Ben Toovey

2020 Australian Coffee Roasting Championship

Takumi Sakamoto of Deluca Coffee wins 2019 Australian Coffee Roasting Championship

Takumi Sakamoto of Deluca Coffee has won the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) 2019 Australian Coffee Roasting Championship, held at Criteria Coffee in Port Melbourne, Victoria from 29 to 31 May. Pat Connolly of Genovese Coffee placed second and Daniel Shadbolt of Veneziano Coffee Roasters placed third in the competition. “I’ve been roasting for six or seven years and never entered any competitions. I kind of wanted to prove something, that I can do good. I just can’t believe I won,” Takumi tells BeanScene.
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Ben Toovey

2018 Australian Roasting Champion Ben Toovey on the most important link

Coffee is an incredibly complex product, with many links in the chain from the origin that it’s grown in, to the final beverage we consume. You may hear some people say that the producer has “the most important role, because without them there is no coffee”. Or maybe you’ve heard that “it’s the barista that is the key, for without their careful preparation and customer service, all of the farmers’ hard work can be in vain”. I’m a roaster, so you may expect me to say that we have the most crucial task of reaching the full potential of the green coffee. The truth is, you probably won’t hear me say much at all, because I’m a coffee hermit, hiding in the roasting room and at the cupping table. 
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