Thanasis Nikolis, Barista Champion of Greece, killedit in his semifinals routine.
It’s been an exciting day here in Melbourne at the World Barista Championship. The 12 semifinalists have each taken the stage (as I write this, the final competitor of the day ”William, Barista Champ of El Salvador ”is serving his signature drinks), and these bandstands have completely filled out. There’s seating for 1,200 here, but counting all the people standing and oogling from the sidelines, I’m guessing there are close to 1,500 here.
The announcement of which 6 baristas will advance to tomorrow’s final round is coming right up (3:30 p.m. Melbourne time), so stay tuned. While you’re waiting, here are some photos from around the event today…
Barista Champ of El Sal, William, was the final competitor today. He totally nailed his performance.And on the Melbourne International Coffee Expo show floor, things were lively and fun ”there was even live music!The Marco Brew Bar was busy today!Colin Harmon, Barista Champion of Ireland, was ever so charming in his stellar performance in today’s semifinal round.Cosimo and friends in the Nuova Simonelli skybox.Thanasis Nikolis, Barista Champion of Greece, killedit in his semifinals routine.Sponsor DaVinci hung flags all around the competition space, each competitor’s country represented. Today, there were only 12 flags left up, and tomorrow there will be only six.
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.
