Championships
World Barista Championship
Wherever you are in the world, the popularity, demand and expectation for a professionally prepared cup of coffee is evident nearly everywhere you go. From cafes and restaurants to hotels and airports, people demand the very best from their coffee - from the selection and grinding of the beans to the final preparation of their drink.
Developed over centuries from a wide range of cultural traditions, a 21st century cup of coffee now rivals tea for the processes, techniques and rituals surrounding its preparation.
Searching for the ultimate coffee experience is precisely what the World Barista Championships is all about. Quite simply we want to put the very best barista talent to the test to discover people at the height of their powers in mastering their craft.
This unique competition, developed by the SCAE in 2000, has now developed into a major event which annually attracts competitors from over 40 countries around the world. Each competitor is a national champion and each acts an important role model for other baristas in their countries inspiring them to strive for excellence. The Championship therefore not only gives recognition to the best but is useful tool promoting the whole concept of quality and stressing the importance of quality at every stage in the marketing chain.
For more information on the World Barista Championship please visit http://www.worldbaristachampionship.com.
World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship
Reflecting the many uses of alcohol in coffee beverages, this competition requires enormous imagination along with brewing talent.
Two participants compete at the same time. Over a maximum of eight minutes, each competitor will make and serve:
- two identical warm Irish Coffees made of whiskey, sugar, coffee and cream. No other ingredients may be used!
- two identical warm or cold "Signature" coffee and alcohol beverages where any ingredients can be used.
The two pairs of beverages must be served separately, but in any order. The visuals of the beverages have to be announced in advance and each competitor has to send in pictures in the run-up to the competition of the appearance of the beverages they are going to present, plus the recipe of the Signature beverage.
The competitors are free to use the coffee, cream and sugar of their choice. The whiskey used in the Irish Coffee should in theory be Irish whiskey, but as these may be hard to find in all countries, any whiskey can be used regardless of nationality, brand or age. The main idea is that it combines well with the other ingredients. The competitors must supply the alcoholic beverage that they will use in the Signature beverage and are free to use whatever beverage they wish.
The Irish Coffee must only contain whiskey, sugar, coffee and cream. No other ingredients may be used, no decoration items may be added and no spoon or straw is to be served with it. For the Signature beverage, any edible decorative ingredient can be used for the surface of the designer beverage.
For more information on the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship please visit http://www.world-coffee-in-good-spirits-championship.com.
World Cup Tasters Championship
This exciting competition is organised as a number of triangular tests. Three cups of coffee are presented, two of which are identical. The aim of the competition is for the participant to identify the odd cup out. This can be achieved any way the competitor prefers: we are only testing the cupper's ability to discriminate between coffees, not to identify them. This is because the ability to identify will depend on the taster's coffee cultural background.
In the competition, eight triangular tests are set up, with the differences between the coffees becoming more and more difficult to identify. The winner is the competitor who singles out the most correct cups from the eight sets. If there is a tie, where more than one competitor has the same score, then the one that completed the task in the shortest time wins. During the competition the cup tasters start off in pairs facing the audience.
The coffees selected for all eight tests are the same for all cuppers. The eight sets of cups should be placed in front of the competitors at the same time. The sets are identical, but they are placed in a different order for the two cuppers. Each pair has a different setup as well, so that those who follow won't be able to cheat by following what a previous contestant chose.
Each pair of contestants will start tasting simultaneously after a signal from the head judge. The test is over when both competitors have stepped back from the table or after a maximum of eight minutes. The head judge will signal when half the time has elapsed, and thereafter each minute. The cupper must identify the odd cup by pushing it to the side or forward, completely clear of its previous position.
For more information on the World Cup Tasters Championship please visit http://www.world-cuptasting-championship.com.
World Latte Art Championship
In this demanding competition, two participants will compete at the same time. Within a maximum of eight minutes, each competitor will make and serve:
- two identical warm Cappucinos, using milk and coffee as the only ingredients and an espresso coffee machine and mugs as the only tools.
- two identical warm Espresso-Macchiatos in cups using coffee and milk as the only ingredients and an espresso coffee machine and mug as the only tools.
- two identical warm milk and coffee-based beverages of choice (Designer/"Signature" Beverages) using any tool or decoration ingredient for the surface of the beverage.
The three pairs of beverages must be served separately, but in any order. The patterns presented have to be identical in the two drinks of a pair presented. The pattern has to be announced in advance. To clarify this, each competitor has to send in pictures in the run-up to the competition of all patterns they are going to present!
Competitors are free to use the coffee and milk of their choice, and any edible decorative ingredient can be used for the surface the designer beverage; otherwise, the only ingredients allowed are coffee and milk.
For more information on the World Latte Art Championship please visit http://www.world-latteart-championship.com.