The Specialty Coffee Association of America's Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern Regional Barista Competition brought more than 2,000 people to the convention center at the Pittsburgh Marriott North last weekend.

Visitors nibbled desserts, sipped espresso drinks, filled Kiva Han bags with trade show goodies and watched in awe as baristas pulled shots, created specialty drinks, waxed eloquent about coffee and generally demonstrated that it takes a lot more than standing behind a counter and pushing a button to be a barista.

Each competitor had to make four espressos, four traditional-style cappuccinos and four espresso-based signature drinks. They were evaluated on their technical and presentation skills, creativity, and the taste of their drinks by seven well-trained judges.

Nick Cho, president of Murky Coffee and a board member for the Specialty Coffee Association of America, called it the best-attended regional competition in the event's history. The coffee and dessert bar raised about $3,000 for the Pittsburgh Greater Community Food Bank.

So are Pittsburghers just crazy about coffee? We are when it comes with chocolate cake. Ed Wethli, of Kiva Han Coffee, the host company, was responsible for bringing the event to Cranberry and for attracting other sponsors who provided an array of desserts and displays each day.

Inside the competition area, visitors could sample a number of specialty coffees. 21st Street Coffee (with a little help from a visitor from Intelligentsia) were preparing Chemex-brand pots of several Intelligentsia roasts, while La Prima and Royal Coffee, a green coffee bean supplier, were serving individual pour-over brewed coffees.

For $10, visitors could purchase a ticket to the dessert bar that could be redeemed for up to three desserts and a specialty coffee beverage. While many visitors also had connections to the coffee community -- local baristas tended to bring along their own fan bases -- many visitors were there simply for the love of coffee or because they were excited to attend such an unusual event.

Donna Bauman, of Franklin Park, loves coffee and dessert, as do her kids, so they were excited to read about the competition.

"We heard about the desserts, and that sealed the deal," Ms. Bauman said. "I didn't know about the [bakery] in Butler, and I didn't know there was a McGinnis Sisters in Butler, either."

"A lot of our customers are here," said Megan McGinnis, of McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores, at her table on Saturday. "We opened our Adams location in October and today we're representing that store." They were handing out chocolate petits fours with raspberry filling "made by our pastry chef just this morning" and lemon pound cake topped with a sauce made from fresh berries from their produce department.

The McGinnis Sisters stores have introduced many of their customers to Counter Culture coffee, one of the specialty coffees used by many of the baristas. They sell it and also occasionally hold coffee tastings, called "cupping," along with representatives of the roasters.

The event was also great way to get the word out about Mimi's Bake Shoppe, which recently opened in Cranberry.

Susan Ball, director of operations, described the shop as a "French bakery and cafe," which makes a wide variety of cakes, pastries, cookies and cupcakes. They serve Kiva Han coffee and also make wedding cakes. "Anything you've seen on the Ace of Cakes, we can do," Ms. Ball said. "Ace of Cakes" is a baking reality show on the Food Network channel.

On Friday, Ms. Ball was serving up a small trio of desserts, including a flourless chocolate torte drizzled with white chocolate and a small round of classic cheesecake.

Those looking for the most bang for their buck certainly stopped by the Bar Louie table, where they served generous slices of classic carrot cake and chocolate layer cake.

Pflueger's Candy Co. was decked out for Valentine's Day with a table full of shiny red hearts and chocolate-covered strawberries. After all, what goes better with coffee than chocolate?

Along with the dessert bar, sponsors had set up tables throughout the atrium, including Marburger Dairy, DaVinci Gourmet, Vita-mix, Ghiradelli Chocolates and Kiva Han Coffee. DaVinci Gourmet was passing out samples of iced chais and smoothies, Kiva Han handed out small samples of its organic house blend beans and Marburger Dairy showcased its famous buttermilk in baked goods and other edible handouts.

And, unsurprisingly in a room full of coffee lovers, there was an almost constant line for drinks from the Crazy Mocha espresso station.

Mary Rivers, of Slate Lick, Armstrong County, patiently waited in line for a drink. While she loves coffee, she also had professional reasons to attend: Ms. Rivers owns Special Thoughts Gift Shop in Natrona Heights in Harrison. "I sell gourmet foods, including coffee," she said. She was pleased to discover new resources at the event, along with delicious coffee and desserts.

Despite the long wait, few complaints could be heard, as guest baristas pulled top-notch espressos, cappuccinos and lattes, occasionally dazzling the crowd with their latte art.

At the end of the day Sunday, visitors left with a new respect for baristas. And while no Pittsburgh baristas left with trophies, they certainly left with fond memories of a community that can always be counted on to turn up and support its own.