Caffe Vita Is Carrying Seattle’s Hopes at the U.S. Coffee Championships - Eater Seattle

"Once again, Seattle craft coffee powerhouse Caffe Vita is sending not one but two baristas to compete in the U.S. Coffee Championships (USCC), an event that’s part of this weekend’s Specialty Coffee Expo at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Caffe Vita is sending returning contender Gray Kauffman, who tied for sixth in the U.S. Barista Championship competition at USCC 2022 in Boston, to perform in the same competition this year, while newcomer Natasha Solowoniuk will be performing in the Coffee in Good Spirits (a.k.a. coffee cocktails) competition. A third-generation Seattleite, Solowoniuk manages the Caffe Vita shop at Seattle Center, which adjoins indie radio station KEXP’s broadcasting studio. She’s been working in coffee for ten years and designing drinks for five, and she creates a lot of the components for her cocktails from scratch. Both of her signature drinks for USCC 2023 are based on tequila —one stars a homemade chicha morada concentrate made from Peruvian kʼculli (purple corn), while the other features a homemade buttered popcorn–infused simple syrup." - Meg van Huygen