Matthew Lewin of Ona Coffee has won the seventh Fushan Barista Cup in Hainan, China
Matthew used a similar routine to the one he presented at the 2018 Australian Specialty Coffee Association National Barista Championship Final. He talked about the implications of freezing coffee and what it meant for specialty coffee in the future.
Matthew took the judges on a journey, describing each course and the people involved in creating or influencing those courses. The menus were written in both English and Mandarin so that all judges were able to experience the performance.
For his espresso, Matthew spoke about the Finca Deborah washed coffee he was using and its producer, Jamison Savage.
For his milk-based round, Matthew used a natural processed coffee from Kochere, Ethiopia which was created through collaboration with his coach and employer, Saša Šestić.
For his signature beverage, Matthew referenced his coach and mentor Hidenori Izaki, 2014 World Barista Champion, who over several years has helped Matthew approach flavour in new and exciting ways. Hidenori’s guidance was essential for Matthew to understand his coffee and to construct his signature beverage. In this drink, Matthew used a sieve to separate the Finca Deborah washed coffee into microns above and below 500 microns, using the different sizes to accentuate different flavours, including bergamot and jasmine.
The result, was a high-scoring routine that saw Matthew win the event and take home a giant novelty cheque and trophy.
“It’s an incredible feeling to win. I have been wanting to come to the Fushan Cup for the past three years and finally I’ve been able to. It’s an absolute honour to win the competition. I worked my hardest to serve the best coffee and to honour the incredible competition that the Fushan Cup is,” Matthew says.
“To all the competitors, judges, volunteers, and officials, thank you for sharing a fantastic week spreading the good word of specialty coffee.”
For more information, visit onacoffee.com.au
