Ramos, Brannen, Carmichael and Bonchack Earn 2014 Big Eastern Hardware

Camila Ramos. Photo by Panther Coffee.

Camila Ramos of Panther Coffee (Miami) and J. Park Brannen of Counter Culture Coffee (New York location) took top honors at the 2014 Big Eastern Barista Championships this past weekend in Durham, N.C.

J. Park Brannen

The pair will go on to compete at the United States Barista Championships at the SCAA Event in Seattle in April, receiving first-round byes along with 2014 Big Central winners Joshua Wismans of Colectivo Coffee (Milwaukee) and Tyler Rovenstine of Oddly Correct (Kansas City). The competition field will be rounded out upon conclusion of the Big Western Competition, Feb. 21-23 in Los Angeles.

Ramos’s competition win capped a particularly great week for Panther coffee, which was one of only two U.S. roasteries with two winning coffees in the 2014 Good Food Awards.

In another of the Big Eastern’s competitions, coffee industry veteran, Travel Channel show host and La Colombe coffee mogul Todd Carmichael put his extensive reputation on the line, eventually winning the Brewer’s Cup competition along with Jonathan Bonchack of Counter Culture (Durham).

Here is a complete schedule of upcoming U.S. Coffee Championship events.