Barista Competition
“If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand”
At the beginning of the year, I had the opportunity to compete in my first Barista Competition, and it was an incredibly inspiring experience.
If this is the first time you’re hearing about coffee competitions, here’s a quick overview. The Barista Competition takes place nationally all over the world, and in Denmark it happens once a year at the Danish Coffee Festival. There are two rounds: preliminaries and finals. Each contestant has 15 minutes on stage to present their coffees through a personal theme, serving an espresso, a milk-based drink, and a signature drink to four judges. The judges evaluate the beverages, technical skills, and presentation, and the winner becomes the national champion, earning the chance to represent the country on the world stage.
My routine was built around the concept of Sadhana (=daily practice) Inspired by yoga, I explored the idea that through intentional, repeated practice, our actions shape who we are and what we create. I presented two coffees, one from Panama and one from Colombia, focusing on how repeated decisions, from planting and processing to roasting and brewing, create the final cup.
During my preparations I was reminded that coffee is not only about results or perfection, but about showing up every day to experiment, learn, and grow.
I didn’t win this time, but it was a beautiful learning experience, and I’m excited to continue exploring how practice, intention, and creativity can shape the way we experience coffee.
Who knows, maybe next I’ll be back on that stage. In the meantime, I will continue practicing and improving my skills so that I can also help you and your staff develop and take ownership of your coffee. Never hesitate to reach out if you would like to book a course or simply have a chat about your coffee needs.
For the competition I used the new grinders from Ceado:
Rev Titan WAM and Rev Zero WAM.