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A barista in action at the Caffè Ritazza UK regional finals; the world finals will be held in Rome |
INTERNATIONAL. Eight finalists have qualified to compete in Rome on 23 September for the title of Caffè Ritazza World Barista Champion, a competition organised by leading food travel group SSP.
The finalists have been selected from regional competitions which took place in France, Denmark, Norway, Greece, the UK, Hong Kong and Sweden.
In the final event they will be given a rigorous set of tasks to demonstrate their expertise in the art of coffee-making. During the contest, they will be required to make four espressos, four cappuccinos and finally, four signature drinks of their own creation. They will be observed by four sensory judges and two technical judges, who will score them on how they prepare to make the coffee, their technical expertise in areas such as grinding, dosing, tamping and extracting the coffee along with following a clear process to foaming the milk. These must all be completed within a specified time limit.
Each coffee will be tasted and rated on a number of quality criteria, such as the colour and consistency of the crema on the espresso along with taste balance of the espresso, the correct consistency, quality and temperature of the milk in the cappuccinos, and the beauty and uniformity of the presentation of the four cappuccinos.
In the signature drink section, “inventiveness and flair will be key to success,” said SSP.
The competition will be judged according to the standards of the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe. This means that each of the competitors can enter external competitions following this contest, as event organiser and judge Stuart Coombes explained: “Our baristas are among the finest in the world, and this competition will give them a chance to show-case their skills and benchmark their achievements against the highest possible standards.”
The competition judges are said to be leading authorities from the world of coffee, and have long experience in the business. Stuart Coombes is a former barista competitor, while SSP Senior Vice President International Brands Richard Barclay was instrumental in the launch of SSP’s Caffè Ritazza brand.
Other judges include Paul Meikle Janney who is the head judge of two of the leading SCAE competitions and Andrea Latuada who is an Italian ex-barista champion and the coach of the current Italian champion.
“Great coffee is central to the philosophy of Caffè Ritazza,” said Coombes. “This competition underscores our commitment to the highest quality coffee and fostering the skill and knowledge required to make it. The person who wins this competition will have the satisfaction of knowing that they are at the top of their craft and a worthy ambassador of a world-class coffee brand.”
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Finalist Zlatan Zilic from Denmark in action (left) and (right) a signature drink created for the regional finals |
