DaVinci Gourmet is renowned for its support of the coffee industry and the talented barista …
As part of this support, I have been travelling around doing quite a bit of judging for a variety of different sectors within this same industry. For a number of years now, I have been judging regional, state and national barista competitions in both this and my previous roles and have spent many hours tasting some of the best coffees in the competition arena.
In most competitions, a barista needs to serve an espresso, cappuccino and an espresso centric, ‘signature beverage’. On top of this, just to add extra pressure, the competitors also need to convey their passion for the bean and incorporate their understanding of the journey their chosen bean has taken from the tree to arrive on the table in front of me.
This year, my first stop along the ‘DaVinci Coffee Judging Tour’ was at the 2011 Gloria Jean’s National Latte Art Competition. This was a great start to my journey, as the level of competition was extremely high. I enjoy these competitions, as they are a slightly more relaxed day where baristas showcase their abilities – more so than that of their chosen bean or blend. Adam Menzell from Mount Barker in South Australia took out first place. He was challenged, but his relaxed presentation, coupled with nice precise designs, got him over the line.
The next stop on the tour was the 2011 BRITA Professional HotClub Cup. This competition, founded by Hennessy Coffee, is aimed at the Hotels, Clubs and Pubs sector; it’s in its second year and has quickly developed into a tough competition in this market.
Although presentation is important, as always with these competitions, the taste of the finished drink is critical. Paul Jing from Revesby Workers Club combined professionalism and skill during his presentation, to take the title with one of the best fusions of espresso and tea I have tasted in all my years of judging.
Coming up next was the show stopper in my journey. It was going to be pleasurable to watch baristas from each state in Australia compete for the DaVinci State of Origin teams challenge. This competition has evolved to emulate what happens in a busy café on a daily basis. Each team has 20 minutes to produce 30 coffees from a variety of orders. These included milk based and non-milk based beverages, as well as DaVinci flavoured drinks presented in both take-away and ceramic cups.
Although there was a lot a fun and frivolity, this was a serious competition, with no team holding back. The heats were very tight, with some only coming down to a matter of individual points.
The final was made up of the Veneziano Coffee sponsored team from Victoria and the Ona Coffee sponsored ACT team, with the Victorians taking out the overall title.
The final leg of my journey had me up in Queensland for the finals of the 2011 Zarraffa’s barista competition. This competition was held at The Marine Village Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast and was an extremely professional event, with the current Australian Barista of the Year and third-place winner at the 2011 World Barista Championships, Matt Perger, as MC.
The judging panel was of the highest standard, with all of the judges holding current AASCA National Barista Judging Accreditation and boasting decades of experience in the coffee industry.
Each contestant was judged based on current World Barista Competition standards and was required to present one shot of espresso, one cappuccino and one signature drink. Each performance on the day was followed by another stellar show, and the day ended up with a very close competition.
In the end though, each competitor is judged by their performance on stage, on that day, and not by anything else – and congratulations had to go to Kate White from Zarraffa’s Coffee, Upper Coomera. Kate delivered understated passion for coffee and a professional presentation with great flow.
Her espresso was very good; her cappuccino smooth and creamy with great balance, and her signature beverage was short, understated and very delightful.
Thinking back over the past few months, I have been from one end of the coffee competition spectrum to the other, with all pleasantly surprising me in its own way. No matter what sector of the coffee market you are in, you must admire any barista that goes out there and nervously gives their best shot and grows from the experience.
That is why DaVinci Gourmet is dedicated to building relationships and cultivating experience in baristas through supporting the specialty coffee industry completely.
STORY BY BRENT WILLIAMS
