Copenhagen played host to the Nordic Barista Cup this year – a team event that is as much about coffee education as it is about competitive spirit …
The Nordic region encompasses the five main countries: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. (For the nitpickers, let me acknowledge that the Nordic region actually includes an additional three very small but beautiful countries: Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland Islands, adding another ½% to the region’s population).
With a population of only 25 million, these five Nordic countries have been heavy hitters in the world of coffee. As evidence, these countries have delivered 6 of the 12 World Barista Champions since the competition started in 2000.
This success is not so surprising, with the knowledge that Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark lead the rest of the world in coffee consumption per capita. For completeness, Sweden comes sixth after the Netherlands in the table of coffee consumers.
An additional factor is the contribution to the region’s people of coffee knowledge from the Nordic Barista Cup. This event has been run annually from 2003.
The NBC is totally unlike the World Barista Championship. Rather than a competition between individual baristas, the Nordic Barista Cup is a team event which is as much about education as about competition. The audience participates in the learning experience, along with the competitors.
The NBC motto is “Be together, act together, learn together”.
My company, Cafetto, sponsored this year’s competition event, which was held in beautiful Copenhagen.
The seminars were fascinating and included topics such as Morton Münchow’s research into the determinants of milk foam quality, the different acid concentrations (citric, phosphoric, malic, quinic, lactic and acetic) found in coffees grown at different altitudes and a hands-on tasting of beers, looking at different malting processes and brewing techniques.
The 2007 World Barista Champion, James Hoffman, gave a characteristic lecture on the topic of ‘reinventing espresso’, seeking to challenge baristas to expand the methods of coffee brewing.
The Nordic Barista Cup is a fun and educational interactive learning experience. Judging by the content and success of the event, it is no wonder the Nordic countries have done so well at the coffee craft. Sweden won this year’s event, and the 2012 NBC will be held again in Copenhagen on 16 – 18 August.
STORY BY CHRIS SHORT
