Update: Encinitas Barista Crowned Peet’s Champion

It’s official: Some of the Peet’s very best cappuccinos are made every day right here in Encinitas, courtesy of barista Becca Moak.

Today she competed in the Fifth Annual Peet's Barista Competition and proved that her coffee concoctions do, in fact, rule supreme.

In order to win that title and bragging rights, she had to face a panel of judges who scored her on her knowledge of coffee, her finesse behind the bar, and the overall look and taste of her drinks. Last week Moak told Patch her strategy for victory was to simply treat all those critics as if they were her regulars at the Encinitas coffee shop and chat them up while she worked.

“I figure if I’m relaxed that’ll translate into better drink-making,” she told Patch—and apparently, the plan worked.

In honor of Moak, Peet’s will now make a $1,000 donation to Surfrider, the nonprofit she designated as her beneficiary.

Since advancing to the finals, Moak says she’s enjoyed a “mild celebrity status” in the Encinitas coffee shop—and there’s a good chance her local fan base is really about to start percolating.  

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