Jie Yang of Sim Pur Coffee in China has won an all-expenses paid trip to Toronto, Canada in the final of the Milklab Barista Battle at the 2023 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) on 18 August.
“I’m so happy to have won. Although I’ve competed in many barista competitions, the last few years I haven’t been competing due to COVID-19, so I was actually quite nervous this time,” says Jie.
Tyler Wong of Strengthbrew Coffee Bar in Malaysia placed second in the competition final.
Jie has been invited to become a Milklab Master Barista. Having won the international final, Jie scored a trip for two to the Toronto Coffee Festival 2024.
Jie created a horse latte art pattern in the first round using Milklab Oat Milk, a caveman pattern in the second round with Milklab Almond Milk, and an eagle pattern in the final round using Milklab’s oat milk. He finished with 134 points out of 150.
“I created patterns that I thought the judges and Australian coffee community would like,” Jie says.
“I had to keep reminding myself to slow down and not rush. Luckily I had practiced a lot before the competition, so I used my muscle memory to remember how to draw the patterns.”
Jie attributes the win to the support from his friends and family in China.
“Before the competition I was focused on training, so I didn’t get to spend much time with my wife. I promised her if I won, I would take her with me to Toronto, so I’m really excited to visit Canada for the first time with her,” says Jie.
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