Angus Mackie of Ona Coffee has been named the top ranked barista in Australia, according to the Australian Specialty Coffee Association’s (ASCA) #top12 ranking.
The announcement was made on 29 November following the completion of all regional competitions, and a comparison of scores across the country.
ASCA announced Archie Chiu of Code Black Coffee as the top ranked Brewer in the country, Jibbi Little is the highest ranked Latte Artist, Yama Kim is the top placed Cupper, and Adam Marley is the top ranked Australian roaster.
“This is an exciting time for ASCA and its competitors. For the first time we actually know where competitors are ranked ahead of the ASCA Australian Coffee Championships at MICE,” says ASCA President Brent Williams.
“I’m confident the ranking system will encourage our baristas to push even further and produce their best at the regional competitions. This new system will elevate Australia’s coffee championships to another level. It’s game on.”
The #ASCATop12 is a new coffee ranking system that will seed Australian competitors. Due to increasing volume of competitors in each category, the seeding will help decide who gets the precious eight spots in the open heats at the 2018 Australian Coffee Championship, taking place at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo from 22 to 24 March.
Regional winners will continue to gain automatic entry into semi-finals (for Barista) and finals (for Cup Tasters, Brewers Cup, and Latte Art).
Those named in the top 12 and not regional winners have gained automatic entry into the open round in their respective competition category.
The ASCA top 12 rankings are:
Australian Baristas:
1. Angus Mackie
2. Craig Simon
3. Tilly Sproule
4. Anthony Douglas
5. Matt Lewin
6. Daniel Wilson
7. Adam Metelmann
8. Jack Simpson
9. Todd Souter / Matt Holmes
10. Weihao Jin
11. Raihaan East
12. Hyemi Lee
Also going through to Open Heats (in alphabetical order by surname): Callum Jubb, Stuart Law and Valerie Tkatchenko.
Australian Brewers Cup:
1. Archie Chiu
2. Zenki Ho
3. Chanho Hong
4. Isaac Kim
5. David Train
6. Harry Ko
7. Heath Dalziel
8. Alex Murfet
9. Ben Cheong
10. Matthew Troughton
11. Sarah Jin
12. Devin Loong / Luke Scott
Also going through to Open Heats (in alphabetical order by surname): Simon Jaramillo, Jay Lee and Eisha Ryden-Hale.
Australian Latte Artists:
1. Jibbi Little
2. Shinsaku Fukayama
3. Phattra Phithakphon
4. Li Tao
5. Nate Lee
6. Georgina Lumb
7. Andy Tseng
8. Ha Ram Gang
9. Shen Choy Ong
10. JuYoung Kim / Man Kit Wong
11. Francesca Lee
12. Jennifer Van Den Avoort
Also going through to Open Heats (in alphabetical order by surname): Yi Gao, Brian Tung and Ziiong Xin.
Australian Cuppers:
1. Yama Kim
2. Jin Ha
3. Tom Bomford
4. King Luen Wong
5. Shangchul Lee
6. Ru Teow
7. Dang Nguyen
8. Juwon Jung
9. Nuno Park
10. Geuncheol Yu
11. Oliver James
12. Jack Allisey
Also going through to Open Heats (in alphabetical order by surname): Dung Chuan Wen, Georgia Major, Frankie Shi and Sewoong Yoon.
Australian Roaster:
1. Adam Marley of Monastery Coffee
2. Danilo Andrade of Extraction Artisan Coffee
3. Michael Allen of Small Batch Roasting Co
4. Ben Toovey of Genovese Coffee
5. Zenki Ho Code of Black Coffee Roasters
6. Tyler Ritchie of The Little Marionette
7. Nick Raven of Ravens Coffee Roastery
8. Kritsade Ngampongpan of St Ali
9. Keith Kleindiek of Grace & Taylor Coffee Company
10. Zach Oakes of Profile Coffee Roasters
11. Nameru Upretee of Stitch Coffee
12. Gareth Maddock of Veneziano Coffee Roasters
Each of these top 12 roasters have scored a place in the Amc Roasters Supply NZ Australian Roasting Championship, taking place at MICE.
The #ASCATop12 is a new coffee ranking system that seeds Australian competitors. Due to increasing volume of competitors in each competition category, the seeding helps decide who gets the precious spots in the open heats at the 2018 Australian Coffee Championship, taking place at MICE.
Congratulations to the #ASCATop12. All competitors will be notified by email, where full registration details will be communicated.
For more information, visit australianspecialtycoffee.com.au
Image credit: Jeff Hann
