Hungarian barista champion, Antal Kovacs, created his own competition espresso blend featuring 80% arabicas from Latin America, and 20% robutsa from Asia. He also used a sort of wooden stencil to create an interesting chocolate pattern on his signature drink glasses.
Czech barista champion, Frantisek Rohacek, originally took the stage clothed in a cape of his […]
James Hoffmann, barista champion of the United Kingdom, was the first competitor of the day. His microphone didn’t work. One of the burners on his table didn’t work. He noticed that at about the 12 minute mark. Oh, and a couple of his shots for his caps didn’t pour the way he wanted them to. […]
Day 2 has drawn to a close, and we have our six baristas for tomorrow’s final round. And we’ll get to them in more detail in a later post. First we’ll run through all 22 competitors from today’s action, and here again we had it all: new records, new countries, new drinks, new routines, and […]
The barista champion of Slovakia, Stanislav Cibula, spent more than 10 years as a bartender, but has switched for the last three to work as a barista. Perhaps that’s why he invented the coffee martini.
The Thai barista champion, Sirithai Rangjanthuek, built her signature drink after being inspired by visiting “the most beautiful island in the […]
Russian Champion, Olga Melik-Karakozova, had many people in the audience showing support by waving her nation’s tri-colored flag and cheering loudly for her efforts.
The Colombian champion represented his country well but fell into trouble when one of his signature drinks tumbled on the judges’ table.
Spanish barista champion, Chiara Nicolini, created a complicated and unique signature […]
The day started off with a big bolt of energy in the form of Austrian champion, Goran Huber. “Simply said,” he said, “coffee is my life.” His passion for the bean and the craft of the barista was evident from the get go, and it was a great way to launch the 2007 World Barista […]
Well the sun has set here in Tokyo, and Day One of the 2007 WBC has drawn to a close, and I feel like there’s only one word to describe it all: Unbelievable!
No really, unbelievable! Who would have ever thought you could go through a top-notch barista competition, let alone one featuring 23 national champions, […]
By Guest Author Kyle Larson
Well, I really don’t know where to start. My dear friends at Barista Magazine have offered me refuge for the week at BMWHQ (Barista Magazine World Head Quarters) as I am in transition from Portland to Seattle. Tonight, I realized my vocal support of past United States Champions entering […]
The WBC board organized a barista meet and greet event tonight at the hotel many of the competitors are staying at in Tokyo. It was a new addition to this year’s WBC. All the competing baristas and their coaches (or friend, amigo, partner, whathaveyou) were invited to enjoy some sake, beer, wine, snacks and each […]
Two rule changes seemed like they would have a major effect on the competition. For the first time at a WBC, competitors will be allowed to set the judges’ table during their preparation time instead of during their performance time.
The second rule change is in the way the judging will work. Instead of the judges […]
