Gray Kauffman, one of the competitors representing Seattle this week. Nathan Lowe

After a pandemic-related hiatus, it’s game on for the 2022 U.S. Coffee Championships this week, and it’s a real big deal in the world of haute coffee. And this year, the competing baristas from Seattle, Sam Spillman and Gray Kauffman, both hail from local fancycoffee place Caffe Vita.

Sam took home the U.S. Barista Champion title in 2019 and will compete in the U.S. Brewers Cup category this year. She’s also coaching Gray, who’ll compete in Sam’s old category, U.S. Barista Champion. The other categories in the competition are Cup Tasters, Roaster Champion, Coffee in Good Spirits