It’s another gorgeous day in London, and there’s no place any of us would rather be than here in the Olympia event space. Where it was blazing hot yesterday, the air conditioning has been turned on today, and wow, what a difference. So it’s actually super great because the beautiful sun is streaming in through the glass ceiling, but we’re all nice and cool and comfortable here as we watch the WBC begin.
Things kicked off a bit late — about half an hour late — so keep that in mind if you on onto Go Live! to watch the competition. But since then, things have been running very much on time. There are so many talented coffee people here, it’s awesome to see!
But enough about that. How about some photos?
The Hoff! I must take a moment to give James an extra special thanks for saving my media butt today: when I arrived at Olympia, I found that my camera battery had completely run down, so he was kind enough to let me use his camera for the day. What would I do without friends like these?Getting started at the WBC Brew Bar.Jordan, formally of Cafe Grumpy, is spending his summer in Copenhagen, but came over to London to volunteer at the WBC Cafe during this event.That's Mike Phillips, yes it is! Mike seems calm and cool, though pretty anxious to get his 3:15 p.m. erformance today out of the way. But here he is making time for an interview with a reporter. He's an old pro at this stuff by now.Hello Team Estonia!Gratuitous adorable baby shot: Sigga Dra with her and Klaus' son, Isak.Backstage in the competitors' area.The always awesome emcee, Miss Heather Perry!Polish Barista Champion Izabela takes the stage.Amber Sather is keeping all the competitors happy -- she's very good at that.Barista Champs of Mexico, Fabrizio, and Hungary, Atilla, are excited to see each other for the first time since their coffee adventure in Nicaragua last fall, as part of Sustainable Harvest's Let's Talk Coffee event.
Be sure to visit Barista Magazine’s homepage to download a copy of the WBC Program, which includes photos and profiles of every competitor, and loads of other information.
And please check back soon for more photos and news from the Caffe Culture Show and WBC here in London!
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.
We’re disappointed you can’t be here, too, but thanks for keeping up with the blog. I promise to do my best to make you feel as close as possible t the goings on here in London!
looks great, nice photos as well. disappointed i couldn’t be there
We’re disappointed you can’t be here, too, but thanks for keeping up with the blog. I promise to do my best to make you feel as close as possible t the goings on here in London!
looks great, nice photos as well. disappointed i couldn’t be there