There are still 14 competitors to go today, day three of the preliminary round of the World Barista Championship, but the electricity in the air is all about what’s coming at the end of the day: the announcement of the six barista champions who will compete in the final round tomorrow, Sunday, for the 208 […]
#34
NATIONAL CHAMPION OF KOREA
JUNG-HYUN YOO
WBC judge Brent Fortune went to Korea for the national championship recently (read abut it in the June-July 2008 issue of Barista Magazine) and was totally blown away by Jung-Hyun, both because of his skills and because of his warm disposition. Brent said it was an honor to ghave met him […]
#29
NATIONAL CHAMPION OF PUERTO RICO
EDWIN AGUAYA
Edwin is an engaging guy right off the bat, but unfortunately, hes off to a rocky start: seems he forgot to unload a bunch of equipment from his cart during his set-up time, so when he approaches the judges’ table at the beginning of his performance, he looks at the […]
#24
NATIONAL CHAMPION OF FRANCE
ANTHONY CALVEZ
Ah, Le France. Guido from La Marzocco was just sitting with me, and he’s vey excited to see Anthony’s performance—he has high hope for this champion. And no wonder: Anthony looks totally at ease up there on stage. He’s doing some prep for his signature drink and guess what his […]
A quick note: competitor #18, South Africa, originally scheduled to compete at the end of day one, isn’t here yet. Hopefully he’ll make it soon, and will be scheduled into the mix.
#19
NATIONAL CHAMPION OF BELGIUM
DETLEV BATTIAU
Detlev, introducing himself as a freelance barista, begins his preparation by heating some milk and a bit of cream. Then […]
The sun’s back today, and it’s downright gorgeous outside but hey, guess what? It’s muggy as ever inside the convention space. Still, no one seems to mind because excitement levels are so high.
Today will be a big day with some heavy hitter competitors, including Australia, Mexico, the U.S. , and many more. Speaking of the […]
#11
NATIONAL CHAMPION OF FINLAND
MIKKO HAAHTI
Mikko is the second barista I’ve heard today (first was Soren of Denmark) who proudly tells the judges he’s using a blend containing Edwin Martinez’s Finca Vista Hermosa of Guatemala. Big cheers come from he audience, where Edwin and his wife, Nina, are watching. Mikko’s got Radiohead pumping (including the unedited […]
#6
NATIONAL CHAMPION OF NORWAY
CHRIS KOLBU
Chris is super smooth from the very beginning, obviously well versed in his coffee origins and characters. Chris used two coffees, one in his espresso and one in his cappuccino. For his signature drink, used both coffees, one as a foam and one as his espresso. Chris is new to the […]
#1
NATIONAL CHAMPION OF ARGENTINA
MARIA ROGELIA RETAMOZO
Right on schedule, the national champion of Argentina, Maria Rogelia Retamozo, took the stage. There are a few glitches as we come out of the gate here — like photographers leaning on Maria’s prep table (ahem!. But Maria is handling it with grace and professionalism. She delivers her presentation in […]
Everyone’s accounted for here at the WBC event space. It’s just a matter of waiting until 11:45 a.m. when Argentina takes the stage. While we wait, here are some scenes from around the competition stage and the trade show…
Above, the madness in the competitors prep area begins…
Above, Team New Zealand gets into practice time…
From left, […]
