What Went Wrong At WBC and Other Answers

What happened with those portafilters? Is there anything you would have changed?
WBC routine: • Morgan Eckroth, USA - ...
Thank you for all the great questions about WBC this year and hopefully this provides some insight! I’ll be answering questions in the comments for a bit as we close out this chapter of the competition season.

[@olivercoulthard5468]

You weren't just a runner up!! Don't downplay it!! You're 2nd in the WORLD at barista-ing. That's damn impressive

[@ColorwaveCraftsCo]

That’s exactly what I was thinking

[@Michael-bn1oi]

@@ColorwaveCraftsCo Human psychology is weird. People are usually happier with Bronze than Silver.

[@ccuellar6212]

Everyone received a trophy. 😂

[@lukeW7344]

second is runner up though..... its just a synonym

[@matnovak]

@@lukeW7344 we know. i think Oliver meant that Morgan calling herself just "a runner-up" doesn't do her achievement justice

[@DigitalicaEG]

My wife who isn’t even into coffee watched your WBC routine with me and she was very moved and thought you were amazing. She thought you deserved the win. Well done Morgan!

[@errantsorcerer]

My wife and I share your sentiment

[@gsterneman]

I'm a conductor and music director. I've spent a lot of time on the judges side of the table for auditions over the years. The best piece of advice I feel I can ever give is to say, "we WANT you to succeed. We WANT you to do well."

[@mimi56565]

As someone who has done sport competition when I was a teenager, your comment really moved me. I'm not competing anymore but this is something we should say to every child (and adult too) who are doing any sort of competition. Thank you.

[@bluetickbeagles116]

@@mimi56565 absolutely 💯 and it carries over to all aspects of life…school, career growth, or any other hurdle or challenge life can throw at us.

[@TheMadMurf]

You know... I don't drink coffee. I only came across your channel from seeing and enjoying the shorts you've posted. But while watching some of the WBC competition, it strikes me that I'm glad we live in an age where something as "mundane" as coffee used to be, can now be an artform both in taste and presentation, as well as something that people have gathered together to compete against. We live in a crazy world, but sometimes it's pretty cool. Keep up the good work!

[@indig0icee]

I feel so validated because I always thought you had big “I took ballet as a kid” energy. Like…. good ballet that you worked hard on, because you have that specific “everything-is-fine-and-I-am-floating-around-in-control” performance quality. Love it

[@henrypappas7095]

I just watched the video of the actual competition, you were amazing! This is a completely new genre for me as I have never watched coffee competitions before and now that I have it's amazing to see your success. -Henry

[@hemera.r]

yeah same, I never expected it to be so captivating..

[@SoybeanGravy]

Fun little coincidence; I live locally to the roaster/cafe of Anthony Douglas, Axil! It’s my regular spot for lunch and coffee when I’m at Uni, and I even have a friend or two from Uni who work there. Been watching this channel for a little while now and it’s kind of crazy that the only person who placed higher than you at the WBC is a local to me, and happens to have been roasting something like half of the coffee I’ve drank over the last year and a half!

[@morgandrinkscoffee]

That’s awesome! Anthony was really kind and an incredible competitor. So cool that you get to be so close to Axil :)

[@bluetickbeagles116]

I didn’t even know WBC existed until I saw your competition. Absolutely mesmerizing! Your descriptions of the ingredients, pouring, speaking to the judges and helping the audience to relax is perfection.

[@matthewwilson9749]

As a professional musician, I suffered with shaky hands even if I didn’t suffer from performance anxiety. I got beta blockers from my doctor and they were a game changer. Worth looking into.

[@lm5608]

Are you crazy or what

[@matthewwilson9749]

@@lm5608 nope, I’m sane

[@fedweezy4976]

@@lm5608 some people just got shaky hands, it's honestly not that weird.

[@footballfusionpro2]

@@lm5608 shaky hands is totally normal, it's really just heartrate and some people naturally have higher resting heart rates.

[@paddyq3235]

​@@lm5608shaking hands and other anxiety responses are really common even for very experienced performers. I know of opera singers who take beta blockers before auditions to relax their anxiety responses even if they are very experienced.

[@Dom-dq8ru]

I couldn’t tell you enough how amazing your performance in the competition was. So moving and so relaxing in a world that is constantly busy and crowded, it made life feel like it was calm for fifteen minutes and I fell in love with coffee even more❤️

[@erinpennington19]

I haven't watched the video yet, but didn't you come second overall in the world championship? That's an amazing achievement, you should still be proud of yourself 👏

[@katiemasters3473]

Your funniest part is something many in the wine industry can relate to - the process of cryoconcentration. In the classic sense, nature does the freezing. Vintners allow their crops to continue sitting on the vine past the point of normal harvest, and multiple good and bad things can happen from choosing to do that. Noble rot, or botrytis fungus, can attack the grapes, penetrating through the skins, creating tiny holes that cause water to evaporate out, concentrating the sugars in the grapes (and they are used for various dessert wines, usually white grape based). The fungus, however, can easily overwhelm a crop rather than create a perfect concentration. The later harvest season usually sees a lot of rain and extra water can rot a crop. But if both of those issues are avoided, the grapes will eventually freeze through the first hard frost of the season. Grapes will be harvested before the frost subsides that morning, and are quickly and gently pressed. The sugars of the juice melt first, so the pressing gets the very most concentrated juice of the grapes, usually anywhere from 30-60% of the overall juice in the grapes. It's that juice that is fermented and made into ice wine or eiswein. I work at a winery/cidery in New England and we are focusing on man-made cryoconcentration of other fresh pressed juices of locally grown fruits, primarily apples. It's amazing to drink final products side by side that started off with the same initial must. All this to say - I love listening to you discuss your craft with intense passion in the same way that I also feel about my industry. It was magical watching you during the competition. Congratulations!

[@ohauss]

Living in the Palatinate in Germany, that's the gamble that's currently going on again - so far, we've just been slightly above freezing. Forecast has potential for freezing on the 7th and the 11th, but just barely, so not enough to freeze the grapes. As such, less and less wineries are playing that lottery. Some other wine regions have waived it completely this year. Climate change has already affected winemaking in the area dramatically. Where this previously was a purely white region, it's now also very well known for a type of red. With the region being one of the warmest in Germany to begin with, shifting to a setup suitable for warmer climates have become a necessity. And that also means that the ice wine gamble becomes increasingly risky. Having just completed half a century, I've witnessed the changes - compared to my childhood, snow is increasingly a rarity, and when it comes, it rarely stays.

[@stampinturtles]

Watching your shorts is fun, emotional, touching, relatable, entertaining and just pure joyous. Watching your long videos is totally different yet still enjoyable and gives me useful information. Both formats are perfect for your personality and vibe. Thank you for doing all you do. I’m grateful! God bless you and all that you do. ☕️🙏🏻❤️🥰

[@JMitch93]

Ok, so I stumbled across your shorts here, started watching, and fell head over heels with the simplicity. Then my lil brain needed to go to your page, and I saw this video's title, stopped, looked up the WBC, watched, and was so incredibly moved that I cried. I NEVER thought coffee could bring me to tears. Just wow 😊

[@lisaXlunatic91]

Congrats on 2nd, that's incredible! It's been so fun watching your progress and journey. ❤️🤗

[@fuzichoko]

Honestly I just wanna say thank you for giving a highlight to the various produce of my country and showing so much care and appreciation for them.

[@himbo_noa]

Watching your routine live from the audience was utterly captivating. 🧡🧡 and oddly emotional And being able to meet you after was awesome! Thank you for taking the time for the (highly caffienated and nervous) fan!

[@barbaraharris1212]

Love your comment to young Morgan! Fear holds so many folks back. You must get out and try new experiences. Glad you did so well!

[@u140550]

Congrats to runner up, I was really pushing for you to win outright; but still runner up is still great!!! Really happy to see you do so well, also glad to see a new video.

[@kristannestone1748]

Your presentation was so interesting and so poignant. I never imagined that a competition like that existed, much less feeling so touched by your passion for coffee and the earth, bringing awareness to the state of climate chaos, and with such grace and precision.

[@missbeaussie]

Within the first 45 seconds of your presentation I was moved. Takeaway coffee was one of the only things that felt normal at the start of 2020. 1 thing I could still do that felt like a luxury, had human connection and was comforting. I'm glad it's still here and that you are so passionate about it. So proud of you. Also your tone and cadence were so relaxing yet strong. I want to try the variety of coffee plant you discussed.

[@Rythm123]

I also appreciate your PASSION, discipline, ambitions, new discovery, exploration, and connection from coffee to audience!!

[@averyeml]

I found your channel right as you were starting your USBC journey. The closest I’d ever heard of barista competitions is that the Kroger by me has a barista at their Starbucks who won the Starbucks barista competition a couple years ago. I didn’t realize it was an entire ✨experience✨ until you opened my eyes to it!

[@Nettkin]

Loved your routine, especially your delivery. A pleasure to listen to and watch!

[@glytchmeister9856]

The emotional intelligence is over 9000, holy cow. You’re more articulate about yourself and your inner experience than anyone else I’ve ever known.

[@edipisreks5535]

It’s been a treat watching your videos from the very beginning (boy coffee content has changed in the last two years!), and congratulations!!

[@tucsonrides4851]

You really did amazingly! Thank you for representing the US! Never apologize for being genuine!

[@lukeclayton7578]

Your attitude is just so cool and I do believe success favors the bold. Keep doing you Morgan, because you're awesome!

[@ingeh6135]

Ii went oooo noooo when the cup wasn't place fully under the coffee and that little stream went over it, so glad you got that. well done🥳👍

[@brosnet2005]

I have to say. You are a great barista. Your personality really invites people in. I can see how humble you are. I really enjoy your videos.

[@CharlieGray07]

I don’t comment on KZbin but woahhh. I knew you from Instagram vids, and watching your performance in competition was incredible! Not a coffee drinker despite my household of enjoyers and your skills are low key(high key) inspiring. Amazing job!

[@teok8855]

I’m going through a lot in life right now. I watch your videos because they help me calm down and I also enjoy your skills, even though I probably will just keep making nespresso and filter coffee for now.

[@reddishsky8614]

I just watched it and it was amazing! ❤️ You must be proud of yourself. We're proud of you too!

[@blackkat200]

...I would never have expected you to have done violin and/or ballet , the more I learn about you the more I would love to meet you.im not even talking about hanging out at your cafe . I know nothing about coffee, but you make me wanna learn about it. It's so cool to watch I can't wait to see your growth

[@YLWu-qu2ws]

Congrats to you again !!! Love your show and already shared with my friends.👏👏👏

[@darold1966]

You did great. Good job! I enjoy your videos too. You are on the runway taking off. Life can lead you just about anywhere from here. Enjoy!

[@MelAnie-ut9xv]

Wahouh, just watched your routine and i al in awe of you ! I'm not much into coffee but then i really wished i could taste those, the process for preparing them, along with your explanation using this very calm yet passionate voice was hypnotic ! I knew some of your shorts from youtube and i am glade I got to see this other part of you, so thank you for sharing all of this with us across the world. And Congratulations for your second place, it is amazing ! I hope you are proud of you, and enjoyed this experience ! With kind regards,

[@ellie1346]

congrats on 2nd!! i am a beginner barista and all of the things that you’re talking about is just a gigantic new unexplored world to me.. i hope one day i’ll be as cool as you are :)

[@Isaure007]

KZbin proposed me the video of your final competition, and pit was the best video i watched for awhile 😍. You were amazing!! Your voice it's so soothing!

[@Reyna_Brown_]

Morgan, what you did was amazing. 2nd place worldwide is soooo awesome! Congratulations!!

[@Sk8Grom]

Hi Morgan 👋 I've watched your videos for about a year now and just the other day KZbin recommended your WBC performance. I watched it on the way home from work as a barista. I felt the emotion and passion you have for coffee and watched you pour it out on that stage. I cried watching you do your best work. I knew about you from your KZbin videos but this was you on a whole other level. Watching someone do what they love and seeing you shine was an incredible experience. Thank you 🙏🥲

[@tealappeal80]

im so happy 4 you honestly! I hope you will continue to compete

[@basilforth]

Great analysis and self-awareness. Great sportsmanship! Congrats on your achievement!

[@CC3193]

I'm Melbourne born and bred, and very proud of our intense coffee culture and identity. I've just discovered your videos here & I'm really enjoying them - you are the only barista I follow 😃I'm so happy that you visited Melbourne. Which neighbourhood was your Airbnb in? I hope that you got to take some of the city & its vibes in and enjoy it 💜💛❤ I live just outside of Melbourne now, but will always carry my Melburnian coffee tastes & standards with me, it's intrinsic having lived there from birth to age 40 and having worked, studied & socialized in Melbourne my entire life, coffee playing a part of my daily ritual - many times a day! My husband moved here from Ireland 12 or 13 years ago. He was a tea man then of course, but he's learned to love coffee, really, really love it, even more than I do maybe! He makes coffee at home & orders whole coffee beans delivered from the best roasters in Melbourne (he favours beans grown in Ethiopia).

[@moose99moose]

Missed the sock slide-in😊. It was a really impressive routine. 👍

[@KnightMirkoYo]

Yaay, I've been waiting for this video :) I noticed a little espresso missing the cup, otherwise I was totally blown away with your performance

[@Rythm123]

YES!! The process NEVER makes sense but HELPS make the BIGGER picture to make sense! Be it dancing, working out to get healthy, drawing, pottery, jewelry making, cutting hair, etc....the process never makes sense until you see the finished product

[@dmdrosselmeyer]

Thank you for this! I want to get into competing and this is super awesome and immensely helpful:)

[@cakes4494]

I absolutely can't drink coffee, but my boyfriend loves it and the art of coffee making has always interested me which led me to you and I just wanna say you're really cool and thank you for entertaining/teaching me as i write my college essays

[@craiglucas7782]

Thanks for this video it was really great hearing you answer all these WBC related questions. I was hoping you could list all the tools and equipment that you used in Melbourne and what was your favourite things about Melbourne?

[@alibee_09]

Yoooo! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you! Kudos to you!!!

[@saleena9820]

u did amazing! so proud u represented usa at the wbc

[@dominikabanas6700]

So I watched Your performance and it was amazing. It was so calming story. Thank You :)

[@EpiDot52]

I really enjoyed your routine. I thought you recovered from the weird grouphead issue very well. Your milk course was interesting, euginoides? Hadn't heard of that before. And I thought the tasting note of yellow cake batter was very interesting. I know they score on how well your tasting notes are identifiable in the drink so I'm very interested to try it. Love a floral espresso. Floral flavors are my favorite in coffee. I thought your specialty was especially clever, as a huge number of drinks barista serve are iced, but the WBC hasn't caught up to that yet. So modern and interesting. Literally the only thing I didn't like was the breaking of the glasses, but I do love the kintsugi mugs and I like that symmetry. Great work!

[@hemera.r]

I actually just watched the wbc video yesterday and it threw me down a hole resulting in me researching and drinking coffee until late at night.. 😂

[@saltycrackers4460]

Same!😆

[@hannahstraining7476]

I love both themes that you chose for the 2 competitions., transparency and resilience. I will admit that when you first broke the glasses on stage, it felt a bit gimmicky..UNTIL you brought out the Kintsugi cups. Then I thought, "Brilliant!" I look forward to your upcoming championships!

[@rajaiswarya1285]

Hi Morgan, Congratulations. I'm not a coffee person but after watching your videos am interested to know more about the coffee. The way you executed in WBC was awesome 👌.

[@gunraptor]

Congrats on placing so high! Runner up is nothing to sneeze at!

[@dpg6769]

Hey Morgan...so sorry I couldn't comment before but congrats on your achievements we'll always be rooting for you

[@riffmeisterkl]

We were happy to see you and Lance in person in Melbourne for the WBC.

[@barjee8965]

You did SUCH an amazing job, second palce in the entire world!! I wish i had the confidence to compete, i'd be a shaking bumbling mess >.

[@wazzup105]

I learned in the army that stress is a normal reaction to a abnormal situation.. Knowing that when the situation changes the stress will dissipate helps (well me). It's only temporary. Also if you want to compete... compete. All the technicalities will be dealt with during your prep. Your first competition probably won't be your best ever but it wil also quite probably be the one where you learn the most. Competing teaches you way more than you could learn not competing.

[@mqtaidmqtaid]

The fact that your video on the "World Coffee Championships" channel is the most viewed video with over 3 million views speaks for itself, u are amazing

[@mattsantiago]

Morgan. Don’t makes so much cut in your videos. Be yourself. Relax! We all loves you!!! Go with the flow. We enjoy listening to you. 😊

[@alyssia777]

The irony of explaining that the ban on non-dairy milks for these competitions is to mainly to assure there's more consistency when the whole point of freezing the milk in this demo was to improve it and make it substantially creamier and sweeter lmao

[@suspendeddisbelief786]

I cried a bit at your WBC routine. History gets to me but I think it was the kintsugi.

[@nuclearseahorse]

Makes me think about how cool an anime about competitive batista-ing would be. Such a cool but niche event and skill set

[@thegrokewillgetu]

Woah! Congrats! :D

[@Wings_nut]

Congrats Morgan. Very well deserved.

[@zachj7078]

Well done for being runner up non the less!!

[@ausramarcinkeviciute4305]

Wow girl is always second place You're my fave coffee content creator, #1 ^^

[@P4FElton]

i saw that and it was the nerves... she was shaking... like really shaking because of so nervous she was... and she had the portafilter tilted to the right so the right lock wasnt up enough to lock... it is a simple task, but when you are that nervous, no matter what it is, it will just all fall apart...

[@ianferguson6616]

I literally just texted my wife saying I want to open a coffeeshop. Hospitality is why I first worked at Starbucks, and while I don't agree with their brand currently, their original brand and expression of the human spirit and taking care of community is what is needed. US needs to slow down instead of everything moving towards faster and less human interaction.

[@Asaski09]

When a variety of bean is named after you one day I hope it ships internationally, you killed it :)

[@bridgetbrady2640]

Don’t know if it’s still available but onyx was selling a coffee called “Turtleneck” after her (she wears a lot of turtlenecks)

[@amastretta]

Congrats on 2nd place! Question: Can you make practice shots before with the coffee machine they provide? how you get used to it if you don’t have that specific machine?

[@morgandrinkscoffee]

We’re given an hour of practice time on the sponsored routine prior to the performance. Additionally, I have 15 mins of setup time directly before my routine when I can pull a test shot to make sure everything is 100% good to go

[@SeanNecker]

I noticed a few disqualifications. I was wondering what might cause a competitor to be disqualified. Are there certain requirements they didn't meet, or something else?

[@trace9657]

I thought it was great. I watched your first round here on KZbin knowing you made it through the second round and still getting anxious that you were on the first beverage and about halfway out of time.

[@catherinebuchanan5181]

Is everyone required to do their routine in English? Or were there translators there for some contestants? Does having to present in a second language or having translator ever intentionally or unintentionally have a negative impact on those competitors? Just wondering what yours or other peoples take on that was

[@fredzfrog]

Incredible result! congrats! What was your milk choice in melb? Did you find a cold pressed or a straight from the supermarket "whatever" brand?

[@Stogryn]

A question about dairy milk vs alternative milks, would allergens (and personal taste preference on alternate milks) be a problem in judging?

[@ricknicholson5894]

Morgan, for your hands shaking, ground them, literally. So I remember seeing your hand shake, I thought you could have put it down on the table, or touch the side of the machine, or moved it into a location to rest it on whatever. I did ministry in the United Church of Canada, its a long learning process to relax into giving sermons every week so every little trick helps. If my hand started shaking I'd grab the side of the lectern. Ground your hands.

[@karenphillinesillero-albin5169]

I just love you...and congratulations 😁😁

[@chrischihoonhwang6787]

50year old man here. I really want to tell you how much I respect your confidence, passion AND professionalism you are displaying for us on this channel and the competition clip I had the honor to watch. Thank you and God bless you.

[@AMTunLimited]

> Gets second place in a worldwide competition WHAT WENT WRONG?!?! *explosion noises* lol

[@lmelki89]

the shaking hands are not necessarily nervoursness, but adrenaline pumping. I also have it when doing academic presentations. I could be talking as calmly as possible and my hands will be shaking. I had stage fright, got rid of (most) of it, now I do actually like presenting stuff and get a rush after it, but the shaking hands never go away.

[@estebancolina]

Hi Morgan, greetings from Colombia, thanks for using La inmaculada Coffe. Got myself a blend from them at home. Did you made some friends with other competitors during the finals ? Do you plan to do a video about your signature beverage, the one you put some Lulo juice on it ? Thank you so much. Kind of sad you didn't win 😔. Take care, like your videos

[@christiansmith1663]

We're all proud of you Morgan.

[@charlietighe]

Curious to your thoughts on wdt needle tools vs wedge distributors. I noticed your needle tool during the competition, but see a edge behind you.

[@jow84it41]

I found you after watching your interview with Coffee Coach | Ryd Jeavons at WBC and subscribed to your channel after watching one of your videos. I imagine you are recognised a lot in the US … did you find the same experience outside of the MICE event or were you able to wander around Melbourne in relative anonymity?

[@mazzreadstarot]

What was your water for this? Just curious if anyone ever requests a particular type of filtration or source.I rarerely see water quality discussed

[@joeleeashley3853]

Hey Morgan, now that the competition is over, do you think that you will continue to compete in something else, or will you go back and try WBC again? It sounds like you had fun, gained a lot of knowledge and did an amazing job 😊

[@morgandrinkscoffee]

We’ll see! To all of the above

[@joeleeashley3853]

I don't think I could have ever done anything like that, you're brave 😃. Take care 🤗

[@civilizeddiva]

11:52-12:38: Makes me want to record myself making my morning brew😅

[@michaelablank]

Star Wars brewing equipment?!?! You saw the R2D2 French press in my cart, didn't you?

[@geesnemo]

Im very confused what was about that box, that every finalist recieved exept you. What was it and why didnt you get one?

[@andromydous]

Somehow I got it wrong. I thought this year was your first time competing. Nonetheless, I'm still proud of you. Proud of you for doing so well. Even more proud of you simply just for putting yourself out there. I didn't get to catch the topic for your WBC competition. However, the US competition topic rang in harmony of how, and why, I got into my coffee journey.

[@bridgetbrady2640]

This was her first time at worlds. Only the US champion goes to worlds. She competed in the U.S. once before this last year, then won the US competition last year.

[@andromydous]

@@bridgetbrady2640 I knew that she had won the US this year/last year and I was aware that only the winners go to the WBC. I just wasn't aware that she had competed in the USBC once before. Whether she had or hadn't, the feeling is still the same.

[@tananario]

@@andromydous Good for her! Show’s what being willing to learn and grow can do!

[@Artofcarissa]

Will Neff reacted to your routine and he was pretty confused and surprised at all the stuff you did lol. You should check it out

[@UserPka]

It's really fun to watch you performance at the competitions. Do you think, when you exhaust your drive as a competitor, that you'll cross over to become a judge? And if so, what kind of judge?

[@morgandrinkscoffee]

I’d love to be a sensory judge someday, that’s definitely a goal!

[@Zeldur]

I'd love to see how people like me would do with these super fancy coffees. For context, I can't taste bitter, at all. It just isn't there. I think it would be interesting comparing a very acute technical judge versus someone who can't taste one of the main aspects of the drink.

[@paullangton8620]

How did you like Melb? As an Aussie it is the coffee Mecca … so keen to know your views in general!

[@schlemsadventures8606]

Love your channel. I have a question.. I love coffee. I have a cuisart drip 14 cup. I’m wondering what you think is the best Dark roast ground coffee to use that I could purchase affordable and won’t break the bank. I haven’t done beans, as I don’t have way to grind.

[@CC3193]

There are some great manual coffee ban grinders out there. We have the Porlex Mini II Coffee Grinder. It's about $90 but you can get manual coffee bean grinders that cost less. Fresh ground coffee, and bonus - it smells amazing!