This was also the first year the competition was held during a dedicated coffee event, the inaugural Melbourne International Coffee Expo. The Grand Pavilion at the Melbourne Showgrounds was abuzz with exhibitors from the coffee industry, both domestic and from abroad.

It proved to be a great environment in which to hold the AASCA Championships, with the competitions achieving a record number of entrants, some 250 competitors and producing some well-deserved winners, who will attend the world events later this year:

Detpak AASCA Australian Barista Championship – Mr Craig Simon, Veneziano Coffee Roasters. Runners-up: Will Priestly; Janelle Kingsley.

Pura AASCA Latte Art Championship – Mr Scott Luengen, Cup Espresso. Runners-up: Angus Mackie; Jen Marks.

AASCA Cup Tasting Championship – Mr Fred Lullfitz, Di Bella Coffee. Runners-up: Jonny Pisanelli; Craig Simon.

AASCA Cup Brewers Championship – Mr Matt Perger, St Ali. Runners-up: Dan Yee; Josh Tarlo.

Congratulations to all the competitors, especially the finalists, who put on a world class show for the general public on Sunday. As the biggest competition yet, it was a wonderful reminder to all of us working for, and with, AASCA that the breadth of knowledge and level of skills in the specialty coffee industry in Australia grows exponentially every year.

Thanks to all the sponsors: Detpak, Pura Milk, DaVinci Gourmet, Brita, Cafetto, Nuova Simonelli, Espresso Mechanics, Pullman Tampers, Axis Travel, Natvia, Caspak, BeanScene, Lattore & Dutch, C4 Coffee Roasters and Marco & Hario for their unwavering support, without whom these competitions would not be possible.

Most importantly, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the volunteers for their tireless work. They ensured that all aspects of the weekend’s competitions were run seamlessly. It was wonderful to see the New Zealand contingent of world-qualified judges who loaned their expertise to our barista competition. We are extremely fortunate to have these individuals, with more than ample world experience behind them, support and mentor our entrants within the competition arena.

This year as President of AASCA, I had a first hand experience of the planning and countless hours of hard work that goes into this type of event, but I still found myself looking around on Sunday afternoon and being amazed that AASCA is a volunteer organisation. A huge thank you once again, and we hope to see you all back again next year!

Craig Dickson.