Colectivo Coffee is extremely excited to announce Josh Wismans as the winner of the 2014 North Central Regional Barista Competition!Josh will now go on to compete in the U.S. Barista Championships this coming April in Seattle. A former World Aeropress Championship runner-up, Josh has been with Colectivo since 2008 and is currently a barista at our Prospect Ave. cafe. Josh traveled to Minneapolis along with fellow Colectivo barista-competitor Mickey Comerford (and a host of Colectivo volunteers, judges and cheerleaders) to compete during The Big Central Barista Competitions.Colectivo invites customer to sample both Josh’s and  Mickey’s signature beverages at Colectivo Prospect from 10am – 4pm on Friday, Nov. 8!Josh's signature drink featured Ethiopia Kochere espresso. His competition routine focused on aromatics and used simple, high-quality ingredients to highlight some of the coffee’s inherent characteristics; a concord grape infusion brought out the fruity acidity, raw sugar simple syrup highlighted sweetness, and lavender tea amplified the Ethiopia Kochere’s floral notes. The rim of the serving glass was dipped in honey on the outer edge then pressed into mosaic hops as a finishing touch to emphasize aromas in the cup.Josh played off the “olfactory” experience that is a part of tasting coffee. He instructed judges to “Put on your hardhats and steel-toed boots; we’re going to the olfactory,” and ended his 15-minute presentation with a cheeky, “Smell ya later.”With this win under his belt, Josh will move on to a first-round bye at the 2014 United States Barista Championship in Seattle, Washington next April! Congratulations, Josh!Photos and video from Big Central are available at Colectivo’s Facebook and Vimeo pages. We hope to see you on November 8th at Colectivo Prospect for a taste of Big Central success!