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As specialty coffee moves more firmly into the culinary market, cafés and baristas strive for ways to increase their knowledge, techniques and edge over their competitors. Worldwide barista competitions have grown out of this drive towards cutting-edge effectiveness. In this month’s article, Ben Bicknell, our Coffee Quality Specialist and Vice-Chair of the AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association (AASCA), takes a behind-the-scenes look into the world of barista competitions and those who run their gauntlet.

The crowd went silent and the music faded. “Welcome judges, my name is Jonny, and I’ll be your barista today.” So began the competitive barista as he started his heat. The annual Barista Championships, held around Australia and the world, have become a vehicle for the continuing drive to position coffee in the culinary sphere rather than as just another offering in the caffeinated-drink market. For many, they also represent the perfect venue for sharing ideas, techniques and inspiration with others in the specialty coffee industry. In this month’s article, I want to focus on both what happens during the competition, and the social implications of the results.

Firstly, for those of you unfamiliar with the Barista Championships, they originated with the first World Barista Championship (WBC) in 2000, when a group of passionate coffee professionals joined together to create a competition format to showcase the best baristas from around the world. The inaugural competition was held in Monte Carlo, Monaco, with 14 countries each entering a national representative. This first competition was won by Robert Thoresen from Norway. The Australian representative, George Sabados, came fourth.

Since then, more and more countries have become involved, with the most recent WBC, held in Tokyo, Japan, hosting more than 40 of the world’s best baristas, each representing their country as national champion. These representatives came from a wide range of countries including Austria, Kenya, Argentina and Thailand. The 2007 WBC was won by James Hoffman of the United Kingdom.

WBC rules and regulations, which have been adopted by the national bodies, require a competitor to prepare four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks (a flavoured espresso concoction designed by the barista) within a 15 minute time frame. Now, to a professional barista this might sound easy, but the competitor is also judged on a wide range of criteria, from the amount of coffee they waste in preparing the various drinks to how hygienically they operate the espresso machine.

A total of seven judges assess each competitor: four sensory judges who test the quality of the drinks and presentation, two technical judges who assess the barista on consistency of technique and appropriate usage of the equipment, and one head judge who calibrates the judges and ensures there are no discrepancies in the scores. If you’d like to see the judges’ criteria, you can download the score sheets from the AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association’s (AASCA) web site, www.aasca.com.

The competitors are also judged on their professionalism, passion and dedication to their craft. Generally the barista will detail their coffee blend to the judges, explaining the components and how this will impact the flavour in the cup.

Make no mistake though, the format used in the Barista Championships is completely different to the reality of working behind the bar in a café: competitors are required to deliver a carefully-crafted presentation, preparing the best possible coffee, whilst keeping their workstation in a pristine condition.

Aside from the scored components of the Barista Championships, there is no doubt that they also have a significant social impact on the coffee region in which they are held. Over the past couple of years, involvement across Australia has spread, so that for the 2008 Australian Barista Championships, almost every State and Territory is hosting a heat, with the winners going to a national final to decide Australia’s representative for the 2008 World Barista Championship.

In 2006, WA held its first heat for the national competition and since then, we’ve seen a marked increase in the general quality of coffee being offered at cafés around the State. There’s been a corresponding rise in the number of baristas who are taking their passion and expertise to a new level, involving themselves in the development and fine tuning of their everyday blends, researching new techniques and assessing the flavour and quality of their coffee before they pass it on to the consumer. The ’08 WA Barista Championships, held in March (for more info: www.aasca.com), saw a huge rise in both the number of baristas competing and in general support for the event. In a highly competitive marketplace, these events are an oasis of neutrality, being hosted by a non-profit industry association, scored along world guidelines and judged by a mixed panel of professionals from various areas of the coffee industry.

The Barista Championships have also provided baristas with an opportunity to explore aspects of their craft that may not be available on a day to day basis in their café. From my own experience competing, I also know that even after just one competition, you immediately become more efficient and clean in your workspace — the restricted time frame of the format forces you to think a few steps ahead and clean as you go.

However, one of the most important aspects of the Barista Championships is that they provide a unique opportunity for a barista to develop a name and reputation for him or herself. Until fairly recently, being a barista was generally considered a temporary job for the likes of students and travellers. Now the barista competitions have become a powerful vehicle for demonstrating there are members of the coffee industry who excel at what they do, and have knowledge above and beyond that of a button-pushing caffeine dispenser. Many World Barista national or even regional barista champions have been able to use their title to create a solid career for themselves in an industry they love. The development of their careers from lowly cashier to barista, trainer or coffee consultant provides the opportunity for the coffee industry to retain its employees and build upon knowledge and skills.

Below is a full schedule of the 2008 Australian Barista Championships:

If you’d like to hone your barista skills, or learn the necessary skills to get started in the specialty coffee industry, why not sign up for a class at the W.A. Barista Academy, email info@baristaacademy.com.au or call on (08) 9328 7675.

© Photo provided with permission by David Bicknell. All rights reserved by photographer.