INTERVIEWS WITH CHAMPIONS & COMPLETE COMPETITION RANKINGSHIGHLIGHTS FROM SEATTLE & GOTHENBURGBEST PERFORMING NATION: AUSTRALIA

SPONSORED BY

YEAR INREVIEW2015

CONTENTS

FROM THE CHAIR, MIKE YUNGAn incredible year

INCREDIBLE COMPETITORSPete Licata reflects on the 2016 World Barista

Championship

CALEBS PRIDERaising the standard of latte art

THE UNDERDOG WINS IT ALLQ&A with George Koustompardis

FIVE YEARS OF WORLD BREWERS CUPHand-brewed coffee made to perfection

A TROPHY OF INFLUENCEInspiring great roasting worldwide

AN INTERVIEW WITH JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDESWorld Cup Tasters Championship Q&A

BEST PERFORMING NATIONAustralia

RE:CO RECAPWCEs new, paradigm-busting event

READY, SET, RE:VERBFocusing on stories of challenge and success

A YEAR OF ALLSTARSFeaturing the worlds best baristas

COFFEE FILM FESTIVAL FUNDriven by coffee, community, and creativity

SEASONED VOLUNTEERSA Q&A with Steven Hall and Talya Strader

MEET THE WCEAdvisory board and staff

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HISTORY OF CHAMPIONS

2011 JUNE MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS World Latte Art Champion Chris Loukakis, Greece World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Philip Leytes, Russia World Cup Tasters Champion Kyriakos Ouzounidi, Greece Ibrik/Cezve Champion Bae Jin-Seol, Korea World Brewers Cup Champion Keith O Sullivan, Ireland

2012 NOVEMBER SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA World Latte Art Champion Victoria Kashirtseva, Russia World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Akos Orosz, Hungary

2011 JUNE BOGOTA, COLOMBIA World Barista Champion Alejandro Mendez, El Salvador

2010 JUNE LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM World Barista Champion Michael Phillips, USA

World Latte Art Champion Haruna Murayama, Japan World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Jeroen de Corte, Belgium

World Cup Tasters Champion Hector Gonzalez, Guatemala Ibrik/Cezve Champion Aysin Aydogdu, United Kingdom

2001 APRIL MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA World Barista Championship Martin Hildebrandt, Denmark

2009 APRIL ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies, United Kingdom

2009 JUNE COLOGNE, GERMANY World Latte Art Champion Peter Hernou, Belgium World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Marta Piigli, Estonia World Cup Tasters Champion Valentina Kazachkova, Russia Ibrik/Cezve Champion Christine Koumpouni, Greece

2007 JUNE TOKYO, JAPAN World Barista Champion James Hoffmann, United Kingdom

2006 JUNE BERNE, SWITZERLAND World Barista Champion Klaus Thomsen, Denmark

World Latte Art Champion Scott Callaghan, Australia World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Anna Serova, Russia

World Cup Tasters Champion Gloria Pedroza, Switzerland

2005 MARCH ATHENS, GREECE World Latte Art Champion Johann Carlstrom, Sweden

World Coffee iaood Spirits Champion Demitri Kostifacos, Greece World Cup Tasters Champion Tim Wendelboe, Norway

2003 APRIL BOSTON, USA World Barista Championship Paul Bassett, Australia

2008 JUNE COPENHAGEN, DENMARK World Barista Champion Stephen Morrissey, Ireland World Latte Art Champion Con Haralambopoulos, Australia World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Tasos Delichristos, Greece World Cup Tasters Champion Casper Engel Rasmussen, Denmark Ibrik/Cezve Champion Gleb Nevejki & Nadezhda Motylkova, Russia

2007 MAY ANTWERP, BELGIUM World Latte Art Champion Jack Hanna, Australia World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Helger Aava, Estonia World Cup Tasters Champion Annette Moldvaer, United Kingdom

2005 APRIL SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA World Barista Champion Troels Overdal Poulsen, Denmark

2004 JUNE TRIESTE, ITALY World Barista Champion Tim Wendelboe, Norway

2002 JUNE OSLO, NORWAY World Barista Champion Fritz Storm, Denmark

2004 FEBRUARY RIMINI, ITALY World Cup Tasters Champion Fabiana Pozar, Italy

2000 JUNE MONTE CARLO, MONACO World Barista Champion Robert Thoresen, Norway

2012 JUNE VIENNA, AUSTRIA World Barista Champion Raul Rodas, Guatemala

World Brewers Cup Champion Matt Perger, Australia World Cup Tasters Champion Cory Andreen, Germany

Ibrik/Cezve Champion Zoltan Kis, Hungary

2013 JUNE NICE, FRANCE World Latte Art Champion Hisako Yoshikawa, Japan World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Victor DelPierre, FranceWorld Cup Tasters Champion Lajos Horvath, HungaryWorld Coffee Roasting Champion Naoki Goto, Japan

2014 MAY MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA World Latte Art Champion Christian Ullrich, Germany

World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Matthew Perger, AustraliaWorld Cup Tasters Champion Pang-Yu Liu, Taiwan

World Brewers Cup Champion Stefanos Domatiotis, GreeceWorld Coffee Roasting Champion Yu-Chuan Jacky, Taiwan

2013 MAY MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA World Barista Champion Pete Licata, USA

World Brewers Cup Champion Erin McCarthy, USA

2015 APRIL SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic, Australia

2015 FEBRUARY ATHENS, GREECE World Cezve/Ibrik Champion Davide Berti, Italy

2014 JUNE RIMINI, ITALY World Barista Champion Hidenori Izaki, Japan World Cezve/Ibrik Champion Stavros Lamprinidis, Greece

2015 JUNE GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN World Latte Art Champion Champion Caleb Cha, Australia World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion George Koustoumpardis, Greece World Cup Tasters Champion Juan Gabriel Cespedes, Costa Rica World Coffee Roasting Champion Audun Srbotten, Norway World Brewers Cup Champion Odd-Steinar Tollefsen, Norway

5LETTER FROM THE

CHAIR: MIKE YUNG

WORLD.Seattle, Los Angeles, Kortrijk, Taipei, Singapore, Tolentino, Gothenburg, Montral, Beijing, Santa Ana, Vancouver, Shanghai, Jakarta, Dublin, Saint Petersburg, Milan, Athens, Bogot, Auckland, Seoul, and Guangzhou all hosted World Coffee Events at some point in 2015. When you add in the sanctioned national body events held in 59 countries, thats a pretty sizeable imprint on the globe made in just one year.

I would like to offer our deep gratitude and appreciation to all of our hosting partners, national body licensees, and sponsor companies world-wide for continually and selflessly supporting our events, allowing us to continue offering a platform for engaging a truly global coffee community. Without you, we would not be able to spread our reach so far.

COFFEE.On behalf of WCE, I applaud the 172 national coffee champions who walked onto world stages set in Seattle or Gothenburg and represented their coffees with unbridled passion, enthusiasm, innovation, and excellence. Well-deserved congratulations go to Audun Srbotten of Norway, George Koustoumpardis of Greece, Odd-steinar Tllefsen of Norway, Caleb Cha of Australia, Juan Gabriel Cespedes of Costa Rica, and Sasa Sestic of Australia for winning the World Coffee Roasting Championship, the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, the World Brewers Cup Championship, the World Latte Art Championship, the World Cup Tasters Championship, and the World Barista Championship respectively. We look forward to the impact that you will all continue to make across our industry. Thank you to all our volunteers and judges who travel around the world to our competitions for your continuous and incredible support.

EVENTS.2015 marked the first year for three very special and unique non-competition events, which are the result of many years of hard work and planning:

Re:co, Regarding Coffee The Specialty Coffee Symposium. Inaugurated at the SCAE World of Coffee in Gothenburg, Sweden, Re:co was met with great success and a follow-up event was held late in the year in Auckland, New Zealand. Re:co shines as a platform that enables coffee innovation and expertise to be shared and celebrated among the top leaders of our industry. This year, 25 speakers shared their experiences with 179 attendees over the course of the two events.

Reverb held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Seoul, South Korea; and Guangzhou, China made its debut as a very accessible, informal, and educational way to hold a single-day gathering of the coffee community, focusing on speaker stories.

Finally, World Coffee Events also premiered its first one-day Coffee Film Festival in Santa Ana, USA and Vancouver, Canada, showing industry-relevant short and feature films.

Besides these three new features, we have also begun holding our World Competitions Educational Program, which is designed to take anyone who has an interest in our competitions through a range of modules, which demystify what it takes to be successful (either as a competitor or as a judge) at the WBC, WLAC, etc.. This WCEP took us to Tolentino, Italy; Montral, Canada; Saint Petersburg, Russia; Milan, Italy; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Athens, Greece. World-level judge certifications were also held in Seattle and Los Angeles, USA; Kortrijk, Belgium; Singapore; Taipei, Taiwan; Dublin, Ireland; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Shanghai, China.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING 2015 AN INCREDIBLE YEAR FOR WORLD COFFEE EVENTS.

Mike YungWCE CHAIR

We also held our popular WCE All-Stars programming in Bogot, Colombia, Seoul, South Korea, and Guangzhou, China, with a very special women-themed event in Colombia in collaboration with the International Womens Coffee Alliance.

2015 was an audacious and challenging year of investing into new products while innovating and refining existing ones. With the help of all of our stakeholders, we were able to reach and exceed our targets for success. None of these accomplishments could have been possible without the full support of our two parent organizations,

the SCAE and the SCAA, as well as guidance and leadership from the World Coffee Events Advisory Board. But the greatest accolades go to the true workforce, our dedicated volunteer committee members and most importantly our hardworking staff: Cindy, Laura, Jamie, Amy, Irene, Rouki, Shelby, Irene, Irene (again), Nathan, Jenn, Amanda, Sabine, Kyonghee, Matt, Connor, Jillian, and Veronica.

Thank you for an amazing and memorable 2015; we look forward to seeing you soon in 2016.

Very Best Regards,Michael YungWorld Coffee Events 2015 Chair

WITH THE HELP OF ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS, WE WERE ABLE TO REACH AND EXCEED OUR TARGETS FOR SUCCESS.

SCAA EVENTAPRIL 9-12, 2015

SEATTLE 2015

WORLDBARISTACHAMPIONSHIP

Seattle Skyline view from Queen Anne Hill. Photo by Daniel Schwen. 17 February 2010

INCREDIBLE COM

PETITORS

2015 WORLD BARISTA CHAMPION SASA SESTIC. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

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THE SEATTLE CONVENTION CENTER IS BUZZING WITH EXCITEMENT. IT IS THE 2015 WORLD BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIP, SIX FINALISTS ARE PUTTING ON QUITE A SHOW, AND I AM ON A LIVE ONLINE FEED WITH THREE OTHER WORLD BARISTA CHAMPIONS DISCUSSING THE COMPETITORS PRESENTATIONS.

This moment became surreal for me when I realized that I was witnessing the exact event that first propelled my career into the depths of the coffee industry, ten years prior. After all of this time the WBC has grown massively, with barista-operated cafe and brew bars, stadium seating, local media coverage, and a greater focus on specialty coffee excellence than ever. So for me it was poetic to witness this 10th anniversary of my first barista competition in the exact same room.

As the WBC has grown over the years we have seen many groundbreaking, and even controversial, concepts presented, but who would have known just how much the competitors were going to push the boundaries this year?

Charlotte Malaval, champion of France, focused on temperature as an overriding theme while still showing solid farm knowledge. The theme of temperature related to important aspects of cherry development and origin production of her coffee, milk steaming, roasting technique, and for the primary focus of her signature drink. The French champion had never reached the final round before and Charlotte did it on her first trip to the WBC.

Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, champion of the United Kingdom, stayed true to himself with plenty of technical data about his coffeethough with an approach that was akin to having a personal

conversation. He waxed poetically about customer service and even the competition format itself as way to discuss how we experience flavor and service. By breaking the 4th wall he was able to make a competition that can be sometimes awkward into a comfortable and welcoming presentation for the judges.

Chan Kwun Ho, champion of Hong Kong, turned expectations on their ear by using an immersion circulator to sous-vide his coffee beans before grinding and extracting with the intention of increasing extraction. His presentation didnt focus on fancy table settings, but rather on how to get more from the beans through technique as well as technology.

Ben Put, champion of Canada, brought more heavy duty chef equipment into the WBC by using a vacuum chamber to remove all air, gas, and bitterness from his espressos. He was focused on every detail about his coffee, starting with the decision to source his coffee specifically for espresso. Every decision Ben made was done to bring the best flavor to the cups.

Charles Babinski, champion of the United States, wowed the room with a presentation addressing systems and scalability, and how they relate to both coffee farms and his own cafes. He toyed with the judges by starting with very general descriptions, and then turned up the details gradually. The result being an incredibly complex, yet clever, presentation. Charles gave more than just coffee and professionalism however, he gave a glimpse of the future of coffee service.

And finally Sasa Sestic, champion of Australia (and now the world), introduced us to the Sudan Rume variety of coffee, as well as a compelling processing

2015 WBC TOP SIX. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

WORLDBARISTA

CHAMPIONSHIP

BY PETE LICATA 2013 WORLD BARISTA CHAMPION

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technique. Carbonic maceration is used in wine production, but seems to have found its use in coffee production as well. His combination of warm hospitality and incredibly precise presentation wowed the judges.

We witnessed six very different presentations in the finals this year, but one thing remained consistent: everyone showcased the coffee they were using in intense detail, reinforcing the importance of farm level knowledge as an indicator of the professional barista.

Sasa Sestic, a former Olympic athlete, has been a long time competitor. After trying at local and national championships for years he suddenly shot to the top of the list in the 2015 Australian Barista Championship, taking the title for the first time. In the process he surpassed two highly experienced and talented former champions, Craig Simon and Matt Perger, as well as the rest of the highly competitive Australian baristas.

If you were to ask me if a first-time national champion would take the WBC crown on their first attempt, I would tell you that it is possible but not expected, as the competitions require a lot of experience to master. In fact, it had only happened there times prior to Sasas win. To his benefit, Sasa found the support of none other than my own student and then reigning WBC champion, Hidenori Izaki, to coach him.

So what was it that put Sasas coffee and presentation above the other incredible competitors? Of course, flavor is huge. Being on the interviewing panel, we were able to taste all of the competitors espresso, and he certainly had great tasting coffee.

But then, so did the other competitors.

On top of great coffee, Sasa had a beautiful presentation that illustrated the pertinent information about his coffee. Combine that with support from his team and coach, and he truly became unstoppable this year, despite nearly being hospitalized from an illness in the middle of the championship.

Sasa worked intensely developing his concepts in utilizing carbonic maceration with the coffee, carefully forming the information into relevant and concise presentation points. He didnt push the boundaries in the ways that some of his competitors did. He redefined them.

If watching my 10 year anniversary of competitions was poetic, then seeing the evolution of my own training techniques was profound. I saw ideas similar to what Hide and I worked on, such as specific enunciation and purposeful time management. However, I was witnessing progression in a grand fashion, as I could see the basic ideas I had shown Hide, but matured and transformed far beyond the original concepts. A great student does more than learn the given material. A great student owns and masters that material and makes it into something more. I can see that in Hidenori and I couldnt be happier to see that growth being given to our new World Barista Champion, Sasa Sestic!

HIS COMBINATION OF WARM HOSPITALITY AND INCREDIBLY PRECISE PRESENTATION WOWED THE JUDGES.

ABOUT WBCTHE WBC IS THE PREMIER COFFEE COMPETITION PLATFORM ENGAGING A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE, PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN COFFEE AND ADVANCING THE BARISTA PROFESSION. THIS EVENT IS A MULTI-DAY COMPETITION THAT INVOLVES COMPETITORS, JUDGES AND VOLUNTEERS FROM COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. THE ANNUAL CHAMPIONSHIP IS LIVE-STREAMED TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE ONLINE.

EVENT STRUCTUREThis competition takes place over four days and consists of a preliminary round a semifinals round and a finals round. Competitors come from sanctioned national competitions that produce one winner to represent their country in the World Barista Championship. The competitors have 15 minutes to make a set of espresso, cappuccino, and signature beverages. The beverages are judged by four sensory judges, while two technical judges review the baristas technical performance, and one head judge presides over the entire presentation. Each competitor competes in the preliminary round, and then the top 12 scoring baristas proceed into a semi-final round. From the semi-final round, the top 6 will compete again in a finals round to determine the winner with the highest score, who becomes the World Barista Champion.

2015 WBC CHAMPION SASA SESTIC.TOP: PHOTO BY JAKE OLSON. BOTTOM: PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

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WORLDBARISTA

CHAMPIONSHIP

2015 WORLD BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL RANKINGSFINAL ROUND: 1 Sasa Sestic Ona Coffee Australia 6182 Charles Babinski Go Get Em Tiger United States 6133 Ben Put Monogram Coffee Canada 593.54 Chan Kwun Ho The Cupping Room Hong Kong 5875 Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood Colonna & Smalls United Kingdom 5686 Charlotte Malaval Independent France 548 SEMI FINAL ROUND:1 Chan Kwun Ho The Cupping Room Hong Kong 611.52 Sasa Sestic Ona Coffee Australia 600.53 Charles Babinski Go Get Em Tiger United States 587.54 Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood Colonna & Smalls United Kingdom 5855 Charlotte Malaval Independent France 584.56 Ben Put Monogram Coffee Canada 577.57 Yoshikazu Iwase Rec Coffee Japan 5728 Giacomo Vanelli Pasticceria Vanelli Italy 5519 Kalle Freese Freese Coffee Company Finland 52310 Adam Neubauer EMA Espresso Bar Czech Republic 511.511 Alexander Hansen Collaborative Coffee Source Norway 510.512 John Ryan Ting A.R.C Coffee Singapore 496 FIRST ROUND:1 Charles Babinski Go Get Em Tiger United States 613.52 Giacomo Vanelli Pasticceria Vanelli Italy 6063 Yoshikazu Iwase Rec Coffee Japan 605.54 Sasa Sestic Ona Coffee Australia 599.55 Chan Kwun Ho The Cupping Room Hong Kong 560.56 Ben Put Monogram Coffee Canada 5577 Charlotte Malaval Independent France 555.58 Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood Colonna & Smalls United Kingdom 5539 Adam Neubauer EMA Espresso Bar Czech Republic 547.510 John Ryan Ting A.R.C Coffee Singapore 54711 Kalle Freese Freese Coffee Company Finland 54612 Alexander Hansen Collaborative Coffee Source Norway 54513 Jose De La Pena Tecnochef Guatemala 541.514 Diego Francisco Campos Vive Caf Colombia 541.515 Lex Wenneker Headfirst Coffee Roasters The Netherlands 539.516 Julietta Vasquez Rivera Arendela Barra de Caf Mexico 532.517 Ariel Bravo Independent Costa Rica 528.518 Ishan Natalie TriBeCa Coffee Company South Africa 52819 Addison Dale Pure Caf Co. New Zealand 527.520 Julio Cesar Ruiz Gomez Slaverria Pillersdorf Coffee Roaster El Salvador 526.521 Stefanos Paterakis Taf Greece 52222 Tse Lin Wu Simple Kaffa Taiwan 520.523 Soren Stiller Great Coffee Denmark 51824 Yinzhe Jeremy Zhang M2M Coffee China 507.525 Sonja Zweidick La Cabra Austria 50026 Aldrin Lumaban Exquisite Caf Corporation Phillipines 49927 Jason Loo Hsien Yuen The Red Beanbag Malaysia 49928 Linnea Vannesjo Drop Coffee Roasters Sweden 497.529 Alexy Kugaenko OMNI Coffee Russia 49530 Daniel Rivera Hacienda San Pedro Puerto Rico 49431 Dmytro Griekhov Caf Rider United Arab Emirates 48632 Natalia Piotrowska 3fe Ireland 48633 Jong Hoon Lee Coffee Grafitti Korea 46834 Agnieszka Rojewska Brisman Kawowy Bar Poland 466.535 Vaiva Maskovaite Caravan Coffee Roasters Lithuania 46336 Emi Fukuhori Independent Switzerland 455.537 Luis Blanco Valverde Dromedario Spain 445.538 Thiago Sabino Octavio Caf Brazil 444.539 Mark Okuta Royal Suits Uganda 442.540 Mehran Mohammadnezhad Mirjani Caf Yasi Iran 424.541 Jesica Avalos Contreras OR Coffee Roasters Belgium 41842 Francisco Alonso Garcia Lubiate Master Coffee Peru Peru 409.543 Martin Shabaya Artcafe Coffee and Bakery Kenya 397.544 Gregor Dattner Espressone GmbH Germany 376.545 Cezara Cartes Starbucks Romania 36446 Diego Mejia Isveglio Ecuador 34047 Sudarat Changcharoen the First Espresso Thailand 31648 Ozkan Yetik Coffee Brew Lab Turkey DQ

SCAE WORLD OF COFFEEJUNE 16-18, 2015

GOTHENBURG 2015

WORLD CUP TASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP

WORLD LATTE ART CHAMPIONSHIP

WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS CHAMPIONSHIP

WORLD BREWERS CUP

WORLD COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPIONSHIP

Panorama of Gothenburg, taken from Ramberget in Keillers Park at Hisingen.Photo by David Lindecrantz. 11 September 2011

16

CALEBS PRIDE

2015 WORLD LATTE ART CHAMPION CALEB CHA. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

CALEB CHA SPEAKS ABOUT BECOMING AUSTRALIAS SECOND CHAMPION BARISTA FOR THE YEAR, AND RAISING THE STANDARD OF LATTE ART.

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BY SARAH BAKER EDITOR, BEANSCENE MAGAZINE

WORLD LATTE ART

CHAMPIONSHIP

CALEB CHA RECALLS 18 JUNE 2015 IN GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN AS ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE DAYS OF HIS LIFE. ALL MY DREAMS CAME TRUE THAT DAY FOR TWO REASONS. FIRST I WON THE WORLD LATTE ART CHAMPIONSHIP (WLAC). THEN I GAINED A FIANC, HE SAYS.

As the top six placings were revealed one by one, Caleb says he started to feel nervousness and excitement. But when he was left standing next to Chinas Xuechao Wang, the moment became real.

To be honest its a complete blur. When they read my name I just stood there frozen, Caleb says. I didnt realise I had won. I looked to the emcee and said: Me? Really? Are you kidding? Are you sure? I looked to see my girlfriend [Alice Jeong] in the audience and she was going crazy with excitement. I spotted Sasa Sestic [2015 World Barista Champion] out of the corner of my eye cheering, and I got goose bumps. Then it hit me. I won.

And so the hype of winning the WLAC began. Confetti fell, camera lights flashed, and Caleb held the trophy as high as his arms could extend. But there was one more important thing to do. Caleb dug deep into the right pocket of his jacket to reveal a small square box. He dropped to one knee and asked his long-time girlfriend and coach Alice to marry him. I made a promise with myself that if I won the WLAC Id also propose. I had to keep my promise, he says.

Caleb says if hed been asked what latte art was back in 2000, he wouldnt have known, nor would he have understood the question. Caleb grew up in South Korea, where he says his life was very structured. He finished high school and went straight into four years of study at the top-ranked Yonsei University. He served as a Korean marine, and gained a high-powered job as a financial consultant. I had achieved everything I set out to achieve career-wise, but it didnt make me happy, he says.

Instead, with his parents support, Caleb moved to Australia in February 2008. Living in a foreign city with next to no English, Caleb swapped his business suit for an apron. He started working in a Korean restaurant waiting tables. At just $8 per hour, Caleb was being paid well below minimum wage. That was until he came across an advertisement that asked: Do you want to make good money working in a restaurant or caf? I sure did, Caleb says.

That ad was for a barista course at William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne. That course was the launching pad of Calebs career. He went on to work in a Melbourne CBD caf called Red Cup, and later joined the Cafenatics team where hes been ever since.

In 2014 Caleb began to show flair for latte art. He signed up for the 2014 Australian Specialty Coffee Association Victorian Latte Art Championship and placed second. He went on to win runner up in the national final. In his second attempt at the title, Caleb again won second place in the 2015 state latte art championship. In the national finals he was determined to go one better, and he did.

Just three months separated Calebs national finals win and his date with Gothenburg for the WLAC.

After testing a range of designs, Caleb settled on showing the world judges his smiling butterfly design for the art bar, as well as the Flirting Peacock, Caffeinated Zebra, and Love Triangle in his routine. The emcee commented that hed never seen a zebra drinking coffee, but this is exactly the reaction Caleb set out to achieve. I wanted to create something new because its a competition and you want to see something new, he says.

Caleb finished in first place in the preliminary round, and achieved the highest art bar score in

2015 WLAC TOP SIX. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

the competitions history. But his performance wasnt without fault. I wasnt 100 percent satisfied with my routine. I made so many little mistakes. I overstretched the milk, I ran out of room in my macchiatos, and my contrast wasnt great. I even had a final summary to present to the judges, but when I looked at the clock it was 9.58 minutes. With two seconds left, I plonked the cups on the bench and called time, Caleb says.

Australian Latte Art Judge and WLAC Head Judge Lance Brown says the reason Caleb excelled on the world stage was largely because of the originality of his patterns. Caleb ticked all the boxes in terms of presentation, professionalism, communication, eye contact, quality of patterns, clarity, and accuracy, but most importantly he excelled in his creativity, he says.

Lance has worked as an Australian latte art judge since 2003. He was accredited as a WLAC Judge in 2013 in Nice, and took a WLAC Head Judge position in 2015. Within Lances 12 years of judging, he says the transition of patterns has been extraordinary.

Five years ago WLAC judges were impressed with well-defined, clean rosettas and a simple heart. Less was more. Now its complex. Symmetry, position, level of difficulty and creativity are more important. This is a result of the skills of barista evolving, and judges expecting more in the cup, Lance says.

Australia has had a great history of WLAC champions. Scottie Callaghan won in 2006, Jack Hannah won in 2007, and Con Haralambopoulos won in 2008.

Australias latte art appeal is so high that it puts the next world baristas in extreme pressure to go beyond what anyone has seen before, Lance says. Latte art is not just something we see on the world stage. At any visit to a local caf we expect to see a heart, tulip or swan poured into the cup. Thats the norm now. Because of this, Australia has really

raised the standard for next years competition. The next generation of competitors needs to step it up and show creativity.

The 2016 WLAC will take place in Shanghai, China from 29 March to 1 April. Lance anticipates spectator interest will be at an all time high given the top six finalists of the 2015 competition were from Asian countries.Their success emulates the Asian mentality of perfection. Each of those countries would be working hard to get to the standard that Caleb did, Lance says. I can guarantee there wont be an empty seat in the stands.

Its been a big year for Australia on the world competition stage. In April, Ona Coffees Sasa Sestic brought home the World Barista Championship title, and just two months later Caleb helped Australia claim the second world title for the year.

Australias coffee industry is already at such a high level. We have passionate coffee consumers, world class judges and competitions, and now the world knows that we have top-class competition baristas, Caleb says. Im so proud of myself for achieving my dream of becoming a world champion, for making both Australia and South Korea proud.

Durham, NC 27713 Emeryv i l le , CA 94608

SINCE 1995

2015 WLAC CHAMPION CALEB CHA. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

AUSTRALIAS COFFEE INDUSTRY IS ALREADY AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL...AND NOW THE WORLD KNOWS THAT WE HAVE TOP-CLASS COMPETITION BARISTAS...

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WORLD LATTE ART

CHAMPIONSHIP

ABOUT WLAC

THE WORLD LATTE ART CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS ARTISTIC EXPRESSION IN A COMPETITION PLATFORM THAT CHALLENGES THE BARISTA IN AN ON-DEMAND PERFORMANCE.

EVENT STRUCTUREFor the preliminary round of the championship, baristas produce a single creative latte pattern at the Art Bar, then move to the WLAC stage to create

Durham, NC 27713 Emeryv i l le , CA 94608

SINCE 1995

2015 WORLD LATTE ART CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL RANKINGS FINAL ROUND: RANK NAME COMPANY COUNTRY SCORE1 CALEB CHA Cafenatics Australia 373.52 XUECHAO WANG Jiangbeileran Coffee China 365.53 KYEONG-WOO JUNG Corea Coffee Belt South Korea 339.54 MAO NAGURA Fonz Japan 318.05 ARNON THITIPRASERT Ristr8tto Thailand 267.56 HONG-SHENG LIAO Caf Moment Taiwan 265.0

FIRST ROUND:RANK NAME COMPANY COUNTRY SCORE1 CALEB CHA Cafenatics Australia 443.52 MAO NAGURA Fonz Japan 440.03 KYEONG-WOO JUNG Corea Coffee Belt South Korea 431.04 XUECHAO WANG Jiangbeileran coffee China 397.55 ARNON THITIPRASERT Ristr8tto Thailand 392.06 HONG-SHENG LIAO Caf Moment Taiwan 377.07 PIETRO VANNELLI Pasticceria Vannelli Italy 368.08 NICK VINK H32 Netherlands 360.59 DHAN TAMANG Caracoli UK 358.510 SAM LOW Independent New Zealand 354.511 DANIEL ACOSTA BUSCH Rause Caf e Vinho Brazil 340.512 MARKUS BADURA WeinCaf KostBar Germany 340.513 IWAN SETIAWAN Common Grounds Coffee Roastery Indonesia 338.514 ENG BOON HONG JWC Global Malaysia 336.515 NIKOS BELLIS Mind the Cup Grrece 335.016 ABNER ROLDAN Hacienda San Pedro Puerto Rico 333.517 CLARA PIHLGREN da Matteo Sweeden 332.518 LUCIA ONDRUSKOVA Glacio Slovakia 328.519 BENJAMIN GRAF La Cultura del Caff Austria 323.020 ANTHONY CALVEZ Cafs Richard France 321.021 FREDERICK BEJO Specialty Batch LLC UAE 317.522 FARCAS SEBASTIAN LOAN One Workshop cafe Romania 308.523 AHMAD KAMIL Grande Caf Switzerland 306.024 HECTOR HERNANDEZ Cafes el Criollo Spain 302.525 ALEXEY IVANOV Coffeemania Russia 288.026 NICHOLAS BOUCHARD Independent Belgium 287.027 SIMEON BRICKER The Roasterie USA 283.028 JERVIS TAN Kinsmen Coffee Singapore 280.529 MIRIAM ALDANA Barista Store MX Mexico 272.530 ELEONORA CERNIAUSKAITE UAB vieia kava Lithuania 260.531 BYRON KEET Famous Brands Coffee Co South Africa 252.532 MARK CHAN Common Man Coffee Roasters Philipines 251.533 OZGUR GENC Independent Turkey 232.534 OLDRICH VAPENIK Independent Czech Republic 197.535 ANIBAL KOVALEFF CASQUINA Zanesco E.I.R.L Peru 197.536 DAVE REGAN Vice Coffee Ireland 195.0

two identical free-pour lattes and two identical designer lattes. Scores from the Art Bar and Stage are combined, and the top 6 competitors qualify for the final round, where they are asked to create two identical free-pour macchiatos, two identical free-pour lattes, and two identical designer patterned lattes. The top-scoring competitor in the final round is declared the World Latte Art Champion.

Baristas are judged based on visual attributes, creativity, identical patterns in the pairs, contrast in patterns, and overall performance.

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WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS

CHAMPIONSHIP

THE WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS CHAMPIONSHIP IS A COMPETITION WHERE BEING A GOOD BARISTA SIMPLY ISNT ENOUGH. COMPETITORS NEED AN INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS, AND NEED TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE COMPLEX TECHNICALITIES OF BARTENDING TECHNIQUES. This year, from a pool of 14 competitors, and 6 eventual finalists, George Koustoumpardis of The Underdog in Athens, Greece conquered the competition, and emerged overwhelmingly victorious.

This being his second run in the competition, Koustoumpardis pulled off a smooth, creative routine, with a heavy focus on filter coffee based cocktails. Koustoumpardis trademark style of quirky presentation with a side of zeitgeist played heavily in his routine this year -capturing the spirit of a period in time, and putting it together in the form of liquid time travel. His Coffee Beer signature cocktail encapsulated the essence of the 1920s prohibition era- dodgy bottling and all.

In our interview, George sheds some light on the elements of bartending, his thoughts on next years competition, and why espresso machines have no place in cocktail bars.

Q: So George, why WCGIS?

A: While I definitely identify with myself more as a barista than a bartender, I find bartending techniques interesting and fun, and it was nice to diversify myself. In the coffee bar, you only have 3 ingredients you can play with- coffee, milk and water. But in the cocktail bar, you have over a thousand ingredients at your fingertips! WCGIS is the only competition where I can combine my knowledge of bartending and coffee-making and utilise it to the fullest.

Q: How has bartending made an impact on yourself as a barista?

A: I guess the biggest difference was the element of showmanship. When youre a barista all you really have to focus on is getting as many drinks out as quickly as possible; there really isnt time for talking, and its a very technique-based profession. When I was practicing making cocktails behind a bar, I realised that I had to sell myself as much as I had to sell the drinks! People come to cocktail bars expecting entertainment, so learning to bartend really boosted my confidence and made me more comfortable talking and presenting to people.

Q: Traditionally, espresso has been the preferred form of coffee when it comes to making cocktails (eg: Espresso Martini). Why do you use filter coffee instead?

A: Ive strongly believed up till now, that in the context of a cocktail bar, espresso simply doesnt work. The thing is, when you come to an expensive cocktail bar, you want to be surrounded by beauty. A little espresso machine and grinder tucked away in the corner of the bar just looks miserable. Its also noisy and clumsy.

But really, the reason why I wanted to showcase filter coffee is because its more practical, and also adds on to the showmanship involved in bartending. You shouldnt need an expensive espresso machine to be able to make good coffee.

Q: Filter coffee is super delicate to work with though! How do you account for the extra dilution?

A: Thats true, but there are lots of little tricks you can do to get around this. For example, when I used ice cubes made from filter coffee in the shaking of my signature drink. The brewed coffee I use is also

2015 WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS CHAMPION GEORGE KOUSTOUMPARDIS. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

BY CHRISTINE SEAH PERFECT DAILY GRIND

THE UNDERDOG W

INS IT ALL

22

about twice the strength of regular brewed coffee too.

Q: You once said in a showcase in Taiwan, that when it comes to cocktail making Less is more. Why do you believe that?

A: Ive been drinking cocktails for an awfully long time, and Ive always prefered simple classic cocktails. Most of them, like the Margarita or the Old Fashioned only have 2-3 ingredients. I think this minimalist approach really helps exaggerate the flavours of the ingredients and helps preserve the integrity of them.

Q:You usually like to ask the judges to imagine a time/place before they approach your drinks. Whats the thought process behind the liquid time-travel?

A: (Laughs) Well, I guess its an added touch of service? What most people dont really know is that its actually a lot more nerve-wrecking being a judge than it is being a competitor! Youre surrounded by cameras, and your every decision has to be perfect and impartial. I try to make the judges time travel because I want them to feel more relaxed, and to forget that they are in the hot seat. Breaking this barrier by inducing memories or emotions is what I always try to do in competitions.

Q:Are you looking to defend your title next year?

A: I have no plans to compete next year actually, Im looking into training up other budding baristas/bartenders instead. I want to help bring in new blood into the competition and to promote the awareness for it. Its really super fun, and I want more people to be able to experience it as I have.

Q:The rules and regulations for 2016 have changed quite a bit! Any thoughts on the brand new mystery-spirit preliminary round?

A: Im actually extremely excited about the mystery spirit round! Its almost like a TV game show (laughs). But Im very happy as well, because competition always needs change. For example when the rules were changed for the Latte Art Competition in 2011, everyone was shocked by it, but you get to see lots of people really stepping up and showcasing a crazy amount of talent. A bigger challenge always brings out bigger talent, and thats what makes competitions exciting!

Q: Any competitors in particular youre looking out for next year?

A: I would love to see more Asian countries compete in WCIGS. Its going to be held in Shanghai next year, and the Asian scene has always had a long history involving mixology. Id like to see competitors from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, obviously Japan and Korea too. I think Europe is going to be coming in strong as it always does, but Im curious to see wholl be able to fully grasp the new rules and run away with them.

Christine Seah is a Singapore-based coffee correspondent for Perfect Daily Grindwww.perfectdailygrind.com

2015 WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS FINALISTS.PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

WHILE I DEFINITELY IDENTIFY WITH MYSELF MORE AS A BARISTA THAN A BARTENDER, I FIND BARTENDING TECHNIQUES INTERESTING AND FUN, AND IT WAS NICE TO DIVERSIFY MYSELF.

WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS

CHAMPIONSHIP

ABOUT WCIGS

THE WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS CHAMPIONSHIP PROMOTES INNOVATIVE BEVERAGE RECIPES THAT SHOWCASE COFFEE AND SPIRITS IN A COMPETITION FORMAT.

THIS COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS THE BARISTA/BARKEEPERS MIXOLOGY SKILLS IN A SETTING WHERE COFFEE AND ALCOHOL GO PERFECTLY TOGETHER. FROM THE TRADITIONAL IRISH COFFEE (WITH WHISKEY AND COFFEE), TO UNIQUE COCKTAIL COMBINATIONS.

EVENT STRUCTUREDuring the preliminary round, competitors produce four drinks two identical hot/warm coffee and alcohol-based designer drinks, and two identical cold coffee and alcohol-based designer drinks. The six competitors with the highest preliminary round scores will compete in the final round. The final round requires competitors to produce two Irish Coffees and two coffee-and-alcohol-based designer drinks. The highest scoring final round competitor will be named the World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion.

2015 WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL RANKINGS

FINAL ROUND: 1 GEORGE

KOUSTOUMPARDISThe Underdog

GREECE 351

2 ONDREJ HURTIK Doubleshot Roastery

CZECH REPUBLIC

278

3 PAUL UNGUREANU Paul Ungureanu Consulting

ROMANIA 269

4 EDUARDO AFFONSO SCORSIN

Lucca Cafs Especiais

BRAZIL 267.5

5 SANG MOO HYUN Maris Coffee SOUTH KOREA

253.5

6 SANG HO PARK Square Mile Coffee

UNITED KINGDOM

243.5

FIRST ROUND: 1 GEORGE

KOUSTOUMPARDISThe Underdog

GREECE 402

2 ONDREJ HURTIK Doubleshot Roastery

CZECH REPUBLIC

372.5

3 SANG HO PARK Square Mile Coffee

UNITED KINGDOM

362

4 EDUARDO AFFONSO SCORSIN

Lucca Cafs Especiais

BRAZIL 343

5 PAUL UNGUREANU Paul Ungureanu Consulting

ROMANIA 321.5

6 SANG MOO HYUN Maris Coffee SOUTH KOREA

302

7 STEEVEN HERRY Mycaf.fr FRANCE 293

8 SHUICHI OFUCHI Mixology Bar Source 2102

JAPAN 288.5

9 LUCAS WOODS Coffee Lab and Ona Coffee

AUSTRALIA 279.5

10 DAVIDE BERTI La Chichera Caf

ITALY 279

11 SHARAPOV KIRILL North-West Coffee Company

RUSSIA 264.5

12 VICTOR BOLEA GOMEZ

Cafes el Criollo

SPAIN 254.5

13 EDWIN GORRITZ Barista Squared

PUERTO RICO

250.5

14 MONICA STRM Dromedar Kaffebar

NORWAY 233

2015 WORLD COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS FINALIST ONDREJ HURTIK. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

24

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25

WORLD BREWERS

CUP

IN 2011, KEITH OSULLIVAN STEPPED ON THE STAGE HUGELY SURPRISED TO FIND HIMSELF IN THE FINAL NEXT TO JAMES HOFFMANN AND STEFANOS DOMATIOTIS, BOTH COFFEE VETERANS. HE WAS AN AMATEUR, AS HE PUT IT IN HIS OWN WORDS, BUT CAN ONE REALLY BE AN AMATEUR AND GET TO THE WORLD FINAL?

OSullivan confessed it hadnt taken him that much time to prepare and it was one particular coffee from Bolivia that convinced this PhD candidate to give competition a try. Five years later, Odd-Steiner Tllefsen, a professional barista and a former still-photographer from Norway, spent nearly a whole year preparing his routine to win the title. Travelling to the coffee origin, sourcing coffee, sample roasting, selecting the right beans, cupping, and preparing the routine: this is what it takes to win the World Brewers Cup these days, demonstrating how the competition and its level of excellence has developed over the past years.

Compared to the World Barista Competition, founded in 2000, five years is relatively short amount of time to develop, but year by year more baristas and countries take part in the World Brewers Cup. The competition is simple in its form - black, manual, hand-brewed coffee made to perfection, as describes Odd-Steiner, 2015s World Brewers Cup Champion. Its about unlocking the potential of coffee, brewed by a baristas in ten minutes in front of judges. It takes a huge amount of time to make the best out of these ten minutes though, and in a way, competitors are preparing every single time they brew coffee in front of their customers. Customers today are the ultimate judges; judges who dont fill scoresheets, yet provide the instant feedback with a smile or a comment.

In Brewers Cup, there are two stages that every competitor must go through. In the compulsory service, every competitor uses the same coffee

(unknown to the competitors prior to the competition) and the same standardised brewing device. This round tests their general knowledge about coffee brewing and the ability to quickly dial in coffee, find its sweet spot even using the competition-provided service vessel. In contrast, open service is about hospitality and the knowledge about coffee that baristas share. They have carefully picked their coffee and brewing method, they have a chance to explain and inspire, they takes judges on the journey of discovering the best possible experience they can have with this particular coffee. Tasting notes can go as far as eating grapefruit in the shower, as Benjamin Prager, 2015 Brewers Cup Finalist from Switzerland vividly described the fresh mouthfeel of his Kenyan coffee. Moreover, competitors must be very consistent as they individually brew coffee for each of three judges.

Water makes a significant impact on the resulting cup of coffee in Brewers Cup. In the past, water filtration was used only to protect machines from scaling up, points out Willem Huisman, sales director at BRITA Professional, World Brewers Cup Qualified Water Filtration Sponsor. During this process we also discovered the improvements in taste by filtering out several off-tasting minerals, adds Willem. As international transportation of their own water may be risky and difficult, most competitors share the water specification in advance and BRITAs support team do the best to fulfil their requests in the field. We can create the individual water for every single competitor but in most cases they make use of our standard one, adds Willem. Odd-Steiner was one of risk takers who brought natural mineral water from the West Coast of Norway with him - a water with a low mineral content that fit well his coffee.

It wasnt the only risk that the current champion accepted. He used Acaia scales connected via Bluetooth to iPhones that he placed in front of

2015 WORLD BREWERS CUP CHAMPION ODD-STEINER TLLEFSEN. PHOTO BY YOUNGMIN LEE.

BY ALES POSPISILEUROPEAN COFFEE TRIP

FIVE YEARS OF WORLD

BREWERS CUP

judges. My first thought was, this is going to be cheesy But after a while I started to like the idea that the judges could monitor my brewing, explains Odd-Steiner his thought process. I am always very accurate when brewing and I wanted the judges to see it with their own eyes. There was no room for error. I knew the blooming time would be 35 sec, pouring time 3.00 and total extraction time 3.30 exact. No one had done it before! laughs Odd-Steinar, knowing his risk paid off.

This championship represents innovation in brewing and its precision, but Brewers Cup is, this year in particular, also about exceptional coffees. Many people returned from the competition area with a strange excitement in their face, saying: There is coffee that tastes nothing like coffee. Its very sweet but struggling to describe what this experience was like. Its something we have many times from those tasting speciality coffee for the very first time, but this coffee excellence takes on new meaning when those so blown away are coffee professionals used to tasting the very best coffee. Sarah Anderson, the 2015 World Brewers Cup finalist from the United States, brought one of these coffees, allowing both judges and audience to try Cafea Eugenoides. Its not even Arabica species, this coffee is known as a mother of Arabica, Sarah surprised the full room of coffee professionals. About 10 to 15 thousand years ago Eugenoides combined with Robusta to create Arabica which we use in speciality coffee everyday.

The people and judges are more open to new coffees. Experimental processing methods, natural processing - its not only about the Geishas anymore.

People want to explore and discover more than ever. And I like that. Thats how Odd-Steinar describes the current state of speciality coffee. So, what coffee won the World Brewers Cup in 2015 then? There is no surprise that it was naturally processed coffee. Supreme Roastworks, an Oslo-based company that Odd-Steinar joined in 2012, has always been focused on natural processed coffee and they were eager to prove that it can win big in competition too.

Odd-Steinars brewed coffee had intense dried apricot, mango, passion fruit, and strawberry taste combined with a sweet, ripe tropical fruit aroma. It was coffee from Semeon Abay Maker Series, an Ethiopian natural processed coffee from Ninety Pluss production. Right after the competition, there was only 50 kilos left, 35 kilos with Ninety Plus and 15 kilos in Oslo. Interestingly enough, this coffee was a part crop. It was left resting for over year but there was nothing that could come even close to the fresh crop that was tasted in roastery. Once again, a prejudice about correct processing was shaken to its core.

Odd-Steinar and his whole family will remember this year in competition for one more reason: right in the middle of the Norwegian Brewers Cup, between open service and the finals, his son was born. As his girlfriend had suggested a coffee-related name, they made an agreement that if Odd-Steiner were to win the World Championship, they would name their child Sidamo, in honor of the coffee he used. In Gothenburg, during the media frenzy following the awards ceremony, Love Sidamo Tollefsen was smiling into the cameras with his father. Lets wish young Love Sidamo and the World Brewers Cup many thriving years ahead.

2015 WORLD BREWERS CUP TOP SIX.PHOTO BY YOUNGMIN LEE.

2015 WBRC CHAMPION ODD-STEINER TLLEFSEN. PHOTO BY YOUNGMIN LEE.

I AM ALWAYS VERY ACCURATE WHEN BREWING AND I WANTED THE JUDGES TO SEE IT WITH THEIR OWN EYES.

WORLD BREWERS

CUP

ABOUT WBRC

THE WORLD BREWERS CUP COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS THE CRAFT OF FILTER COFFEE BREWING BY HAND, PROMOTING MANUAL COFFEE BREWING AND SERVICE EXCELLENCE.

In this Championship, competitors prepare and serve three individual beverages for a panel of judges. The Championship consists of two rounds: a first round and a finals round. During the first round competitors complete two coffee services a compulsory service and an open service. For the compulsory service, competitors prepare three beverages utilizing whole bean coffee provided to them by the competition. For the open service, competitors may utilize any whole bean coffee of their choosing and must also accompany their beverage preparation with a presentation. The six competitors with the highest score from the first round will go on to compete in the finals round consisting exclusively of an open service. One competitor from the final round will be named the World Brewers Cup Champion.

2015 WBRC CHAMPION ODD-STEINER TLLEFSEN. PHOTO BY YOUNGMIN LEE.

2015 WORLD BREWERS CUP OFFICIAL RANKINGS

FINAL ROUND: RANK NAME COUNTRY ROUND ONE FINALS SCORE1 Odd-Steinar

Tollefsen Norway 148.49 90.60 239.08

2 Konstantinos Iatridis

Greece 147.63 89.76 237.39

3 Benjamin Prager

Switzerland 155.04 79.70 234.74

4 Sarah Jean Anderson

USA 152.21 80.36 232.57

5 Rob Kerkhoff The Netherlands

146.95 76.90 223.86

6 Ruslan Shulga

Russia 147.23 70.42 217.64

FIRST ROUND:

RANK NAME COUNTRYCOM-PULSORY SCORE

OPEN SERVICE SCORE

TOTAL SCORE

1 Benjamin Prager

Switzerland 73.25 81.79 155.04

2 Sarah Jean Anderson

USA 70.67 81.55 152.21

3 Odd-Steinar Tllefsen

Norway 69.08 79.40 148.49

4 Konstantinos Iatridis

Greece 68.58 79.05 147.63

5 Ruslan Shulga Russia 68.42 78.81 147.23

6 Rob Kerkhoff The Netherlands

68.08 78.87 146.95

7 Gordon Howell

United Kingdom

68.00 76.31 144.31

8 Qiling Wang China 68.83 75.36 144.199 Petra

StreleckaCzech Republic

67.33 76.01 143.35

10 Dane Oliver Australia 66.92 75.24 142.1511 Mikaela

WallgrenFinland 68.83 72.56 141.39

12 Carlos De La Torre

Mexico 72.92 68.39 141.31

13 Shih-Ru Wang Taiwan 69.17 72.02 141.1914 Nicholas

RappNew Zealand 71.08 70.00 141.08

15 Alexander Ruas

Sweden 66.92 73.21 140.13

16 Nikolaus Hartmann

Austria 70.67 69.35 140.01

17 Rubens Gardelli

Italy 63.42 76.50 139.92

18 Andrea Tan Singapore 70.67 68.75 139.4219 Carolina

France De Souza

Brazil 69.17 69.46 138.63

20 Brian OCaoimh

Ireland 70.33 68.04 138.37

21 Leszek Jedrasik

Poland 68.75 69.35 138.10

22 Yuta Ueda Japan 68.75 68.75 137.5023 Umut

GokdenizTurkey 72.25 64.94 137.19

24 Lavinia Toma Romania 69.83 66.19 136.0225 Youn Joo Yu South Korea 66.50 68.45 134.9526 Regine Wai Malaysia 67.83 65.12 132.9527 Daniel

MuliyantoGermany 66.83 64.46 131.30

28 Thomas Cassignac

France 73.67 DQ 73.67

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WORLD COFFEE ROASTING

CHAMPIONSHIPPROUDLY SUPPORTING BARISTAS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION SINCE 2009

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2015 WORLD COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPION AUDUN SRBOTTEN, NORWAY. PHOTO BY YOUNGMIN LEE.

THE YOUNGEST CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE WORLD COFFEE EVENTS PORTFOLIO MET ITS THIRD VICTOR IN JUNE IN GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN. AUDUN SRBOTTEN, OF AUDUN COFFEE, EARNED THE TITLE OF 2015 WORLD COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPION WITH HOPES TO INSPIRE A GREATER STANDARD OF ROASTING WORLDWIDE.

Audun Srbotten had not had his first cup of notable coffee until his late twenties. He describes the experience as just a coincidence, but it was amazing. Living a life dedicated to research and things of the scientific realm, he stumbled upon a small caf near his university in Norway. That first sip changed his life trajectory.

I stopped wanting to talk chemistry with chemists, Srbotten says.

A TROPHY OF INFLUENCE

When he found himself thinking more about his coffee than his research, he figured it was time for a career change. I had a good job, but the passion for coffee was far greater.

Fervently seeking the truth behind great coffee, Srbotten went straight to the source and began roasting for Solberg & Hansen, a high quality roaster in Oslo, Norway.

I came at just the right time, Srbotten says, the company had a new quality manager who wanted

FOCUS ON YOUR OWN THING, THIS IS BETWEEN YOURSELF AND THE COFFEE, NOT THE COMPETITORS.

roasters to know everything possible about coffee. With this entry into what he compared to a coffee university, Srbotten started off his roasting expedition strong. His new career led him to new discoveries in roasting technique, new terrains on origin trips and a new confidence to compete as a specialty coffee roaster.

In 2011 and 2012 Srbotten competed in and won the Nordic Roasters Competition. He says it is a very prestigious competition between Nordic roasteries.

Srbotten competed against the best of the best, roasting alongside Tim Wendleboe and the really good roasters of the Nordic countries. Taking home the Nordic championship pushed him further, as he competed in and won the 2015 world championship. In June, Srbotten enjoyed the company of outstanding roasters around the world. As opposed to focusing on the competitors, he saw the competition as a personal opportunity to grow as a roaster. During the event he thought to himself, Focus on your own thing, this is between yourself and the coffee, not the competitors.

Every roaster was given a single origin coffee from Kenya, and a customized blend of Ethiopian, Chinese, and Costa Rican coffees to roast. The competitors were judged on three stages of quality: how well they evaluated the grade of the coffee, development of a roast profile that best characterized each coffee and the final cup prior to roasting.

While Srbotten faced familiar challenges like new equipment and nerves, he found competing similar to his every day job, he was simply roasting coffee the way he knew best. If I could do it again I would do it exactly the same, Srbotten says.

BY TAYLOR MAY

This was only the third World Coffee Roasting Championship since its 2013 debut in Nice, France. With many components adding to the competition, it proves a compelling spectacle. As it grows, Srbotten hopes to see a larger variety of countries enter the competition, in order to spread great roasting standards around the world.

2015 WORLD COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPION AUDUN SRBOTTEN, NORWAY. PHOTO BY YOUNGMIN LEE.

A roaster who can do well in such a competition, or even a national champion, is a big resource, because he proves he can follow good SCAE/SCAA standards of how coffee should taste, Srbotten says. Srbotten also has high hopes for his own new business. He started Audun Coffee in December 2014, and is now roasting and sending coffee to 10 different countries. Srbottens simple goal for his business is to constantly achieve better and better tasting coffee. With a world championship title on his side, his coffee is thriving and he is making a strong impact in the ever evolving world of coffee.

Taylor May is an enthusiastic barista, freelance writer and blogger in Southern California.

SRBOTTENS SIMPLE GOAL FOR HIS BUSINESS IS TO CONSTANTLY ACHIEVE BETTER AND BETTER TASTING COFFEE.

WORLD COFFEE ROASTING

CHAMPIONSHIP

ABOUT WCRC

The World Coffee Roasting Championship debuted this year in Nice, France. In this three-stage event, competitors are evaluated on their performance evaluating the quality of green coffee (coffee grading), developing a roasting profile that best accentuates the desirable characteristics of that coffee, and on the ultimate cup quality of coffees roasted.

2015 WORLD COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL RANKINGS

1 Audun Srbotten Audun Coffee

NORWAY 193.35

2 Joanna Alm Drop Coffee

SWEDEN 186.4

3 Min Keun ChoI Coffee HOWS Company

KOREA 185.45

4 aatay Glabiolu Probador Colectiva

TURKEY 183.25

5 Shih-Hsien Lo Alton Coffee

TAIWAN 182.85

6 Rubens Gardelli Gardelli Specialty Coffees

ITALY 182.55

7 Aleksandr Shevkunov Travelers Coffee

RUSSIA 182.4

8 Alexandru Niculaie Hotspot Coffee Roastery

ROMANIA 180.25

9 Takaomi Eguchi Tokado Coffee

JAPAN 173.93

10 Nicolas Martinez Demetrio

Caf Solemnus

MEXICO 172.7

2015 WORLD COFFEE ROASTING CHAMPION AUDUN SRBOTTEN, NORWAY. PHOTO BY YOUNGMIN LEE.

33

WORLD CUP TASTERS

CHAMPIONSHIP

AS A BARISTA AND COFFEE ROASTER, MY BIGGEST HONOR TO DATE HAS BEEN BEING ASKED TO ROAST THE COFFEES FOR THE 2015 WORLD CUP TASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP. KNOWING THAT 36 HIGHLY-SKILLED COFFEE PEOPLE WOULD BE SHOWING THEIR VERY BEST ON THE WORLD STAGEWELL, YOU DONT WANT TO MAKE A MISTAKE, BECAUSE FROM MY PAST COMPETITION EXPERIENCE I UNDERSTOOD EXACTLY HOW MUCH IS AT STAKE. KEEPING THIS IN MIND HELPED THE FANTASTIC BACKSTAGE CREW TO DO THEIR BEST IN SETTING UP ALL THE TRIANGULATIONS.

In preparation for the event, 20 different coffees were roasted at GreatCoffee in Aarhus, Denmark and then transported by car to Gothenburg. With only 5 kilos of each coffee, there was no room for mistakes. After a day dedicated to roasting for each coffee we then spent a full day of cupping, putting the right cups together from easiest to most difficult for competition rounds one through four. The coffees were fantastic and tasted really good! With 20 Technivorm brewers and a host of volunteers backstage, the competition ran smoothly and we were all in ecstasy when each time a barista selected a cup, whether right or wrong.

I spoke with 2015 WCTC champion, Juan Gabriel Cespedes of Costa Rica, to catch up after the competition and get his take on how it ran.

Sren: I am very keen to know what you think of the difficulties of the level from 1 round to the final round?

Juan: Once the competition starts and as you move through the upper rounds, the coffees become very similar which makes triangulating difficult. You have to be extremely focused in order to identify any kind of difference between them.

Based on my experience in the three world championships that I have participated in, the first round has always been the most difficult for me. This is not only because of the coffees in each triangulation but also because the pressure on all competitors to make it to the second round, and not staying behind in the first one.

In the second round the coffees start tasting very similar, so staying focused becomes extremely important given that the public starts cheering for you, and it can become a little distracting if one does not know how to handle it.

The third round is as difficult as the previous ones, but in this one the capacity to deal with nerves and pressure is crucial, since you know that you are just one step closer to the big final that every competitor has dreamt about.

2015 WORLD CUP TASTERS CHAMPION JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDES. PHOTO BY ANNA BRONES, SPRUDGE.COM .

BY SREN STILLERTRANSLATION BY TOMS QUESADA-ALPZAR

AN INTERVIEW W

ITH JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDES

THE TASTE OF SOME OF THE COFFEES WAS UNIQUE, SPECIAL, AND EXOTIC...IT WAS VERY SURPRISING TO COME ACROSS SOME OF THESE EXOTIC COFFEE FLAVORS.

At the big final, I always thought that if I had made to the last stage it was because I had overcome the most difficult part of the competition, and that me and the other three competitors were similarly capable of winning the cup.

ABOUT WCTC

THE WORLD CUP TASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS THE PROFESSIONAL COFFEE CUPPER WHO DEMONSTRATES SPEED, SKILL, AND ACCURACY IN DISTINGUISHING THE TASTE DIFFERENCES IN SPECIALTY COFFEES.

EVENT STRUCTURECoffees of the world have many distinct taste characteristics and in this competition format the objective is for the cupper to discriminate between the different coffees. Three cups are placed in a triangle, with two cups being identical coffees and one cup being a different coffee. Using skills of smell, taste, attention and experience, the cupper will identify the odd cup in the triangle as quickly as they can. A total of eight triangles are placed in each round. The top eight competitors with the most correct answers and the fastest time proceed to the next Semi-Finals round. Then the top four will compete again in the Finals round to determine the next World Cup Tasters Champion.

2015 WORLD CUP TASTERS CHAMPION JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDES. PHOTO BY ANNA BRONES, SPRUDGE.COM .

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APPROACHA BALANCED

FARMER BROTHERS CEO MIKE KEOWN TELLS HOW THE COMPANY IS BUILDING FOR ITS NEXT PHASE WITH NEW HEADQUARTERS

Global Coffee Report is the leading business magazine covering the international coffee industry. In-depth features explore on-the-ground developments at origin, coffee pricing issues, technology updates, research breakthroughs and much more.

2015 WORLD CUP TASTERS FINALISTS.PHOTO BY ANNA BRONES, SPRUDGE.COM.

I also want to mention that last September I won for a fourth time in a row the National Cup Tasters Championship, therefore I will be defending my title in Shanghai, China, next year.

Sren: Considering the coffees together, how did you find the coffees and the taste?

Juan: For me the coffees were extraordinary, and the origin of the coffee were well represented in each triangulation. In a few words, these were coffees suited to the world level of the Cup Tasters Championship.

The taste of some of the coffees was unique, special, and exotic. Even for me, coming from Costa Rica, it was very surprising to come across some of these exotic coffee flavors.

Congratulations again to Juan on his 2015 World Coffee Tasting Championship win, and we look forward to seeing him again on the world stage in Shanghai!

WORLD CUP TASTERS

CHAMPIONSHIP

www.gcrmag.com/subscribeYOUR COFFEE NEWS WORLD WIDE

www.gcrmag.com

July/August 2015

29.00

WHEN GOOD THINGS GO BADThe fallout from Starbucks race issues campaignSUSTAINABILITY FOR ALL? The background to 4C Associations new standard

A SHALLOW GENE POOLWhy scientists fear the future of Arabica

CASTILLO VERSUS CATURRAA misinformed debate

THE DRAGON CONQUERING

THE HEAD OF COSTA COFFEES CHINA OPERATIONS TALKS ABOUT AMBITIOUS

EXPANSION PLANS IN THE WORLDS MOST SOUGHT-AFTER MARKET. www.gcrmag.com

May/June 2015

29.00

CONNECTED COFFEEThe Internet of Thi

ngs

meets the coffee industry

CHANGINGTHE CHAINS How the big hitters

are

following the little guys

THE BEANS OFKILIMANJAROTanzania is an eme

rging

star of African production

NUMBERS GAMEHow institutions ca

n

improve accuracy in reporting

K-CUPREINVENTING THE

JOHN SYLVAN ON THE UNINTENDE

D ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF

HIS INVENTION AND WHAT CHANG

ES CAN BE MADE TO FIX IT

www.gcrmag.com

September/October 2015

29.00

THE RUSSIAN BEAR TURNS BULLISHQuality coffee is growing in popularity in Russia

THE HEAT OF THE MATTERRising temperatures are hurting production in Africa

FALLING PESOS, JUMPING BEANSThe correlation between currency and coffee

AN INDUSTRY ENCAPSULATEDSingle serves major players

APPROACHA BALANCED

FARMER BROTHERS CEO MIKE KEOWN TELLS HOW THE COMPANY IS BUILDING FOR ITS NEXT PHASE WITH NEW HEADQUARTERS

Global Coffee Report is the leading business magazine covering the international coffee industry. In-depth features explore on-the-ground developments at origin, coffee pricing issues, technology updates, research breakthroughs and much more.

2015 WORLD CUP TASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL RESULTS

FINAL ROUND: RANK NAME COMPANY COUNTRY #

CORRECTTIME

1 JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDES ECOMTRADING COSTA RICA COSTA RICA 8 7:142 MATEUSZ PETLINSKI WOYTON ROAST INC. GERMANY 7 4:323 YOERI JOOSTEN BOOT KOFFIE THE NETHERLANDS 6 4:104 KRISSE MCGREGOR COFFEE LAB NEW ZEALAND 6 4:54 SEMIFINAL ROUND: RANK NAME COMPANY COUNTRY # CORRECT TIME1 JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDES ECOMTRADING COSTA RICA COSTA RICA 8 7:372 MATEUSZ PETLINSKI WOYTON ROAST INC. GERMANY 7 3:593 KRISSE MCGREGOR COFFEE LAB NEW ZEALAND 7 4:264 YOERI JOOSTEN BOOT KOFFIE THE NETHERLANDS 7 6:145 PIOTR SOWA RELAKS POLAND 6 3:116 TERUKIYO TAHARA COFFEE RANKAN JAPAN 5 4:587 JAN RICHTER LORENTZEN KAFFEMISJONEN AS NORWAY 4 3:258 JORGE DE LEON CASTELLCAFE/AXIOM COFFEE

VENTURESGUATEMALA 3 6:48

QUARTERFINAL ROUND:RANK NAME COUNTRY # CORRECT TIME1 JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDES COSTA RICA 8 7:352 JAN RICHTER LORENTZEN NORWAY 7 2:383 MATEUSZ PETLINSKI GERMANY 7 3:004 TERUKIYO TAHARA JAPAN 7 6:045 PIOTR SOWA POLAND 7 6:066 JORGE DE LEON GUATEMALA 7 6:487 KRISSE MCGREGOR NEW ZEALAND 6 5:358 YOERI JOOSTEN THE NETHERLANDS 6 7:099 ANGELICA ARROYAVE COLOMBIA 6 7:3610 JOHAN MONTEZA PERU 5 2:1811 ZHANG ZHEBIN CHINA 5 5:0512 PEI-SHAO CHANG TAIWAN 5 5:5613 VLADIMIR NENASHEV RUSSIA 5 6:1114 MARIUS NICA ROMANIA 4 6:3515 ZUZANA CERNA CZECH REPUBLIC 4 7:5716 SEIVIJUS MATIEJUNAS IRELAND 3 4:4517 TERRY TSE HONG KONG 3 6:15 FIRST ROUND:RANK NAME COUNTRY # CORRECT TIME1 ZHANG ZHEBIN CHINA 8 2:442 YOERI JOOSTEN THE NETHERLANDS 8 4:263 ZUZANA CERNA CZECH REPUBLIC 8 6:324 JORGE DE LEON GUATEMALA 8 7:265 PIOTR SOWA POLAND 7 3:466 SEIVIJUS MATIEJUNAS IRELAND 7 3:597 KRISSE MCGREGOR NEW ZEALAND 7 4:168 MARIUS NICA ROMANIA 7 5:219 ANGELICA ARROYAVE COLOMBIA 7 6:1810 JUAN GABRIEL CESPEDES COSTA RICA 7 6:2311 PEI-SHAO CHANG TAIWAN 7 6:4412 TERRY TSE HONG KONG 7 7:1313 VLADIMIR NENASHEV RUSSIA 7 7:2114 JAN RICHTER LORENTZEN NORWAY 6 3:0215 TERUKIYO TAHARA JAPAN 6 3:1116 MATEUSZ PETLINSKI GERMANY 6 3:5016 JOHAN MONTEZA PERU 6 3:5018 MARKUS VESTERGAARD SWEDEN 6 4:4419 MATHIAS BUHLER SWITZERLAND 6 5:3920 ZAFIRIS MAVROS GREECE 6 6:4121 PETER CSERKO SLOVAKIA 6 7:1922 ANDREW TOLLEY UK 6 7:3823 ALESSANDRO GHIZZARDI ITALY 6 7:4724 DONOVAN MCLAGAN SOUTH AFRICA 5 3:1225 YEONJUNG LEE SOUTH KOREA 5 3:2426 EDIMILSON GENEROSO BRAZIL 5 3:5227 OTNIEL CHRISTOFER INDONESIA 5 5:5428 CHRISTOPHE RUBINO FRANCE 5 7:1729 ARNAS URBANAVICIUS LITHUANIA 5 7:3630 BRENDA KEMIGISHA UGANDA 4 3:2531 JAMES TOOILL USA 4 4:3332 MARISA BAQUE DELAS SPAIN 4 5:2733 HYUNSUK KO AUSTRALIA 4 6:5934 BART VAN SANDEN BELGIUM 3 4:1735 PANU REINIKAINEN FINLAND 3 4:2136 TOBIAS RADINGER AUSTRIA 3 7:27

2015 WORLD CUP TASTERS FINALISTS.PHOTO BY ANNA BRONES, SPRUDGE.COM.

37

BEST PERFORMING

NATION: AUSTRALIA

EACH YEAR, WCE REVIEWS ALL THE COMPETITION RANKINGS TO DETERMINE THE YEARS BEST PERFORMING NATION, WITH THE AWARD GOING TO THE LICENSED NATIONAL BODY THAT ACCUMULATES THE MOST POINTS IN THE WCE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

All licensed national bodies are awarded points on a descending scale from first place (six points) through sixth place (one point) for every finalists that places in one of the 2015 world championships.

This year was a heated race, with two countries with equal points in first place. As a tiebreaker to determine first place, competitions with more competitors were weighed more heavily and a clear winner emerged

WORLD COFFEE EVENTS IS PLEASED TO PRESENT THE BEST PERFORMING NATION OF 2015: AUSTRALIA!Demonstrating exceptional participation and performance with a total of 12 points, this is

PHOTO BY LACHLAN FEARNLEY.

2015 WORLD BARISTA CHAMPION SASA SESTIC. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

2015 WLAC CHAMPION CALEB CHA. PHOTO BY KATE BEARD.

WCE STAFF

Australias first time to claim the title of WCE Best Performing Nation!

World Barista Championship: Sasa Sestic 1st Place (6 points)

World Latte Art Championship: Caleb Cha 1st Place (6 points)

Fighting off stiff competition, Australia claimed the top spot in both the World Barista Championship and World Latte Art Championship in 2015. At WBC in Seattle, Sasa Sestic wowed the audience with his chosen coffee containing the Sudan Rune varietal as well as demonstrating the carbonic maceration process. In Gothenburg, Caleb Cha kept the audience on their toes with pours entitled Flirting Peacock, Love Triangle and Caffeinated Zebra.

Congratulations to the Australian National Body, this years talented competitors, and to the entire Australian coffee community!

Final Best Perfoming Nation Rankings

1st Australia (12 points) [weighted - 84]

2nd Norway (12 points) [weighted - 38]

3rd Greece (11 points)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL BODY, AUSTRALIAN SPECIALTY COFFEE ASSOCIATION SEE WWW.AASCA.COM

38

THE IDEAL OF SPECIALTY COFFEE IS THAT WE CAN BUILD A COMMERCE ON A SIMPLE CONCEPT - THAT COFFEE CAN BE, AND SHOULD BE, DELICIOUS, COMPELLING, AND SPECIAL. IN THE 45 YEARS SINCE THE CONCEPT OF SPECIALTY COFFEE FIRST EMERGED, THE INDUSTRY HAS GROWN INTO AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT- TRANSFORMING HOW COFFEE IS CONSUMED EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD. WEVE EXPERIENCED UNPARALLELED SUCCESS- BUT WE ALSO FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES: IS THE SUPPLY OF SPECIALTY COFFEE SECURE? HOW ARE COFFEE DRINKING PATTERNS CHANGING? WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE ART IN COFFEE SCIENCE, AND FLAVOR PERCEPTION? HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO CHANGE THE FUTURE OF SPECIALTY COFFEE FOR THE BETTER?

The Specialty Coffee Associations of the world have long been dedicated to addressing these challenges within their own communities, by engaging their leaderships, connecting their members, and driving research and development in coffee. In 2013, WCE began a project with a lofty aim: to build a network of events with the intention of engaging thought leaders in coffee at the global level, distributing critical research and insights in an environment of connection and collaboration. Building on the success of such projects as the SCAA Symposium, SCAEs World of Coffee event, and the Specialty Coffee Association of New Zealands annual symposium, we assembled a group of coffee leaders under the banner of WCE to design this new, paradigm-busting event.

The result was the Re:co Symposium. An abbreviation of Regarding Coffee, Re:co is committed to high-level discussion, leading innovation and strategy development for those passionate and influential in the world of specialty coffee. To achieve this, weve designed an event based on compelling talks, unparalleled research-sharing, and sensory experience that is absolutely unique in the specialty coffee industry. We knew

RE:CO RECAP

-BY PETER GIULIANOSR. DIRECTOR OF SCAA SYMPOSIUM

PREPARING FOR SENSORY EXPERIENCE . PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNY.

RE:CO SESSION HOST, THOMAS KOZIOROWSKI. PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNY.

SPEAKER PANEL WITH MICHAEL SHERIDAN, CHARLES SPENCE, ISABELLE LEGERON AND CHAHAN YERETZIAN, LED BY STEPHEN MORRISSEY .PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNY.

PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNY.

Join us for ourupcoming 2016events!

13-14 AprilATLANTA, GEORGIA, USAHosted by SCAA

21-22 JuneDUBLIN, IRELANDHeld immediately prior to the SCAA World of Coffee

it was critical to settle for nothing less than to be the highest-quality coffee leadership event in the world, and so we aimed high, seeking to achieve nothing less than the transformation of the specialty coffee industry.

The worlds first Re:co Symposium took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, in the days just before the SCAEs World of Coffee show. 133 coffee thought leaders from Europe, the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Africa gathered together to listen to talks from fourteen experts, discuss the future of coffee, build networks, and plan. Topics ranged from emerging markets for coffee, to the state of the market, to new scientific research, to our relationship with wine. The result was compelling, and though many people came for the speakers, they reported that the actual best part of the experience was the opportunity to interact with their fellow thought leaders in coffee. As one attendee remarked: The opportunities throughout the two days to network and talk to both new and experienced people in the coffee industry was remarkable.

Following the success of the Gothenburg Re:co Symposium, our second Re:co happened in

Auckland, New Zealand. Created in concert with the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association, the event gathered 58 Kiwi coffee leaders together to contemplate the future of coffee from the unique perspective of New Zealand. Experimenting with different formats like the first-ever Re:co Symposium debate, the Auckland event took Re:co in a new, compelling direction.

In 2016, we will debut Re:co Symposium in the United States, at the Specialty Coffee Association of America show in Atlanta. We expect more than 400 delegates, a full roster of compelling speakers and conversations, and even more connections and research. In June, Re:co Symposium will return to Europe - again in concert with the World of Coffee event in Dublin, Ireland.

But Re:cos mission to transform the future of coffee does not stop at our events. WCE hosts a Re:co Symposium YouTube channel, where talks from Re:co events are posted for the benefit of attendees and the coffee community at large. In this way, we seek to continue to broaden the influence of the leaders who engage in Re:co, and help them make the future of Specialty Coffee ever-brighter.

SPEAKER MICHAEL SHERIDAN .PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNY.

Join us for ourupcoming 2016events!

13-14 AprilATLANTA, GEORGIA, USAHosted by SCAA

21-22 JuneDUBLIN, IRELANDHeld immediately prior to the SCAA World of Coffee

40

READY, SET, RE:VERB

-BY AMY BALL WCE STAFF

EMCEE JEFF FENG TALKS TO SPEAKER DARRIN DANIEL ONSTAGE AT RE:VERB GUANGZHOU. PHOTO BY KYONGHEE SHIN.

REVERB SPEAKERS ASLI YAMAN & MICHAEL SALVATORE, & WCE STAFF MEMBER AMY BALL ON A BRAZILIAN COFFEE FARM.

WORLD COFFEE EVENTS NEWEST INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM, RE:VERB, WAS LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER, 2015 IN BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL. RE:VERB IS A PROGRAM THAT BLENDS SPEAKERS, MEDIA, AND OTHER CONTENT SPECIFICALLY DEVELOPED FOR EACH LOCATION INTO A ONE-DAY EVENT, CREATED TO INSPIRE THE SPECIALTY COFFEE COMMUNITY.

It was an honor for us to have hosted the first Re:Verb in the world during the International Coffee Week in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. We received very positive feedback from attendees about the content, especially the relationship between coffee and designRe:Verb Belo Horizonte was an unique opportunity to know more about the international coffee market and to exchange new ideas with high level speakers! remarked Caio Alonso Fontes, Director of International Coffee Week, Brazil

By focusing on individual stories of challenge and success, and incorporating media and films produced by WCE, Re:verb offers a unique way to explore current trends and themes with the specialty coffee industry.

An offshoot of the longer, two-day program that Re:co offers, Re:verb is designed to keep its focus on issues pertinent to the country in which it is located, and with a spotlight on individuals who help define and shape our community, directly or

indirectly.

Below is the list of the content which debuted at Re:verb programs in 2015. The locations of the events were Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Seoul, Korea; and Guangzhou, China.

A Coffee Buyers Journey: Sustainability and Its DiscontentsDarrin Daniels

The Art of Wholesale in Speciality CoffeeDamon Chen

Barista 2.0 & The Third Wave Coffee ShopFrancesco Sanapo

Branding and the Moment of HospitalityAlex Bernson

Building a Coffee CommunityCory Andreen Building a Specialty Coffee Community: A Boundary-

Breakers StoryAsli Yaman Climate Change and the Coffee PlantEmma Sage Connecting with Your Customers in an Effortless Way

(Is Really Hard Work)Klye Glanville Cutting Through the Coffee Noise: How to Create

a Relevant and Unique Brand that LastsStephen Morrissey

Dependency Issues: Why Direct- and Fair-Trade Models Rely on Each OtherColleen Anunu

The Future of Caf DesignBen Kaminsky Recent Snapshots from OriginStephen Vick The Right Space for Coffee Isnt Always a Coffee

ShopMichael Salvatore Ten Coffee Myths, Busted!Matt Perger Why We Should Not Try to Please the Consumer

Isabela Raposeiras

RE:VERB OFFERS A UNIQUE WAY TO EXPLORE CURRENT TRENDS AND THEMES WITH THE SPECIALTY COFFEE INDUSTRY.

SPEAKER ASLI YAMAN, CUPPING BRAZILIAN COFFEE. RE:VERB BELO

HORIZONTE. PHOTO BY AMY BALL.

JEFF FENG & DAMON CHEN AT RE:VERB GUANGZHOU. PHOTO BY KYONGHEE SHIN.

SPEAKER STEPHEN MORRISSEY AT RE:VERB BELO HORIZONTE. PHOTO BY

KYONGHEE SHIN.

SPEAKER FRANCESCO SANAPO AT RE:VERB GUANGZHOU. PHOTO BY KYONGHEE SHIN.

Re:verb was also the platform to launch WCEs first independently produced film, WCEs Film About Design, which was well-received and lauded for its excellent production values and beautiful footage wherever it was screened. The film explores the concept that current design trends in specialty cafes are fundamentally Scandinavian, and dives into this concept by taking a closer look at some notable cafes in Copenhagen, including Atelier September and the Coffee Collective.

Media Specialist Nathan Slabaugh has been leading the charge to develop new concepts for WCE-produced films in 2016, and is excited for an amazing year of new content, developed and produced from the creative minds of WCE.

42

A YEAR OF ALL-STARS

WORLD COFFEE EVENTS FEATURE ACTIVITES WBC ALL-STARS AND WCE ALL-STARS WERE ESTABLISHED IN 2013. SINCE THEN, THE EVENT HAS CIRCLED THE GLOBE FOR 10 SEPARATE EDITIONS.

At each All-Stars event, some of the worlds best baristas were featured in activities including mystery drink challenges, pop quizzes, on-demand performances, meet-and-greets, and more, while special guest hosts guided us behind the judging table.

Enjoy this selection of photos from our 2015 All-Stars events, along with quotes from some of our baristas!

I LOVED THE ENGAGEMENT AROUND THE CUPPING DEMOS WE DID I HAD A BLAST PARTICIPATING!

AMANDA JURIS ALL STARS KOREA

THE DYNAMISM AND ENTHUSIASM OF THE PEOPLE IN SEOUL WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISING...AS A BARISTA, CONNECTING DIRECTLY WITH THE FARMERS IN BOGOTA WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE AND LEARN

CHARLOTTE MALAVAL ALL STARS BOGOTA & KOREA

- WCE STAFF

ALL-STARS BEIJING - PETER LICATA, GIACOMO VANNELLI, JONG HOON LEE, BERG WU, CHRISTOS LOUKAKIS, JEREMY ZHANG. PHOTO BY IRENE BERETTA.

BERG WU AND JONG HOON LEE AT THE ALL-STARS BEIJING BREW BAR. PHOTO BY IRENE BERETTA.

CALEB CHA DURING A MYSTERY CAPPUCCINO CHALLENGE, ALL-STARS GUANGZHOU.PHOTO BY VERONICA CHOU.

I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS TYPE OF EVENT. IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT BARISTAS AND THE GLOBAL COFFEE COMMUNITY!

BEN PUTALL STARS KOREA

ALL-STARS BEIJING - PETER LICATA, GIACOMO VANNELLI, JONG HOON LEE, BERG WU, CHRISTOS LOUKAKIS, JEREMY ZHANG. PHOTO BY IRENE BERETTA.

AN ALL-STAR AUDIENCE! PHOTO BY IRENE BERETTA.

CALEB CHA PHOTOBOMBING VICTOR DELPIERRE AND EDIT JUHASZ.

PHOTO BY IRENE BERETTA.

BUTTONS FROM ALL STARS BEIJING. PHOTO BY IRENE BERETTA.

MAXWELL COLONNA-DASHWOOD AND AMANDA JURIS AT ALL-STARS HOST MILANO. PHOTO BY IRENE BERETTA.

SONJA GRANT AND MAXWELL COLONNA-DASHWOOD AT ALL-STARS HOST MILANO. PHOTO BY AMY BALL.

AMANDA JURIS AND HIDENORI IZAKI AT ALL-STARS HOST MILANO. PHOTO BY AMY BALL.

44

COFFEE FILM

FESTIVAL FUN

-WCE STAFF

WORLD COFFEE EVENTS EXCITEDLY PRESENTED OUR FIRST SERIES OF COFFEE FILM FESTIVALS IN 2015. DRIVEN BY COFFEE, COMMUNITY, AND CREATIVITY, THE EVENTS FEATURED ESTABLISHED COFFEE FILMS AND COMMUNITY-CREATED SHORTS.

The two inaugural dates were open to the public but curated for the specialty coffee lover. Guests also found hand-brewed coffees and local treats on site.

IT TAKES COURAGE TO SUPPORT A NEW CONCEPT LIKE A COFFEE FILM FESTIVAL

PETER GIULIANO WCE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVEAL A LARGER PURPOSE FOR OUR WORK. ONE THAT IS SOMETIMES HARD TO DEFINE WORKING DAY IN AND DAY OUT AT A CAF.

CHRISTOPHER RODGERSELYSIAN COFFEE ROASTERS

PHOTO BY JESSICA RODRIQUEZ.

PHOTO BY JESSICA RODRIQUEZ.

PHOTO BY JESSICA RODRIQUEZ.

IT ILLUSTRATED IN A SIMPLE WAY THE PASSION THAT IS BEHIND SOME OF THE FACETS OF THE COFFEE INDUSTRY; THE WORK, THE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND THE MOTION OF THE COFFEE FROM PRODUCER TO CONSUMER.

SREN STILLERFILMMAKER

IT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND BOND WITH OTHER WHO SHARE AN INTEREST IN THE COFFEE INDUSTRYOUTSIDE OF THE CAF ENVIRONMENT.

JESSICA RODRIQUEZCFF VOLUNTEER LEAD

A World Cla

ss Coffee M

agazine

JUNE 2015

ISSN 1449-2547

9

771449254002

04N9

Turning conc

epts into care

ers

Sensory Lab

s Ross

Quail finds h

is niche

Meet the new W

orld

Barista Cham

pion

Shannon Ben

nett

soars high

Cheers to coffee

beer

Dare to dream

A World Class Coffee Mag

azine

AUGUST 2015

Creative cultures at

play

RFG: A gentle

giant of the industry

Meet the new coffee

champions

Colin Fassnidges

Irish luck

Origin in Oz

MasterpiecesA World Class Coffee Magazine

OCTOBER 2015

Stretching the boundaries of theatre and designJDEs coffee for every cup

Darren Robertsons mighty ducksTCE2015 wrap upRoasters directory

Dynamic edge

No.41$8.95 (inc GST)

A World Class Coffee Magazine

OCTOBER 2015

Stretching the boundaries

of theatre and designJDEs coffee for

every cupDarren Robertsons mighty ducks

TCE2015 wrap upRoasters directory

Dynamic edge

No.41

$8.95 (inc GST)

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47

SEASONED VOLUNTEERS: A Q&A-WCE STAFF

STEVEN HALL

Q. Can you tell us about your coffee journey so far?A. I truly fell in love with coffee when I first started making it in a small, but extremely busy caf in Wellington, New Zealand. From there I joined my friends in their new roasting venture, Flight Coffee, where I worked for three years. Ive been living in London for the past two years, working in a quality focused position at Caravan Coffee Roasters. My role as green buyer has sent me to

TALYA STRADER

Q. Can you tell us your origin story?A. Since age 12, I have wanted to own a coffee shop, and have been pursuing that dream ever since. At this point, I have been managing coffee bars across the US since 2001. There is something about the physical counter at a coffee bar that enables me to be the best version of myself and allows me to initiate relationships in a genuine and confident manner.

Q. Youve been consistently volunteering at events like TED for a number of years. What keeps bringing you back?A. I love TED and the energy that surrounds it. Its not only a privilege to provide some of those most forward thinking minds with beautiful coffees, but its also a huge honor to serve shoulder to shoulder with the finest baristas in the USA.

Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Kenya in the past four months.

Q. What brought you to volunteering?A: Firstly, because I enjoy it! Some of my most memorable coffee experiences are from coaching Nick Clark for WBC in Melbourne. It was an incredible experience, and it felt like wed been welcomed with open arms by the coffee community worldwide. The following year I volunteered in Rimini and I also managed the bars in Gothenburg this summer. Its a great opportunity to be at face level with the leaders of our industry.

Q. Whats the key to volunteering at these events? A. The key is to be patient and understanding of different skill levels. Youve got to be enthusiastic and helpful with someone whos a first time volunteer while also engaging the more skilled baristas. Its so important to make sure that all volunteers feel important and welcome! The best advice for a volunteer is to be confident and trust your abilities! Engage with your customer on their experience and perfect your craft You never know, you might be talking to a past champion!

Q. Whats they key to working at these events?A. Go into these situations with a plan and you stay motivated. Communication, scheduling, and bar flow are major factors that come into play when preparing for TED, and as long as all of those components are set, things tend to work out smoothly. However, staying flexible, keeping sharp, and having a calm & positive attitude like Amy Ball around definitely ensures the aforementioned.

Q. and the biggest reward of volunteering?A. Meeting the very talented and smart people that gather around this event. The