Post Round One

Well it has been a long day (9 am in London right now).  It was a good day, and everyone performed exceptionally well.  Having said that, only 6 out of 15 get to move on.  We are delighted that Chad is once again moving on to the finals tomorrow, and wish him the best of luck.  We have no idea how things panned out today, apart from knowing that the top six were the top six.  The scores won't be revealed until after the competition is over.

Josh also did an amazing job given that this was his first foray into the national competition scene.  By his own admission, and a brief glance at the score sheets, Josh had a few technical errors.  Dispite that, his coffee was absolutely stellar, and we know that he can easily erase any and all technical glitches for next year as he is one of the nations top baristas.  Unfortunately I have no pictures from today, as I was too busy chasing off twitter hack jobs and chatting up those watching the 2009 CNBC on Ustream.  At one point today, we (the CNBC) had our feed featured on the Ustream.tv home page, and we had over 2000 viewers (that was fun).  Tomorrow will be a great final, as everyone competing is an exceptional barista and performer.

On  a lighter note, we had a great time at Gianni's afterwards, and were treated to lots of delicious home made entres and some quail.  Then we all headed off to SALT which was a great way to finish off a long day, tasting some fun wines and eating nicely sized tapas which were just right for the end of the day.  A cool little wine bar on Blood Alley, which is inspirational for me, someone who aspires to open a wine bar in Edmonton in the next couple of years.  Thanks to everyone who cheered and supported us today.  We hope to do real well in the morrow.  Cheers.