Editor’s note: Barista Magazine is excited to be sponsoring the Barista & Farmer Coffee Reality TV project happening right now in Puerto Rico. Publisher Ken Olson is in Puerto Rico with the group for the second half of the event, which brings 15 Italian baristas together at Hacienda San Pedro to work the farm, learn from agronomists, and participate in challenges, and Ken will write about it here on the blog and in the December+January issue of Barista Magazine.
The wonderful journalist Davide Agazzi has once again written an account of the most recent activities at the Barista & Farmer project. Here is his sixth installment. (To read his first report, go HERE. To read the second report, go HERE. And go HERE for his third report. Find his fourth story HERE. The fifth post can be accessed HERE. And HERE is the link to the sixth post.) And be sure to check out the video, too!
November 9, 2013
Jayuya, Puerto Rico
This was the last day of hard work for the baristas in the Barista & Farmer Project taking place at Hacienda San Pedro: after breakfast, the group of 15 baristas were driven to the hills for a final picking session. It was again Serena Bernardini and Angelo Segoni who battled it out for the top spot: this time it was the Lucca native who gained the first position with 25.5 kilos of coffee, only one more then the Pescara born. Third place went to Pierangelo Chiarelli, who picked 23.5 kilos.
The total amount of coffee collected by the 15 baristas for this first edition of Barista & Farmer is fantastic: 1167.5 kilos! Payment for all of the coffee picking will go to the Puerto Rican pickers, who taught the barista competitors everything they know.
In the afternoon, Josè Arreola was again teaching in the academy of the Hacienda: the WBC judge spent some time with the contestants offering an overview of the rules of competition and sharing some secrets to becoming a champion barista.
When the lesson was offer, it was time for the much anticipated latte art battle, with Josè Arreola as the judge. The Italian team of baristas challenged a group of Puerto Rican colleagues, who won the competition with a result of 127-107. Later, the baristas with the best individual scores competed against each other: this time it was the Italian Chiara Bergonzi who came out on top, defeating Alberto Baez.
