What's the big deal about the World Barista Championship?
Announcement posted by Harvest Ideas 15 Jun 2011
Erin Sampson - Veneziano Coffee's key account manager, latte art champion and seasoned barista competitor - has just returned from the World Barista Championship in Bogota Colombia and an additional coffee farm visit in Panama, the source of her 2011 competition coffee . With our strong and sophisticated coffee culture it comes as no surprise that Australia always performs well on the world stage usually making it through to the final round, and 2011 was no different which saw Australia's very own Matt Perger place third up against othercompetitorsfrom Japan, El Salvador, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Allfinalistsmade it through from the original group of 53 baristas from around the world.
As a specialty coffee company, Veneziano Coffee invests a lot of time, money and extra hours to participate in barista competitions and the investment doesn't just stop with the barista; our contribution also consists of qualified barista judges at a national and international level and our roaster is a world-qualified Q cupper. Countless unpaid hours go into the preparation for a barista competition as well as volunteering not just for judging duties but also to assist with the organising and running of these competitions, not to mention the ongoing education of our baristas and roasters. Until now, barista championships are typically frequented by the specialty coffee community whilst the general public and coffee enthusiasts are not even aware that these competitions exist. So, you might ask, why then do we bother doing it at all? There seems to be a lot of pain for no gain, to be the best of the best. Or is there?
Since the very first World Barista Championship, much has been done to make the competition more appealing, more educational and more pertinent to those outside of the specialty coffee community, including coffee lovers and the general public. The performance of the baristas has risen to a completely new level of professionalism and this makes for a much more exciting competition, as audiences wait to see who will earn the title of the world's best barista. It is reassuring to see the that these refinements over the years, coupled with the ever increasing quality of competitors, are beginning to reach to the world outside of specialty coffee, gaining more media interest and are a sign of things to come. As coffee is the world's second most traded commodity, we believe that the level of interest in the world coffee competition will only spiral upwards.
So, the World Barista Championship definitely helps to put specialty coffee on the map, and to differentiate the specialty coffee industry from the non specialty industry, but what does it do for the cafes? The short answer is the preservation of quality. All cafes will say they strive to make great coffee. Specialty coffee cafes take it one step further and aim to produce a consistently great coffee experience for the consumer, made using the freshest and best quality coffee available in the world, roasted to complement unique aroma and flavour profiles and this can only be achieved from a barista that is experienced, passionate and knowledgable about their craft. We have all heard the saying "a great coffee can be ruined by an inexperienced barista". It is no surprise that the cafes who deem quality as number one invest so much in their baristas, in terms of backing and support and sourcing of coffee and other required ingredients and tools for competition.
The most successful competition baristas train hard at refining their skills. A barista must demonstrate their skills with the espresso machine and grinder, selecting the perfect grind setting for their chosen coffee and extracting to the ideal temperature for the right amount of time on a clean machine. Competition baristas are required to perform under an incredibly high level of pressure whilst maintaining a calm, professional demeanour as they take the judges through their coffee choice and inspiration.
Back in the cafe environment, the barista turns out more consistent coffee and does so with a wealth of knowledge about the preparation, which is really the final important step, apart from enjoying the beverage, in the entire process from farm to cafe. Competition baristas also inspire and mentor their colleagues, being an ideal way to promote the passion for quality to each staff member within the business.Veneziano Coffee and a handful of other specialty coffee companies also invest in their baristas' knowledge of the actual coffee itself; where it's grown, the terrain, the processing methods and so on, as this generates a full appreciation for what they are preparing in the cup as well as the nuances of each crop and each varietal; knowledge that is usually reserved for the roaster
So, to sum up then, most cafes have the desire to serve better quality coffee to their customers. The barista is the 'face' of the coffee and the contact point with the end consumer, so the better the barista is at their job results in more customer enjoyment and a great coffee experience, leading to a great appreciation of the product they are purchasing and consuming. Veneziano Coffee is always striving to source and provide the best quality available to its customers, so that their baristas can be excited by what's in the cup and the customer's enjoyment is second to none.
Coffee competitions such as the World Barista Championship allows our baristas to grow their knowledge and skills which equips them to be the appropriate spokespeople for specialty coffee. We also impart this knowledge via our training program and to our customers' baristas, and foster their own desires to compete. This is why we see the need to attend events such as the WBC in Bogota, Colombia in 2011. At the end of the day, the customer wins.
Additional information Veneziano Coffee:
Specialty coffee roasters; supporter of certified organic and certified Fairtrade coffee; supporter of direct trade and with producers and farming cooperatives; onsite barista training school of excellence; First Pour cafs and showrooms; home of Australian barista and latte art champions, national and world accredited coffee judge and licenced Q Cupper; recipient of countless awards and proud supplier to over 500 of Australia’s best cafes. Located: 22 Bond Street Abbotsford, VIC and 369 Montague Rd, West End, QLD.
As a specialty coffee company, Veneziano Coffee invests a lot of time, money and extra hours to participate in barista competitions and the investment doesn't just stop with the barista; our contribution also consists of qualified barista judges at a national and international level and our roaster is a world-qualified Q cupper. Countless unpaid hours go into the preparation for a barista competition as well as volunteering not just for judging duties but also to assist with the organising and running of these competitions, not to mention the ongoing education of our baristas and roasters. Until now, barista championships are typically frequented by the specialty coffee community whilst the general public and coffee enthusiasts are not even aware that these competitions exist. So, you might ask, why then do we bother doing it at all? There seems to be a lot of pain for no gain, to be the best of the best. Or is there?
Since the very first World Barista Championship, much has been done to make the competition more appealing, more educational and more pertinent to those outside of the specialty coffee community, including coffee lovers and the general public. The performance of the baristas has risen to a completely new level of professionalism and this makes for a much more exciting competition, as audiences wait to see who will earn the title of the world's best barista. It is reassuring to see the that these refinements over the years, coupled with the ever increasing quality of competitors, are beginning to reach to the world outside of specialty coffee, gaining more media interest and are a sign of things to come. As coffee is the world's second most traded commodity, we believe that the level of interest in the world coffee competition will only spiral upwards.
So, the World Barista Championship definitely helps to put specialty coffee on the map, and to differentiate the specialty coffee industry from the non specialty industry, but what does it do for the cafes? The short answer is the preservation of quality. All cafes will say they strive to make great coffee. Specialty coffee cafes take it one step further and aim to produce a consistently great coffee experience for the consumer, made using the freshest and best quality coffee available in the world, roasted to complement unique aroma and flavour profiles and this can only be achieved from a barista that is experienced, passionate and knowledgable about their craft. We have all heard the saying "a great coffee can be ruined by an inexperienced barista". It is no surprise that the cafes who deem quality as number one invest so much in their baristas, in terms of backing and support and sourcing of coffee and other required ingredients and tools for competition.
The most successful competition baristas train hard at refining their skills. A barista must demonstrate their skills with the espresso machine and grinder, selecting the perfect grind setting for their chosen coffee and extracting to the ideal temperature for the right amount of time on a clean machine. Competition baristas are required to perform under an incredibly high level of pressure whilst maintaining a calm, professional demeanour as they take the judges through their coffee choice and inspiration.
Back in the cafe environment, the barista turns out more consistent coffee and does so with a wealth of knowledge about the preparation, which is really the final important step, apart from enjoying the beverage, in the entire process from farm to cafe. Competition baristas also inspire and mentor their colleagues, being an ideal way to promote the passion for quality to each staff member within the business.Veneziano Coffee and a handful of other specialty coffee companies also invest in their baristas' knowledge of the actual coffee itself; where it's grown, the terrain, the processing methods and so on, as this generates a full appreciation for what they are preparing in the cup as well as the nuances of each crop and each varietal; knowledge that is usually reserved for the roaster
So, to sum up then, most cafes have the desire to serve better quality coffee to their customers. The barista is the 'face' of the coffee and the contact point with the end consumer, so the better the barista is at their job results in more customer enjoyment and a great coffee experience, leading to a great appreciation of the product they are purchasing and consuming. Veneziano Coffee is always striving to source and provide the best quality available to its customers, so that their baristas can be excited by what's in the cup and the customer's enjoyment is second to none.
Coffee competitions such as the World Barista Championship allows our baristas to grow their knowledge and skills which equips them to be the appropriate spokespeople for specialty coffee. We also impart this knowledge via our training program and to our customers' baristas, and foster their own desires to compete. This is why we see the need to attend events such as the WBC in Bogota, Colombia in 2011. At the end of the day, the customer wins.
Additional information Veneziano Coffee:
Specialty coffee roasters; supporter of certified organic and certified Fairtrade coffee; supporter of direct trade and with producers and farming cooperatives; onsite barista training school of excellence; First Pour cafs and showrooms; home of Australian barista and latte art champions, national and world accredited coffee judge and licenced Q Cupper; recipient of countless awards and proud supplier to over 500 of Australia’s best cafes. Located: 22 Bond Street Abbotsford, VIC and 369 Montague Rd, West End, QLD.