Murky Coffee Owner Nick Cho Wins Barista Regionals

Anybody who either knows me can tell you that I like coffee. I spend a good amount of time working over at Murky Coffee in Arlington, and I often convince my co-workers to trek down from the Library to Murky in Eastern Market rather than meet in a stuffy conference room. In fact, I’ve turned several of my peers into regulars there after dragging them along for my caffeine fix.

And it’s no wonder. Murky’s motto speaks to how good their pulls are: “Totally committed to serving the people of Washington the best damn coffee there is. Yes, we said ‘damn.’”

However, Murky does more than just talk. Their baristas compete regularly, and just this past weekend it seems that Murky’s owner Nick Cho won the Southest Regional Competition held in Chapel Hill, NC. Congratulations!

I was over at Murky the other day when I saw Nick pulling some shots for some cupping, but not from the usual hopper. Hoping I might get in on the action, I quickly hopped up and ordered a double espresso. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he yells out, “Who ordered the double espresso? Do you want to try my competition blend?” Of course I responded in the positive.

The shot was extremely bright, with a killer body, and a deep, rich, sweet chocolate flavor. It was so good that I called Hedda to tell her about it on my way home. I’m guessing that that same blend is what Nick pulled to win the championship. Nice!

So, yea… if you have yet to check out Murky, do so. They take their coffee seriously.