FOR the first time, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s prestigious World Barista Competition was hosted in Colombo, Sri Lanka from July 18 to 20.
The competition drew over 100 competitive baristas of various nationalities, including teams from the United States, Japan, Korea, Singapore, China, Malaysia, East Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Georgia.
The competitors also included locals Nur Amalina Mohaimin (representing Brunei Darussalam) and Nuratikah Azzahra Abdul Manaf (representing East Malaysia).
Brunei was announced as being part of the Top 5 overall.
Nur Amalina won this year’s title for the National Barista Competition, while Nuratikah won for overall signature beverage.
This year’s event also incorporated Sri Lanka’s own rich heritage in tea by inviting the baristas to participate in a Global Tea Master Class and a visit to the renowned Nildalukanda Tea Factory, which is part of the Walter’s Bay Tea Estate in the Kandy District of Sri Lanka.
The tea master class was also conducted by The Coffee Bean’s Senior Director of Tea, David De Candia, who is originally from Los Angeles and is known as a Master Tea Blender, buyer and internationally reputed expert on tea.
At the World Barista Competition
Nur Amalina said, “The Master Tea Class was very insightful and it was such a privilege to be taught by David De Candia. We’re definitely looking forward to sharing the experience and applying the lessons to improve our customers’ experience.”
The competition was organised in line with the rules from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the world’s foremost authority on coffee and the largest coffee trade association globally.
Competitors were given 15 minutes to brew and serve three types of beverages: four cups of espressos, four cups of cappuccinos and four cups of the barista’s own signature beverage while keeping a clean work station and a professional and engaging demeanor.
Each beverage was assessed for smell, taste and presentation to a panel of sensory and technical judges. The barista’s signature beverage was one of the most anticipated as it provides contestants the opportunity to showcase their creativity and passion in whipping up their own unique creation.
For Nuratikah, her signature beverage was ‘Matcha Crème Brulee’ based on a popular French dessert, Crème Brulee. It is composed of matcha green tea powder, heavy whipping yolk, egg yolk.
Nur Amalina presented her signature beverage ‘Summer Cocoa’ which is made of a shot of espresso, palm sugar and coconut cream.
Both beverages were made using a sous-vide method which is creating the beverages in a temperature controlled water bath to create the perfect consistency for the beverages.
Mohd Fairuz Ibrahim, the Training Manager, shared “We’re happy and blessed as this year we managed to place our Brunei team into the Top 5.
“We were also delighted to hear from Mr Feroz, the Vice President of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Asia Pacific, who shared that the Brunei team has improved in terms of technical skills and applauded us for bringing a different perspective to the sensory judges with our sous-vide method.”
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