Carrboro Coffee Roasters president Scott Conary is off to the U.S. Coffee Championships in Long Beach, California, where he will serve as Head Judge for the Barista and Latte Art Championships.

The 2015 U.S. Coffee Championships take place February 19th through 22nd and feature a series of competitions including the Barista Championship, the Brewers Cup, the Latte Art Championship, the Cup Tasters Championship and the Roasters Guild Choice Competition.

In the Barista Championship, contestants will have just 15 minutes to prepare and serve espressos, cappuccinos, and a personally designed signature beverage. The winner of the competition will go on to compete with 55 other national champions from around the world for the coveted title of World Champion at an event held in Seattle in April.

The Latte Art Championship will challenge participants to create two free pour lattes and two designer lattes on stage in a 6 minute presentation, as well as a unique and artistic design off stage in the Art Bar portion of the round. Free pouring, etching, and dyes on the surface of the latte will be allowed in the Art Bar, making for exceptionally creative visuals. The Latte Art champ also gets to compete with other national champions from around the world, but at an even that takes place in Sweden!

You can tune in by watching the Coffee Champs livestream here.

More information about the U.S. Coffee Championships (including spectator tickets if you happen to be in the Long Beach area) is available here.