Features

Riverina Fresh: the cream of the comp

Danny Wilson is in high spirits following his third-place win at the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship (CIGS) in November. Following the results, the Ona roaster celebrated with a glass of champagne before attending the official competition after party with his team.

“It’s crazy to think I only [had] about four months’ preparation in total. To end up third with so much talent in the competition is super inspiring. It’s a testament to the quality of Australian specialty coffee,” Danny says.

2018 Australian Brewers Cup Champion Heath Dalziel not just first time lucky

The past year couldn’t have been more of a surprise to me. At the beginning of September 2017 I would have said I’m not interested in competing in coffee championships. Little over a year later, I placed 10th in the 2018 World Brewers Cup (WBrC).

The Brewers Cup is a platform that can mean something different to each competitor. For me, it was a way to challenge myself and grow personally by getting out of my comfort zone. Through doing it, I not only accomplished these goals but managed to push myself professionally and developed my coffee knowledge immensely in a short space of time.

2018 Australian Latte Art Champion Shinsaku Fukayama: the samurai barista

It’s been quite the year. I finally lived my dream of representing Australia at the World Latte Art Championships (WLAC) and the experience was everything I could have hoped for.

I may not have won the title I went there to win, placing fourth instead, but I met so many amazing competitors from around the world and had the most incredible time.

Veneziano Coffee all under one roof

Visiting Veneziano Coffee Richmond is a unique experience. Passing its roastery operations, cupping lab and a smaller interactive micro roastery, you are welcomed into its newly opened 80-seat dining space. But that’s not all Veneziano Coffee Roasters has to offer, with a state-of-the-art training studio upstairs.

Veneziano’s training school runs three sessions a day, covering everything from the barista basics to roasting and cupping.

2018 Australian CIGS Champion Danny Wilson loves coffee cocktails

I love creating coffee cocktails. Experimenting with different recipes, ingredients, and techniques is super rewarding. It teaches you how many possible ways there is to serve coffee.

In July 2018 I won the Australian Coffee in Good Spirits Championship. For me, this win felt like the culmination of five years of competition.

The Sam Low down

Sam Low says his two passions, specialty coffee and Chinese gastronomy, share more in common than is immediately obvious.

“[Gastronomy] is one of those topics you jump into, and the more you try to understand it, the less you understand,” Sam says.

Trends Sam says are gaining momentum in the coffee and food industries are traceability, and the flavour of terroir.

Service Sphere looks at what lies beneath

Much like a car, espresso machines require regular check-ups from a trained professional to prevent potential issues and replace worn parts.

Service Sphere Director Maurizio Marcocci says it’s surprising how many café owners and roasters still don’t understand the benefit of regular maintenance.

2018 Australian Barista Champion Craig Simon has a game plan

Competitions are one of the most rewarding growth experiences available to a barista. They’re scary, fun, tough, and competitive, but highly worth trying to benchmark your skills and putting yourself in a challenging position.

The hardest part about starting your competition campaign is knowing where to start. Competing can be quite a daunting process: standing up in front of a panel of judges, displaying your skills to professionals and in some cases, presenting a speech with the countdown clock and flashing cameras in your peripheral. The key to starting your competition preparation, however, is to do just that – start.

It’s showtime for MICE2019

It’s an awkward feeling when you haven’t been invited to the hottest ticket event of the year. Nobody likes missing out, and no-one likes being an after-thought invite. To avoid such disappointment, consider yourself personally invited to the biggest coffee dedicated event of the year – MICE, taking place from 7 to 9 February, 2019.

Are you excited? You should be. This is a once-a-year opportunity to celebrate the Australian coffee industry, your industry.

Andrade Bros Estate explores a new frontier

Winning the coveted Cup of Excellence (COE) competition is like winning an Oscar at the Academy Awards. Just as the esteemed movie awards celebrate the best in cinematic production, each year the COE commends hundreds of farmers who submit their best coffees for assessment. The coffee with the highest score out of 100 is announced in front of hundreds at an awards ceremony, only without the red carpet arrival and golden statue. In this competition, becoming a champion is the reward.

Ismael Andrade knows this feeling well. On 30 October, his name and farm, Andrade Bros Estate Coffees, comprising Sao Silvestre and Capim Branco farms, was announced as winners of Brazil’s Naturals COE competition with a score of 93.26 for a lot from the Paraíso farm in the Capim Branco Terroir unit.