Hugo Hercod triumphs at UK Barista Championship

22nd February 2008

Hugo Hercod, who works at Relish Deli in Wadebridge, Cornwall, is the 2008 winner of the UK Barista Championship, after a hard-fought competition at London’s Hotelympia Exhibition in mid-February, the SCAE’s John Sherwood reported.

The top 24 baristas in the country competed in two semi-final rounds over two days at the show, in order to establish the top six finalists. Besides Hugo, they were Barry Lawrenson of Roasters in Scarborough, Yorkshire; Subi Tweed from Ground Espresso Bar in Belfast; Neli Petkova and Mariusz Meszek, both from Cafe Krem in Northern Ireland; and Sindy Kam Cheong from Ritazza, London.

In the finals, Neli Petkova came a close second, while Subi Tweed came an even closer third.

The winner of both the Best Espresso and Best Cappuccino categories of the UK event was Subi Tweed, while the Best Signature Drink was made by Barry Lawrenson. Mariusz Meszek took the judges’ prize for Best Overall Impression.

Hugo Hercod, as the winner and new UK National Barista Champion, will go on to compete in the World Barista Championship at Wonderful Coffee in Copenhagen in June. Last year’s UK winner James Hoffman went on to become the current World Barista Champion at the WBC event in Tokyo in August, 2007.

For more of John Sherwood's images from the event, see the gallery here.