World Coffee Events, the organizers who present and preside over the biggest international events in specialty coffee, are currently in the development phase for a brand new world-wide roasting competition. Provisionally titled “The World Roasting Challenge”, it would be the first competition to pit national roasting champions on a global stage, and represents the very first originally conceived coffee showdown from the WCE.
Not much is known beyond that, and this news raises a lot of questions from Sprudge Moloko Patio Temporary HQ over how such an event could go down: 5 Sample Roasts, 5 Roasts, 5 Signature Blends, 15 minutes? “Not likely,” a friend of an inside source tells Sprudge, “the event will be a complete departure in almost every way.”
What will the roasters be judged on? How long will coffees rest before they’re evaluated? Will that be a factor at all? There are so many questions that will be answered in coming weeks. Until then, we’re absolutely thrilled of the possibilities of the impact of such an event.
Since its inception over a decade ago, the World Barista Championship has certainly elevated the way the world thinks and prepares espresso. Before the WBC, you were hard pressed to find decent espresso in countries other than say, the US, UK or Western Europe. Now, you’re just as likely to find good espresso in all 57 countries represented at the competition.
An event like this would raise the bar for roasters on a global level. It would also be a contentious battle, where roast styles popularized by certain regions would be subject to international scrutiny.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on developments as they happen behind the closed doors of World Coffee Events HQ. Stay tuned to Sprudge.com for all the latest.
