Tilly Sproule of Tim Adams Specialty Coffee has won the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) Northern Region Barista Championship for the fifth year straight.

Zhuolu Xie of TonyJ Lab placed second and Sarah Jin of Extraction Artisan Coffee placed third in the 2020 Northern Region Barista Championship, which took place at Latitude Coffee from 5 to 6 October.

“This year I dived into the power of our relationships, and why developing relationships with our producers is the key for the sustainable future of specialty coffee,” Tilly says.

“This is a goal that I’ve personally been working on throughout my last six years of competition, and each year I explore this more. It was a really great feeling to be able to present a routine with this focus that I believe so strongly in.”

Tilly used two Geishas from Jamison Savage of Finca Deborah in Panama during her routine, a washed process for espresso and natural for milk-based.

“[Jamison’s] coffees are absolutely incredible, with such refinement and complexity that speaks wonders of the terroir of his farm,” Tilly says. “I wish everyone could try my espresso, and after speaking with Jamison, it’s everything he believes his coffee can be which makes my team and I extremely proud.”

For her signature drink, Tilly used a carbonic maceration (CM) Catuai from the Lanza Family at La Huerta in Honduras.

“I was able to explore the growth of my relationship with the Lanza’s and how we’ve unlocked new flavours in this coffee. Four years ago, I shared their washed Catuai in barista competition, but this year we tried CM and it took this coffee to a whole new level,” Tilly says.

“What was vibrant citrus qualities, is now incredible sparkling stone fruits so I played on this for my ingredients.”

The signature drink included a milk fermentation, apricot molasses, and cherry-infused smoke. Tilly created an anaerobic environment to further enhance the sparkling qualities she and the Lanza’s were able to achieve through CM.

“I’m going to continue developing these processes because I loved that we could turn the volume right up on this coffee through these techniques and ingredients,” Tilly says.

“We’ve been working on [this coffee] together for the last year so I was very excited to share it.”

Latitude Coffee also hosted the ASCA 2020 Northern Region Brewers Cup, Latte Art, and Cup Tasters Championship.

As well as placing third in Barista, Sarah Jin won the ASCA 2020 Northern Region Brewers Cup, where Karen Silver of Pourboy placed second, and Cooper Ahrens of Blue Sky Coffee placed third.

Kyujong Han of Ginger & Green café won the ASCA Northern Region Latte Art Championship for the second year in a row. Yue Huang of ASK Career Training College placed second and Chi Hang Lo of B+C Lab Café placed third.

Kyujong’s patterns followed an animal theme, with a gorilla and kangaroo for his free pours, and a flamingo pattern for his designer latte art.

Karl Lee of KL Coffee won the ASCA 2020 Northern Region Cup Tasters Championship with a score of seven out of eight in three minutes and 48 seconds. Merryn Ward of Woodman’s Axe Espresso placed second and Josh Gowty of Veneziano Coffee Roasters placed third.

“This year, we saw a lot of new – and old – faces in Barista as well as the other categories showcasing some amazing talent and very inspiring routines,” Tilly says.

“I’m excited to be a part of this growth up in the Northern Region and I can’t wait to represent our region on the 2020 National Stage.”

Till thanks her team at Tim Adams Specialty Coffee for their continued support.

“We’ve devoted a lot of time to training and my personal development already this year and we won’t be stopping anytime soon. I am so grateful to have people around me who support me as much as they do, and also the whole community up here in Queensland,” Tilly says.

“I hope I can encourage everyone to look towards the future of our industry and consider if we are creating one that is sustainable. Ultimately, this can look different for each of us but I strongly believe it’s through the power of our relationships that will push us in this direction.”

The next ASCA 2020 regional will take place in Melbourne from 26 to 27 November. For more information, visit www.australianspecialtycoffee.com.au