ballots.

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remember when...

Posted by sLucey On 10:17 AM
The year: 2003. The Barista Guild of America was just about to be born. Barista Billy Wilson wrote an article for the website coffeegeek.com.

In it, he specifically speaks of the importance for all baristas to be involved, especially the most awarded. He says this about then US Champion Heather Perry,

"Perry is a skilled competitor and trainer, and obviously has passion for the art of the Barista, yet she has no visible presence in the Guild, nor has she indicated any interest in the Guild. The SCAA has an active Barista bulletin board, but Perry's voice is not heard there, nor here in CoffeeGeek's community forums. I recognize that no one is compelled to join the Guild (or to participate in the online Barista community); but it will be harder to advance our craft unless the established (and award winning) Baristi are all on board. It would be a boon to have Perry taking an active role, and I am sure the hand is always extended, should she choose to get involved."


If there ever were evidence that anything can happen that would be a good example. To those who might not know, Perry went on to join the leadership council and work her way up to the chair-holder role.

Don't forget, Mr. Dominy in the post below is asking to hear the voice of our members. This is a guild founded by members for members. We'd like to hear from you.

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We Need Your Input! What Do You Want From The BGA?

Posted by jason dominy On 5:13 PM
I am currently working on my 2011-2012 initiatives for the BGA to be unveiled at Expo in April, and I need your help. As you know, the BGA is member-driven and member-run. So, with that, I need some input from you as to what you want out of the BGA. What do you see as important needs in your area? How can the BGA better support you where you live? We certainly have our own ideas and thoughts, but unless they match up with what our membership is looking for, we're wasting our time. So, give me your thoughts below in the comments section. I can assure you each one will be read and contribute to the Executive Council's plans for continuing to push the BGA forward to the guild we all want and are proud of. Thank you in advance, and thanks for your continued support!
jason dominy,
incoming chair.

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SWRBC Barista Buddy Guide Now Online!

Posted by lily kubota On 3:40 PM
The BGA Barista Buddy Guide for the South West Regional Barista Competition is now available online! Check out Mac Pearce's tips and hints for navigating the Los Angeles area while you're in town this weekend.


Check out fun local hot spots, restaurants, cafés, places to pick up last minute supplies for the competition, and read about why Mac loves coffee, the BGA and Southern California!

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