2013 World Barista Championship Day Two Recap

Welcome to the very best of Round One, Day Two from the 2013 World Barista Championship. Sprudge.com’s coverage of WBC is made possible by direct support from Nuova Simonelli and St. ALi. Original photography by Sprudge and Eileen P. Kenny (Birds of Unusual Vitality).

29. John Gordon, Square Mile Coffee Roasters, United Kingdom

8:15am – here we go – same as at #UKBC, Mr. Gordon begins this routine by instructing the judges to put one headphones. for more on John Gordon’s UKBC winning routine, check out this in-depth piece from our London correspondent Elyse Bouvier.

8:17 “today is about creating a complete sensory experience using not just coffee but the full range of our senses.”

8:19 you’ll notice that Mr. Gordon is competing using a modified @NuovaSimonelli Mythos grinder w/ an updated “flap” for enhanced precision

8:20 Mr. Gordon competes today using @SquareMile‘s La Buitrera, a coffee from Huila, Colombia – he’s changed coffees for #WBC2013 since #UKBC – learn more about Mr. Gordon’s Colombia La Buitrera here, via the Square Mile blog.

8:25 John Gordon’s sig drink: mango nectar vapor, passion fruit nectar vapor, both condensed via gorgeous smokey bell jars…

30. Francesco Sanapo, Italy

8:40 “with every person I meet, I discover there is something new – my research will never end. I love my job!”

8:43 Mr. Sanapo competes with a naturally processed Ethiopian Nekisse coffee, heirloom varieties (of course) – 12% moisture, raised African beds, 1700m, mixed roast profiles.

8:50 sig drink: 3 different shots with 3 different temperatures and profiles – “exploring the life of an espresso”

31. Kalle Freese, Finland

9:03 “to get the cleanest, sweetest, juiciest coffee, it must be harvested during its short season” – Kalle Freese

9:07 Mr. Freese competes w/ a red bourbon Brazilian sun dried natural, roasted for him in Oslo by Tim Wendelboe. “how clean and sweet it is for a natural…they leave this coffee overripe on the tree, and it gets really sweet, 50% than normal beans.”

9:13 sig drink: ripe plum juice, a strawberry balsamic shrub, and a plum stone kernal extract

32. Stefan Laurentiu, Barista School, Romania

9:25 straight out the block Mr. Laurentiu shouts out @OlympiaCoffee for informing the roast profile decisions of his #WBC2013 coffee!

9:31 Mr. Laurentiu competes using the famed Panama Esmeralda geisha, from the Peterson family in Boquete, Panama

9:36 We’re all quite fond of this gypsy music from Mr. Laurentiu. “I wanted to bring Romania here today, so I brought the music, the fruits…” –

33. Ryan Tan, Strangers Reunion, Singapore

9:40 prior to opening his own shop in Singapore, Mr. Tan has spent a lot of time here in Melbourne, going to University and working for @st_ali, Reading Room, & @axilcoffee

9:45 Mr. Tan competes using an Ethiopian coffee from the Guji Zone of Sidamo – a natural processed coffee. We’ve seen quite a few natural processed coffees & Ethiopian coffees at #WBC2013 – a trend to watch as we push towards semis.

34. Jose De La Pena, Cafe Casa, Guatemala

10:05 Mr. Pena is the first competitor of the day here on Day 2 at #WBC2013 to compete via a translator. Cafe Casa (from whence he hails) is located in Guatemala City – on Facebook here!

10:12 Mr. De La Pena competes using a yellow bourbon coffee from his native country of Guatemala – the first YB we’ve seen so far at #WBC2013, “lightly roasted to display flavor”

35. Areephorn Kaeajaroen, Hom Krun Coffee Company, Thailand

10:25 some competitors might dance a bit, or mouth the words – Ms. Kaeajaroen of Thailand is openly just signing along into her mic.

10:30 learn more about Hom Krun right here on Facebook.

36. Frantisek Rohacek, MyGastro, Czech Republic

advert but first coffee cookbook now available

And here, again, we must apologize as our live coverage of the 2013 World Barista Championship was adversely affected by WiFi connectivity issues. These issues also affected the stream but were swiftly addressed by the capable, patient media staff producing this show for World Coffee Events. WiFi should be much better today for Semi-Finals and throughout the rest of the weekend.

In the meantime, here’s the only Tweet we got out during Mr. Rohacek’s performance, which was quite enjoyable to watch:

10:50 ooh strawberry ice cream in Frantisek Rohacek’s cappuccinos – that sounds great.

37. Jordi Mestre, Nude Espresso, Spain

10:58 you can have an understanding of what coffee has to offer purely by observing its aromatic qualities”- Jordi Mestre

11:04 Mr. Mestre competes at #WBC2013 with an El Salvador Red Bourbon natural processed coffee roasted by Proud Mary Coffee. So, if you’re playing along at home, that makes Jordi the Spanish Champion from a UK shop serving an El Salvadoran coffee roasted in Melbourne.

11:07 i’ll be serving my espressos in capp cups, because I believe it’s easier to experience flavors.” – the judges taste their first bit of the espresso with their noses pinched! this routine is about taking senses away from the judges, then giving them back throughout service.

38. Pete Licata, Parisi Coffee, USA

11:15 Mr. Licata is competing today using a Cafe Imports coffee from producer Arnulfo Leguizamo – learn more here in our feature here.

11:20 he’s updosing his capps, all the way to 22grams, same as in his #USBC winning set. his routine is anchored visually by a multi-page book, depicting the various “hands” that have touched his coffee from seed to stage.

11:25 sig drink: shots pulled over ice, adds palm sugar simple syrup, non-alcoholic orange & lemongrass bitters, quinine – so that’s a pronounced cocktail influence on the sig.

11:30 “On behalf of Arnulfo, myself, and the many other coffee professionals who have affected this coffee, please enjoy.” Pete was every bit as good on the big stage here as he was in Boston – the US coffee scene has a powerful ambassador in Pete Licata.

39. Jinkyu Kim, Core, South Korea

11:45 “breadcrumbs, honey, sugar, and plum” in Korean champion Jinkyu Kim’s espressos, plus an added dash of K-Pop on the stereo…

11:50 fresh sugar cane, freshly pithed orange, mortar and pestled together with Mr. Kim’s espresso for the sig drink, but with a protocol that’s explained via a charming and vibrant cartoon! there’s an iPad on stage to show the judges, and they’ve synced it up to the overhead monitors and everything. ALL SIG DRINKS SHOULD GET CARTOONS.

40. Louis Donck, Donko’s Koffie, Belgium

12:00 if you’re keeping track at home, this is the second use of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” so far at #WBC2013 – will @hasbean dance again?

And down goes the wifi…

41. Chia Cheng Chien, Jim’s Burger & Coffee 88, Taiwan

12:20 Mr. Chien is not, as you would expect, the first burger-related competitor here on the WBC stage. For whatever reason, there are “burger and coffee” joints throughout Southeast Asia, and it’s not uncommon to find, say, a Taiwanese or Hong Kong champ with “burger” in their shop’s title. Awesome.

12:22 Here are pictures of those aforementioned burgers.

12:33 whoa, Chia! Taiwanese champ Chia Cheng Chien’s sig drink contains cascara ice cubes! “The perfect coffee is now served.”

42. Thanasis Nikolis, Tailor Made, Greece

12:40 gotta say, it’s a little surreal not to see @Stefanosook representing Greece at #WBC2013 – but we’re excited to see what Thanasis brings.

12:45 “As a barista, i love making coffee for my customers, and building trust and a relationship with them over coffee.”

12:48 mr. nikolis is yet another competitor here at #WBC2013 competing w/ a natural process coffee – a stunning preponderance of this style here on the big stage in Melbourne, definitely not something we were expected.

43. Colin Harmon, 3FE, Ireland

12:55 “Specialty coffee is not special just by chance – it’s special because it’s progressive.”

12:58 Mr. Harmon begins his routine by explaining a bit about the origin of the Pacarama variety, and instructs his judges to write the following notes: “baker’s chocolate” – “toasted almond” – “buttery finish”

1:02 Mr. Harmon competes at #WBC2013 using a washed Pacamara from Finca Santa Petrona in El Salvador – “red cherry, milk chocolate sweetness, green apple acidity” in the espressos.

1:05 This is easily the most singular sig drink of competition – Colin Harmon has constructed a traditional Irish stout for the judges, using his espresso, a cherry infusion, freshly pressed apple juice, and CO2. He pours this mixture into four individual beer bottles, caps said bottles and serves them to the judges in a cardboard 4-pack with a bottle opener. Hilarious, whimsical stuff from Colin Harmon.

44. Jose Luis Herrera Madrid, Inversiones Ingeniosas, Honduras

1:25 Mr. Madri’s coffee is a catuai variety grown in, where else, Honduras!

45. Mihael Gerhard Putnik, Eliscaffe, Croatia

1:32 Mihael Putnik was a last-minute addition to the competition here at WBC – he takes the place of rightful Croatian champion Nik Orosi, who chose not to represent Croatia at WBC for personal reasons.

1:35 kind of a sleepy, dreamy routine here from Mr. Putnik of Croatia – soft free jazz, not a lot of talking…he’s going to go wildly over time.

1:45 signature drink includes carrot, honey, and lemon, and some more dreamy jazz. Mr. Putnik is, in fact, going wildly over time, finishing at around the 20-minute mark.

46. Kevin Israel Fortu, Craft Coffee Workshop, Philippines

47. Hidenori Izaki, Maruyama Coffee Company, Japan

2:02 this is a very umami-focused routine here from Mr. Izaki – he’s pulling shots just to accentuate their umami characteristics, and he’s saying the word “umami” roughly every 20 seconds or so.

2:05 “the umami flavor in my drink is ever so delicate – maybe a little bit spicy like a hint of nutmeg” – for each course the judges are presented with gorgeous looking printed materials, through which they’ll build their own “binders” of information throughout the routine.

2:07 “please check crema, and make sure to stay close with me, alright? stir 5 times – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5! thank you”

48. Mirriam Simasiku, Blue Moon Cafe, Zambia

2:30 Ms. Simasiku competes using a 60% geisha from Malawi, 40% pulp natural peaberry from her native Zambia. learn more about Blue Moon Cafe right here!

49. Lovejoy Chirambasukwa, Origin Coffee Roasting, South Africa

2:55 Origin Coffee Roasters (home to @lovejoyLJ) is based in Cape Town, South Africa – learn more!

3:03 Mr. Chirambasukwa is the first competitor at #WBC2013 to compete with a Rwandan coffee, from the Karaba cooperative, yielding “clementine marmalade and a refined sweetness on the finish” in the espressos.

3:07 “I want to give my clients something special every day, and to make them ask questions.”

50. Jeremy Ho, Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, Canada

3:20 “Coffee has so many incredible aromas.” Mr. Ho begins his routine by talking through a recent green buying trip to Ethiopia, and he’s made three aromatic gels to recreate the cupping experience.

3:22 Mr. Ho competes using a coffee from the Duramina cooperative in Western Ethiopia, roasted by @philandseb

3:35 brown sugar, cherry acidity, a creamy mouthfeel and medium body” – @OhYmerej Ethiopia Duromina espresso tasting notes

51. He Hong Cao, North Woods Coffee, China

3:45 He Hong Cao is a barista trainer at North Woods Coffee, and his career in China’s booming specialty coffee scene began in 2007

3:51 “a lovely orange jasmine flavor, and a cocoa finish” – He Hong Hao of China on his #WBC2013 washed El Salvador pacamara espressos

3:57 “for me, it’s not just about coffee – it’s about service, too.” — He Hong Cao’s sig drink: cascara, honey from his hometown, hot water… serves it to the judges straight, then adds espresso.