JAPAN: Briton wins the World Barista Championship, crowned king of coffee

Contestants from six finalist nations remaining in the three day World Barista Championships battled it out with froth, creams, aromatic blends and exotic signature beverages on Wednesday (August 2, 2007) in Tokyo. The WBC began in Monte Carlo in 2000 as a gathering of coffee lovers to increase the level of expertise and skill of baristas worldwide. Barista, an Italian term, has recently also been stretched to loosely mean someone who excels in the art of coffee making, but the contestants at the 2007 WBC make more than just a cup of coffee. Competitors are given a total of 45 minutes to prepare one expresso, one cappuccino and one signature beverage for each of the four judges. Judges award points according to technical performance and esthetics such as taste, aroma and presentation -- all with the same severity as a world sporting event. The Tokyo 2007 WBC is the first to be held outside Europe or the U.S., and marks a growing trend for increased coffee consumption in Asia. At the end of competition finals, it was a contestant from another tea-drinking nation that claimed the prize for the best coffee. James Hoffman, the winner of the UK Barista Championships early this year, beat rivals such second place U.S. contestant Heather Perry, and 44 other contestants to be crowned the Coffee Champ of 2007. "I am ecstatic. It will sink in eventually I guess. I didn't come here to win but to be a participant and enjoy it, hopefully represent the U.K., I am just delighted," told Reuters after winning the contest and also coming on top of the 'best signature' drink with an expresso with biscotti foam, milk chocolate and a tobacco infused cream. Like Hoffman, many contestants hope to pick up new skills at this heated coffee contest and bring it back home with them. "We run five coffee shops in Barcelona, but in general we don't make really really good coffee in Spain. We came to learn new skills and make some excellent coffee," said Guillermo Bosch, a barista from Barcelona. Hoffman, who won the top prize, says he hopes to open a coffee shop in London when he returns.

ITN Source | August 12, 2007

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