Cafe Customers – is your favourite local cafe participating? If not, ask them why they haven’t signed up yet? For a list of participating cafes visit the StreetSmart website www.streetsmartaustralia.org/findcafe

Cafe Owners – Why sign up your cafe? For lots of good reasons, for example …..

• you’ll be helping people who desperately need your support

• it’s local – your donations will support people in your suburb or region

• you’ll be helping to tackle homelessness and build stronger communities

• it’s a unique activity– something to talk about and connect to with your customers and staff

• it brings in potential customers to familiarise themselves thereby encouraging repeat business

• your business will be promoted through partner databases, media and PR coverage

• what goes around…. comes around – feel the karma!

Go on – this is important – go to www.streetsmartaustralia.org/cafesmart_signup and get involved

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After flawless performances in his first WBC Championships, Australian Barista Champion, Matt Perger won 3rd place in the World Barista Champs 2011, held in Bogota in June.

The final placings were:

2nd Place – Pete Licata, USA

3rd Place – Matt Perger, Australia

4. Javier Garcia, Spain

5. Miki Suzuki, Japan

6. John Gordon, UK

Congratulations to Alejandro, the finalists and all the 2011 competitors.

by Emily Oak, Director, WBC and AIR Training & Development Manager

From June 23-25th at Olympia, in Kensington London, the world’s best baristas and coffee professionals gathered together under one roof to celebrate all facets of the specialty industry. Baristas from more than 50 countries represented their individual nations competing against each other in a bid to win the global title.
This year was fresh and even more interesting for two main reasons. Firstly, it was the first time a semi final round was introduced into the competition. This added a layer of complexity and difficulty for competitors and judges. Secondly, there were more than 15 second or third time champions competing. This mean the standard of performance was higher than it has ever been before. Australia’s reining Barista Champion Scottie Callaghan, (who was also World Latte Art Champion 2006 and Australian Barista Champion 2007) put in a solid performance, making it through both the preliminary and semi final rounds to the final of the championship, no easy task at all. Scott came away with the third place trophy, making him the third best barista in the world. Combined with the efforts of the rest of ‘Team Australia’ competing in a whole range of competitions (Latte Art, Good Spirits and Cup Tasting) Scott’s placing helped secure the overall team trophy for Australia…. Well Done!

- we found some of the ‘best of the best’ at the 2008 Danes Grand Barista Champs.

After a 2 year hiatus, the Danes Gourmet Coffee Institute (DGCI) Grand Barista Championship (GBC) returned on 21st June 2008.

With such notable judges as Hazel de los Reyes (2005 Australian Barista Champion and current NSW Barista Champ), together with Corinne Chilcott (2001 Australian Barista Champion) and Paul Geshos (owner and head Barista for Sydney café, ‘Mecca’ – voted Sydney’s best coffee by Crema Magazine for 2007) the focus was on the professional barista’s technical skill and passion. 20 of Australia’s best Baristas lined up to compete in presenting, within a 12 minute time frame, 4 espresso, 4 milk based coffees and 4 identical latte art designs.

The volume and time restrictions of the WBC were removed to provide the barista with complete freedom to fully exploit the maximum flavour potential of the coffee. In keeping with the belief that one of the most important parts of coffee making is consistency, judges were primarily concerned with the coffee flavour and consistent brewing time and volume.

Again, unlike the WBC, competitors could present any milk-based coffee with the focus being on the balance of espresso and textured milk.

And finally, the last component to the competition focused on the barista’s skill with latte art. This is not judged on taste but rather on the skill of presenting 4 identical free-pour patterns, which the competitor can present in any vessel to best showcase their artwork. ‘We chose not to incorporate a ‘signature beverage’ component’, said Paul Jackson, Director of Danes Gourmet Institute, ‘coffee is the most chemically complex food product on the planet in terms of flavour and aroma – why try to add anything to it? We wanted to keep the focus purely on the coffee’.

Four separate heats were held before the Grand Final on the 21 June, bringing the field down to 5 competitors for the Finals.

And, the winners were 1^st Habib Maarbani (NSW), 2^nd Jesse Hyde (VIC) and 3^rd David Seng (VIC). For an insight into what makes these top baristas ‘tick’, visit our story – where we asked these top barista’s to tell us what it is that drove them to the top and what keeps them there.

And, if you are a barista and need any more encouragement to enter next year, David Makin, 2008 Australian Barista Champion competed in two Danes Gourmet Coffee Grand Barista Championships (2004/2005 placing 3rd & 2nd).

Roasters and baristi converged from all over Australia to showcase their coffee – and the crowds took the opportunity, as they lined up 20-30 deep at each stand, of tasting some of the best single origins and blends that Australia has to offer.

Also packing in the crowds in the Overseas Passenger Terminal, was the Domestic Espresso Machine Expo where the likes of Scotty Callaghan (2006 World Latte Art Champion) could be found in the stable of Espresso Company Australia, preparing coffees on a Giotto or Vibiemme. Or, you might have bumped into Jack Hanna (2007 World Latte Art Champion) as he was seen milling through the crowds. All the ‘usual suspects’ were present – Sunbeam, Saeco and Gaggia as well as Canberra’s Cosmorex Coffee showcasing the superb Diadema range of machines – the Junior and the more up-market Splendor. They were also making coffee for the passing parade and the perspex espresso machine, showing the internal machination, was a great attraction.

All in all, it was a great day. And if you did happen to get just a little bit tired of coffee, you could always sample the chocolates, tea or spices that were on display.

Definitely a date to put in the diary.

In an unprecedented result, Australia brought home the World Latte Art title for the third year running. Cool, calm and collected, Con Haralambopolous out-performed the other competitors from over 50 countries to bring home the crown ahead of Russia’s Kira Malchenko and Japan’s Akihiro Okada.

We have always known that Australia is a leader in the world of coffee but now there can simply be no question with Scottie Callaghan and Jack Hanna (both contributors for Crema Magazine) having won in 2006 and 2007 respectively and now Con Haralambopolous completing the hat trick!
Con, of course, won the title of Australian Latte Art Champion at the Australian Barista Champs in early May. He was also runner up to David Makin in the Australian Barista Championships.

David, a seasoned competitor on the Australian stage, gave an outstanding performance to bring home 2^nd prize from the coveted World Barista Championships. Competing against national champions from 51 countries, David sailed smoothly through the heats to secure one of the 6 spots for the finals. His final performance was relaxed and technically flawless and David was beaten by only the slimmest of margins by the added showmanship of Ireland’s Stephen Morrissey, ahead of Liesbeth Sleijster from the Netherlands in third place.

So, as the Australian Barista Champion and having won 2^nd place on the World stage, David’s work for 2008 is well and truly done!…our congratulations.

If you tried in vain to watch the live feed from Copenhagen, we have footage of David’s entire 15 minute award winning performance from the Australian Barista Champs – it’s as close as it gets to having been there!

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