"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

London put on a great show for the 2010 World Barista Championship. This year, national champions from 54 countries were up on stage, presenting before a panel of judges. Out of the pool of 54, only 12 progressed to the semi-final round. There was a huge roar from the vocal Aussie contingent as Australian Barista Champ, Scottie Callaghan, got through to the semis.

It was exciting to see five competitors from coffee producing countries make it through to the semi finals, a testament to the improving relations between growers, roasters and baristas. As the semi final round arrived, excitement and stress levels rose exponentially! Competitors had been training for months (sometimes years) for their 15 minutes on stage – half of them would go through to the finals and for half of them, it would be a long trip home.

After presenting some amazing interpretations of specialty coffee on the stage, the results finally came through. Again, the Aussies went wild as Scottie progressed to the final round of the 2010 World Barista Championship! The final six countries were Australia, USA, Guatemala, Ireland, Denmark and Greece, a great mixture from around the world.

After a tense round of competition with the stadium packed out and people cheering from their spots in the aisles, Michael Phillips from Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago, USA took out the top podium. Michael’s signature drink combined an exciting sensory aspect, representing three different coffees from the same farm in Costa Rica, along with the technical challenge of changing these coffees through the grinder in the tight 15 minute time frame. Scottie gave a polished performance, placing 3rd in the world with his cardamom infused signature drink and dynamic engagement with the judges.

London put on a great show, and excitement is already building about next year’s event, which will be the first WBC to be hosted by a coffee producing nation. Colombia will be hosting the next event in Bogota and competitors will be able to visit coffee growing regions in this beautiful country.

Check out the WBC website for more. The AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association (AASCA) website has information about this year’s Australian championships.