This morning, Barista Champion of Italy, Francesco, steadied himself before his performance began..
It felt as though this World Barista Championship space was on fire yesterday when the preliminary round kicked off, but today is even more intense, with some of the heaviest hitters in this competition taking the stage in hopes of securing a spot in tomorrow’s semifinal round. As the WBC’s official media sponsor, Barista Magazine has been fully staffed here at the show, snapping photos and chatting with friends gathered in Melbourne to see who will win the title of 2013 WBC Champion.
This morning, Barista Champion of Italy, Francesco, steadied himself before his performance began..Friends reuniting: from left, Jose of Mexico, Olga of Russia, and Lucemy of Puerto Rico.Barista Champion of Finland Kalle nailed it in his presentation this morning.Tobias, who manages Johan & Nystrom’s concept store in Stockholm, Sweden, prepares Koppi coffee at the WBC Brew Bar.U.S. Champ Pete Licata in the zone backstage, prepping for his competition.Barista Champ of Mexico, Alejandro, chillin’ with 2012 Barista Champ of Japan, Miki, and friends.Emcee Steve Leighton interviews the Barista Champion of Singapore, Ryan Tan, after his presentation.Tim Tams! One of my favorite Australian products. They go great with coffee.Happy chaos in the competitor prep area.Barista Champion of Guatemala Jose De La Peña wows the judges.The Pete ” U.S. Barista Champ ” gets off to an amazing start.Barista Champ of Korea, Jinkyu Kim, psyches himself up for his performance, while his fans cheer him on.I always stop at Beyond the Bean’s booth for a smoothie sample ”delish!At right, Febrizio of Mexico (who placed #2 at the 2012 WBC) holds court at the Dalla Corte booth.Japan’s Brewers Cup Champ delivers a stunning performance at the World Brewers Cup area.Awesome serice at the World Brewers Cup stage.Noora, the Finnish Brewers Cup Champ, is excited to compete.Beautiful trophies for the top six in the World Brewers Cup, created by Hario.Even the toilets have sponsors at the WBC in Melbourne!Surprise visit from Hiroshi Sawada of Japan! He came backstage to give his friend Pete a gift and wish him good luck.Irish Barista Champ Colin Harmon chats with WBC staff Hugo (in purple) and Nuova Simonelli’s Gianni, before taking the stage.Even the UKBC Champ is a fan of Colin of Ireland!More green-clad Colin fans.
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.
