Competitions

You’ve been waiting for this for three long, barista-talent filled days, and it’s finally come: the announcement of the six finalists in the 1th World Barista Championship, being held here in Atlanta, Georgia. Finals take […]

#50: BARISTA CHAMPION OF NORWAY ”ODA MISJE HAUG Oda is only 18 years old! You wouldnt know it by the level of professionalism of her performance, however ”she’s incredibly knowledgable about her coffee, a washed […]

#47: BARISTA CHAMPION OF GUATEMALA ”RAUL RODAS Raul is back this year after a tremendous showing in Copenhagen at the World Barista Championship in 2008. He has practiced hard for this second chance, and it […]

#44: BARISTA CHAMPION OF THE UNITED STATES ”MICHAEL PHILLIPS Oh, Mike Phillips ”he’s just one of the nicest, most genuine guys I know. By his own admission, he was an unlikely winner of the United […]

#41: BARISTA CHAMPION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA: LEE JONG HOON The barista champion from the Republic of Korea is a polished performer from the moment he takes the stage. He is using a Cup […]

#38: BARISTA CHAMPION OF IRELAND ”COLIN HARMON Today is the one-year anniversary of Colin becoming a barista. Prior to coffee, Colin was a successful financier ”he had no reason to look for another career path. […]

We’re getting ready to begin today, the final day of the first round, and the WBC space is buzzing! But first, 2 notes… 1) Official word on the archived videos of each competitor: videos will […]

Hello World! The number of international friends walking to and fro on the other side of the glass, from where I sit here in my blogging booth covering the WBC, is outstanding ”so many people […]

#35: BARISTA CHAMPION OF PANAMA ”AUSEL GADI DEL VALLE FRANKLIN Though Panama’s coffee has been regarded as some of the finest not only in the world at this moment, but in history, it’s strange to […]

#32: BARISTA CHAMPION OF THAILAND ”BENYAPA NAOWAN Benyapa Naowan tells us that her whole performance will be “sweet and charming, like I am,” and I have to agree. She’s wonderfully adorable but still maintains a […]