The Finca La Cristalina Red Bourbon Natural, in all likelihood, would not be a coffee we sourced if not for the world of professional coffee competition. Yes, there is professional coffee competition, and it is actually a pretty big deal. Coffee professionals around the world compete in local, regional, and national events to qualify for a yearly world competition that pits the most talented baristas, roasters, brewers, and cuppers against their peers to earn the title of World Champion. The coffee each competitor selects plays a big part in his or her success, so competition tends to highlight some of the highest quality and most unique coffees in the world. Blanchard's Head of Education, John Kruegler brewed his way through local and regional qualifiers this year (his second year of competition) and qualified for US National Brewers Championships held last week in Kansas City, MO. John and the Blanchard's team cupped through dozens of coffee samples, searching for the perfect competition coffee. Eventually everyone agreed on the La Cristalina, but unfortunately it was not available in the United States, so we had a small amount air shipped to us for the competition. John placed 13th in the Nation this year - an impressive showing for his first time at the national competition level, and everyone was super impressed with his presentation of the La Cristalina. We were so proud of John's hard work and the outstanding coffee he perfected for competition, we wanted to share it with you, allowing John to share his recipe so you can have a perfect cup of La Cristalina at home.