Let Your Hair Down, NBC!

OK, so what would you do after an intense day of competition in the middle of a bustling, beautiful city? Get crazy, of course! At the close of the Clover competition, organizers Martin Hildebrandt and Bjorg Brend gathered up all the materials that had been used in the day’s competition (well, not the Clovers or the La Marzoccos, but pretty much everything else!) and called the audience of attendees and curious members of the public alike to join into a live auction. Items up for bid included steaming pitchers, chef’s knives, El Salvadoran coffee, Swedish Barista Team t-shirts, and a beautiful tapestry from El Salvador.

In the middle of it all, baristas had pulled out their skipping ropes for some wild and crazy jumping, all teams taking a turn on the rope to the delight of the crowd. Not wild enough? How’s this then: Soren, the captain of the Danish team suggested that all the teams swap uniforms (. So there in the open air, baristas from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland stripped down to their skivvies (well, actually, just clothes above the waist were removed) and traded uniforms.

It was a memorable sight to be sure.

— Sarah Allen