The winners of the Queensland and Northern Territory round of the Community Coffee Champs have been announced.
The first event of the new series, introduced by the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA), took place at Barista Equip Australia in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, where the winners of the Brewers Cup, Latte Art Competition, and Barista Competition were decided.
In the Brewers Cup Paulie Hui claimed first place, while Sarah Jin came second, and Dan Bottesini third. For the Latte Art Competition Amy Zhang came first, Juan Escobar second, and Gary Lee third. And in the Barista Competition Angus Mackie placed first, Liam Pratt runner up, and Frances Tin Lam Cheng third.
The new regional competitions are the preliminary rounds for the Australian Coffee Championships (ACC) 2025. They are designed to provide competitors from all backgrounds an equal opportunity to qualify for the national competition.
As part of the new format, inspired by the first World Barista Championship, each entrant is required to play the role of the barista behind the counter while the judges act as the customer.
For the Brewers Cup, competitors must present three individually brewed coffees on stage under an assigned presentation time, while competitors in the Barista Competition must prepare four espressi coffees, two animal-milk drinks, and two plant-based drinks.
For the Latte Art Competition, participants are evaluated on precision and creativity, and must present two matching animal-milk free-pour macchiati, two matching plant-based milk free-pour lattes, and two matching designer patterns with animal milk. Participants must use milks provided by sponsors Riverina Fresh and The Alternative Dairy Co.
Each winner from the Queensland and Northern Territory regional competitions will go on to compete in the ACC 2025.
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