Poland will play host to four World Coffee Championships (WCC) in 2020 at the Specialty Coffee Association’s World of Coffee expo in Warsaw from 18 to 20 June.
The event will include the World Latte Art (WLAC), Coffee in Good Spirits (WCIGS), Cup Tasters (WCTC), and Cezve/Ibrik Championships (CIC).
After progressing from qualifying events around the world, more than 100 competitors will represent their national competition bodies on the world stage. Attendees and fans will be able to cheer them on from the Ptak Expo centre, along with thousands of online viewers.Aside from viewing the Warsaw World Coffee Championships stages, attendees will be able to sample espresso and brewed coffee from a variety of international roasters at the WCC Bars. Day one of the event will also feature a WLAC bar and WCIGS Spirit Bar features, which take place off-stage.
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At the WLAC, baristas focus on artistic expression in milk drinks, demonstrating their ability to replicate two identical milk beverages from a photo presented on stage. They produce their designs using free-pouring, surface manipulation, and etching, creating designs in a variety of cup sizes. The championship consists of three rounds, after the first round, the top 12 scoring competitors will compete again to find the top six that will compete in the final round.
Promoting innovation in beverage recipes combining coffee and alcohol, the WCIGS is split into two rounds. The preliminary stage round sees competitors produce two identical hot drinks and two identical cold drinks, as well as the Spirit Bar round. The six competitors with the highest preliminary round scores will compete in the final round, where competitors produce two Irish Coffees and two coffee-and-alcohol-based designer drinks.
The WCTC awards coffee tasters that demonstrates speed, skill, and accuracy in distinguishing the taste differences in specialty coffees. Three cups are placed in a triangle, with two cups being identical coffees and one being a different coffee. Using skills of smell, taste, attention, and experience, the tasters identify wat they believe is the odd cup in the triangle as quickly as they can. A total of eight triangles are placed in each round. The top eight competitors with the most correct answers and the fastest time proceed to the semi-finals round. Then, the top four compete again in the finals to determine the next World Cup Tasters Champion.
The cezve or ibrik, also known as Turkish coffee, is one of the oldest coffee preparation methods. The CIC celebrates it’s history and the skills or understanding needed to prepare and present each cup. Competitors are encouraged to bring their own cultural twist or flair to their performance, using sand or gas heaters in a 15-minute presentation to prepare a simple cezve/ibrik, and a signature cezve/ibrik.
The 2020 World Brewers Cup and Barista Championship will take place at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo from 4 to 7 May.
For more information, visit wcc.coffee or follow #WCCWarsaw on social media.
Image credit: Jeff Hann for World Coffee Events
