For the past 15 weeks, Cali Hegeman's life has revolved around coffee.
By day, the 22-year-old Starbucks barista crafts lattes and mochas at the Chicago Reserve Roastery. In her off hours, she reads coffee books, listens to coffee podcasts and combs through YouTube for coffee recipes.
It’s all part of her training for the inaugural Starbucks Global Barista Championship, a three-day event that kicks off June 9 in Las Vegas.
Hegeman is set to compete against 11 other baristas from around the world, each showcasing their talents and knowledge of the morning staple through blind coffee tastings, latte art, storytelling, store rush simulations and their own signature beverages.
The competition will showcase the winners of Starbucks' regional and Reserve Roastery championships, which featured more than 84,000 baristas. Starbucks named one champion for each of its six regions (North America, China, Japan, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and one for each Reserve Roastery location (Seattle, Chicago, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Milan).
