Most of the time, Alex McCracken makes coffee to bring a little joy to the over-caffeinated masses. This month, he’s doing it to bring a little joy to himself. The trainer at Kaldi’s downtown roasterie will travel to Minneapolis to slug it out with his fellow java slingers at the National Barista Championship May 2–5. He told us how he’s preparing.
Turn it on. McCracken is hardly a cutthroat, win-at-all-costs guy (“I’d probably rather throw a Frisbee than labor over small details that may or may not matter”), but he’ll definitely get himself amped up for this. “I’m a competitive person, so I’ll spend way too much time in the evenings practicing,” he says. Will he be listening to “Eye of the Tiger” on a continuous loop? “Uh, no.”
A little help from his friends. A two-hour practice session can produce plenty of extra Joe—McCracken has to make 12 drinks in 15 minutes for the judges in Minneapolis—and someone has to drink it. “Sometimes, I’ll call my friends and be like, ‘Come watch me do my thing—you can taste the cappuccino,’” he says. No word on how he keeps the over-stimulated group in check.
Keep things in perspective. Sure, there’s a $1,000 cash prize and an-all-expenses-paid trip to the World Barista Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the line, but—lest you think McCracken’s got his priorities out of whack—he knows it’s just coffee. “Now, that doesn’t mean I won’t try really hard,” he says with a laugh, “but it’s like I remind people sometimes: Honestly, we’re making coffee drinks.”
Later, we hit McCracken with our slightly stupid “Coffee in Pop Culture” quiz. This is what happened.
Are you ready?
Let’s go.
1. What brand of instant coffee is famous for the slogan, “Good to the Last Drop”?
It’s either Maxwell House or Folger’s, that’s what comes to mind. I’ll say Folgers.
We were looking for Maxwell House.
Damn! I know from Trivial Pursuit that you go with your instinct, and that was my instinct!
It’s OK, you’ve still go four to go. You can still get an 80 percent.
2. Which of these musicians did not appear in the 2003 Jim Jarmusch film Coffee & Cigarettes?
A. Tom Waits
B. Iggy Pop
C. The RZA
D. Bob Dylan
E. Jack White
Aaron at the roasterie keeps telling me I need to see this. I’ll say Bob Dylan.
Correct. You’re one for two.
3. True or False: New York Yankees Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio was a longtime spokesman for Mr. Coffee.
I’m going to say false.
It was true.
Damn.
I’m sorry. We don’t have to print this if it makes you look bad.
You can, just change my answers.
4. Juan Valdez was the poster boy for Columbian coffee. What is the name of his mule?
A. Conchita
B. Armando
C. Chi Chi
D. Poncho
E. Juan Jr.
That’s hysterical. That’s a great question.
Hey, I didn’t even know that the mule had a name.
Yeah, I spend way too much time in coffee, and I have no idea. This is going to be a wild guess. I’ll say Chi Chi.
We were looking for Conchita. You’re really letting me down here.
I know. You know, ironically, at the big annual coffee conference, supposedly Juan Valdez, or at least some guy who looks Latino and is dressed up in all the garb, was there. I walked by him, but I didn’t ask the name of his animal.
Well, now you know, so when you see it next time, you can address it, and they’ll be impressed.
Who would even know that? Maybe I’m actually OK with not knowing it.
5. On several occasions in the Boston-based Good Will Hunting, Chuck (Ben Affleck) brings Will (Matt Damon) a cup of coffee. Where is it from?
That would have to be Dunkin’ Donuts.
Correct. Hey, two out of five isn’t great, but it’s not horrible.
Yeah, the Juan Valdez one I don’t feel bad about, but the Maxwell House one was dumb. Wouldn’t you be scared if I did know the Juan Valdez one?
