It was about 7:10 pm when I got there, and Square Mile was already packed with ten deep at the bar and a very orderly and happy queue for the complimentary Kernel Brewery Beer. I would say the crowd was a mixture of those happy to be there and looking forward to the night, and possibly 16 baristas who were a little bit nervous and excited all at the same time.
Oli Bradshaw and the Square Mile team had done an amazing job of setting up the room, with the gleaming Victoria Arduino Black Eagle against the wall, and an old school desk set up for the baristas to pour the latte art on, with a Go Pro camera directly above and streaming onto the giant white wall.
The legend that is Billy Tahitis was dj’ing in the corner with old and new school rap classics and Ross Brown took over the mic for the evening as MC, whilst Kaffeine lead baristas Jakub and Sam dialled in the machine. We took polaroid photos of all the competitors so we could see who they were and by 7:45 we were ready to go. By now the room was packed with about 100 people, plus at least another 50 outside or at the bar.