With the dust settled from the latest running of the Coffee Masters Tournament at the London Coffee Festival, we look forward to the next round of this exciting new event, happening September 16th-18th at the 2016 New York Coffee Festival. You’ll hear more about the Masters between then and now on Sprudge, but today we’re excited to announce a round of details for the event, including an open call for competitor entries.
What is the Coffee Masters? It’s an exciting interdisciplinary coffee battle royale, pitting coffee professionals against each other in a no holds barred test of speed, skill, creativity and determination, all geared around delicious coffee. The competition was created by Allegra Events and DunneFrankowski. You can view highlights of the most recent tournament in the short video below, and explore past coverage from throughout the Coffee Masters coverage archives on Sprudge.
Entries are now being accepted to compete in the Coffee Masters Tournament at the 2016 New York Coffee Festival. 16 competitors total will be chosen from a worldwide pool of applicants, and to the winner goes a cash prize of $5000 USD. To enter, submit an original video of yourself making a delicious and distinctive signature drink beverage. Videos should be one to two minutes in length, contain a clear drink recipe, and serve also a sort of introduction to who you are as a coffee professional and potential Coffee Masters competitor.
Entries are accepted until June 30th, and complete entry details are available here. While you’re at it, check out a list of tournament sponsors for the impending event in New York.
As the Coffee Masters Tournament grows with each new outing, so too does its remarkable community of judges who oversee these events. NY Coffee Masters features a who’s-who of judges, drawn from the international coffee world’s deep pool of talent. Let’s meet the judges who’ll decide this next running of the Masters.
Anne Lunell
Anne Lunell is a Swedish barista champion and the visionary behind Koppi, an internationally respected and well-loved coffee roaster in the Swedish town of Helsingborg, which she founded in 2007 with Charles Nystrand.
Dan Streetman
Dan Streetman has worked as the Green Coffee Buyer at Irving Farm Coffee Roasters for over 5 years, where he is in charge of Coffee Sourcing and Quality Assurance. He is also a licensed Q Grader. Dan has also been a volunteer for SCAA for over 10 years as a member of the Cup Tasters Committee, Barista Guild Education Pathway Committee, World Coffee Events Advisory Board, SCAA Lead Instructor, and WBC Certified Head Judge. He also likes to dance.
John Letoto
A native of Honolulu, Hawai’i, John started his career in coffee while living in Louisville, Kentucky. There, he was part of a small but influential movement that would gain national recognition and eventually send out a number of notable coffee professionals. In addition to roasting and serving guests as a barista, John has served as a USBC Judge, trainer, and occasional latte art competitor. He currently resides in Houston, Texas, enjoying the sweltering heat and his work for Greenway Coffee and Blacksmith.
Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood
Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood co-owns Colonna and Small’s in Bath, and is the co-author and publisher of Water For Coffee with Christopher H. Hendon. Maxwell is a member of the WCE competitions development board and is national co-ordinator of the SCAE UK chapter.
He is a three time World Barista Championship finalist and three time UK Barista Champion. Maxwell recently started Colonna, a sourcing and roasting company exploring how to achieve incredible coffee.
David Donde
David Donde is the founder of Truth Coffee Roasting in Cape Town, and a co-founder of the Specialty Coffee Association of South Africa.
We’re also excited to announce the Masters of Ceremonies who will preside over the 2016 New York Coffee Masters event.
Gwilym Davies
Gwilym Davies was a barista in London between 1999 to 2009—a time of spectacular growth in the London coffee scene—during which he founded Prufrock Coffee, created the London Disloyalty Card, and won the 2009 World Barista Championship. Today he runs a Barista Training Centre in Prague, and travels internationally as a judge for World Coffee Events and Coffee Masters.
Jordan Michelman
Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge.com (the very website you are now reading), a quality-focused, aesthetically driven source for independent coffee journalism. Founded in 2009 by childhood friends Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen, Sprudge is followed by thought leaders and influencers across the food and beverage world, with a writing and editorial staff in more than a dozen countries. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Michelman is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, and has written elsewhere for T Magazine, Seattle Metropolitan, and the Willamette Week. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
We’ll be reporting much more on the Coffee Masters tournament leading up to the 2016 New York Coffee Festival. But if you’re a prospective competitor, the time is now, and that link again to entry information is available here.
Sprudge.com is the official media partner of the Coffee Masters tournament. Read more Coffee Masters coverage on Sprudge.
