Gino Rutigliano's espresso will again be compared to the brews of competitors in the western states and provinces of the U.S and Canada. The owner of the Bowen Island Coffee Roasting Company has been invited to participate in the 2013 America's Best Espresso Competition that is part of Coffee Fest, an annual trade show held in New York, Chicago and Seattle.
Rutigliano will be part of Seattle's festivities when he competes for Best Espresso from Oct. 4 to 6.
Last year, the Bowen Island roaster brought home the third place trophy for his 100 per cent organic Valhalla Espresso Royale. Rutigliano plans to compete with the same blend that will be judged for flavour complexity, mouthfeel and appeal, and aftertaste.
"We're going to use same product and adjust it slightly," Rutigliano said. "Of course, we are hoping for first place. We'll try and win this year with the same espresso we've been using for years." But it's not going to be easy. Although Blue Star Coffee Roasters, last year's winner, is not returning to Seattle this time, Rutigliano has to go up against a company that scored 94 points for its espresso the Conduit Coffee Company that landed second place in 2012.
Rutigliano is excited that he's been asked to return to represent Bowen Island and Canada. "It's going to be a riot, hanging out with peers and rubbing shoulders with other roasters and companies of that caliber," he said. "I can't believe we've been asked to come back it seems surreal." He added that of the 32 competitors, 18 participated in last year's event.
"It's going to be a great experience in the repeat environment," Rutigliano predicts, adding that he has set his sight on competing in a world championship in the future. For photos of last year's event, see http://www.coffeefest.com/EspressoCompetition.aspx or http://www.bowencoffee.ca.
