Barista Champion - The World Barista Competition Way
Most people who are familiar with competitive cooking shows like Iron Chef have a good idea what WBC-sanctioned barista competitions are all about. They are highly charged extravaganzas where aspiring barista superstars can take on their peers and emerge as the toast of the entire specialty coffee world. What’s more, the recognition is there, not just for the top placers of the WBC, but for winners of the National and Regional championships as well. The winners from these competitions have been known to go on to sponsor products including equipment for making coffee. Klaus Thomsen, the 2006 WBC winner, co-produced and promoted a home machine on the basis of his uber-barista notoriety. Winning a major barista championship is often seen as a ringing endorsement for a particular coffee or a local Third Wave cafe. Think Billy Wilson, Think Stumptown Coffee. Think the Albina Press Cafe in Portland Oregon. When you are that good at preparing coffee, the coffee you use, or the cafe where you work is of extreme interest to your fellow coffee geeks. The details of your coffee universe may also be of interest to those considering opening a new cafe or re-railing an existing cafe to a higher level. Your talents are admired and desired!
But the road to coffee fame and fortune is not short. By the time a barista champion has reached the top tiers of competition, they are the veterans of countless smaller competitions and have put in hundreds of hours of practice & preparation. Their coffee making skill is honed so is their dessert-making ability. Why desserts? Because creating a winning high-scoring signature drink these days requires knowledge that goes well beyond coffee basics.
So what do you have to do to get there?
Posted under CoE Coffee, Pressure Profiling, Social Conscience
