2016 World Barista Championship Coverage, Round One, Day Two

We’re at the halfway point of our 61 competitor first round of the World Barista Championship here in Dublin, Ireland. Due to flight and scheduling complications, we had 29 baristas take the stage yesterday, meaning we’ve got an action-packed slate of 32 competitors going today. Thanks to the live scoring component for the first round, the Semi-Finals will slowly take shape as the day progresses, and we’ll be updating the scores here as they come out.

Who will advance to Semi-Finals on Friday? That’s the question of the day. Follow along with us as we find out. Enjoy our coverage of Round One Day Two. Get psyched.

Livestream info is here. 

Sprudge.com’s coverage of the 2016 World Barista Championship is made possible by Urnex BrandsNuova Simonelli, and KitchenAid.

BRIAN MUBANGA, MUNALI CAFÉ, ZAMBIA – 302.0 PTS

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Coffee: Natural processed SL28 from Zambia

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Signature Beverage: A play on coffee ice cream

TRYGGVI ÞÓR SKARPHÉÐINSSON, KAFFITÁR, ICELAND – 281.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 4-5

Number of competitions: 1
Icelandic Barista Championship: 2016 (1st)

Coffee: I’m using Fazenda Rainha, a honey-processed Yellow Bourbon from Brazil

Signature Beverage: It doesn’t have a name, but if it did, it would be something like “The Archmage”
I use a combination of muscovado and palm sugar for my syrup,  and fresh cream and homemade pecan butter

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Does your routine have a theme? Nuts

What’s your playlist going to be?
I’m a big fan of music and a bigger fan of funk music. I’ll start of with Welcome to Vulf Records by Vulfpeck to get me in the mood. Then, Going home by Owls of the Swamp to take it down a notch. Followed by Adrienne & Adrianne by Vulfpeck, Little Walter Rides Again by Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood. To finish my routine and get me dancing, Go by The Chemical Brothers.

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?Maaany, I’ve started so many times preparing for previous barista championships but I’ve bailed out. The preparation for the national one was huge and I burned out. There have been a lot of hours. Good and bad.

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
I have a good friend of mine Torfi Þór Torfason help a coach me for the WBC. He’s got mad skillz and that palate, damn… He’s always been a role model for me so having him on my side was huge. He was the Icelandic Barista Champion before me and competed in Sydney, so he knows what he’s doing haha 🙂

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I’m a big fan of music, tattoos, bicycling and food. I’ve competed in races here in Iceland and cycled the ringroad by myself last summer so that was one of my proudest moments. I really look forward to listening to music, eating the local food here and bicycling around Dublin.

YING HU, OUTMAN COFFEE, CHINA – 473.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 11

Number of competitions: 6
Chinese Barista Championship: 2012, 2014 (4th), 2015 (1st)
Chinese Latte Art Championship: 2013 (6th)
Chinese Coffee in Good Spirits: 2015 (1st)
World Coffee in Good Spirits: 2016 (5th)

Coffee: A honey processed Geisha from Finca Deborah in the Vulcan region of Panama

Signature Beverage: Cascara syrup and orange juice

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Does your routine have a theme?
I want to use this coffee in three courses, to showcase the perspectives of a customer, a barista, and a coffee shop owner when they are combined together into one.

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
Because I prepared for two world competitions this year, my schedule was quite tight for WBC training.

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
My husband, Yuan Lu. He’s also my roaster, my coffee shop partner, my strict coach, and my inspiration.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
It is the concept of specialty coffee that opens a brand-new door for me. Every day I am looking forward to nice coffee and then sharing with my customers. Doing this job (being a professional barista and also an owner of special coffee shop) allows me to be passionate and inspired all the time. The whole industrial chains of specialty coffee is very long for sure, but my job is working in the coffee shop as a barista, developing new coffee beverages in order to deliver what specialty coffee is. I think it’s a pretty cool thing, and I myself enjoy this journey.

Today is my second world-level coffee competition: The World Barista Championship. Before of this, I want to thank my daughter Emma, because she keeps telling everyone that. Because she gave me the permission to compete, I was qualified to compete in the world competition.

Besides I want to express my appreciation for those who helped me: everyone in my team from Nectarone and Outman Coffee; Lu Yuan, the roaster who is thinking all the time; dear Wan Ying who assisted me every moment when I needed her since my first world competition; Rachel, my customer who is an aficionado of drinking coffee and passionate about coffee industry; the judgers in my first world competition-World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship of 2016: Yoshi, Loca Ventriccia, Michael, Mike Yung; also the judgers in my first national final competition: Wang Minmin, dear LULU from Taiwan; Of course DaVinci Gourmet, Hiang Kie Shanghai, GM Lin from Bonavita who gave me great supports for these competitions. I am also grateful for those friends who always stand by my side although we have never met each other before.

SILVESTER DAN SAMONTE, ORIGIN COFFEE, PHILIPPINES – 440.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 5

Number of competitions: 1
Philippine Barista Championship: 2016 (1st)

Coffee: A Geisha from Finca Nuguo in Panama

Signature Beverage: The 3 Factors
Mango maceration, aromatic fog, and pink grapefruit juice

Does your routine have a theme?
The evolution and mutation of Geisha in Panama

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What’s your playlist going to be?
45 – Struttin
David Axelrod – You Made Me So Very Happy
Maroon 5 – Sugar
Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk (feat Bruno Mars)

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
There have been endless hours of preparation and practice for the last 3 months and the months before PNBC 2016 in January.

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Kammie Hui from 18 Grams Hong Kong – a past WBC judge, coached a world siphonist champion and head judge, and judge for many other coffee competitions.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I’m lucky that our tiny surf coffee shop from La Union, Philippines has done so magnificently @elunion. Kiddo, Amy, Mia, Vic and our team are super stoked to be here. We do mostly fun stuff at El Union but it’s always quality and with purpose.

I also work at my other company Origin Coffee Network, which we setup last year in Singapore to kick off our ideas about a new green coffee platform for the region. We’re still in our infancy but of course we have big ideas to land. OCN has been responsible for my opportunity to deepen my knowledge about green coffee and geisha.

I’ve been really lucky to be part of specialty coffee in the Philippines since the start of it 4 years ago. I’ve been around competitions since then but have never wanted to be in them until I met the coffee I am serving at WBC this year. When I barely started in coffee, I remember being thrown into judging at a school competition and being grossed out by a 10 ingredient signature beverage, which essentially was a coffee halo-halo. Since then, I’ve judged, coached, roasted, trained, and caddied at national and international competitions every year unintentionally. This gave me the confidence to go after the nationals then hustle at WBC.

Us Filipinos have been trying to uplift and push the country in our own way. My dream is to help unlock all of the Philippines’ specialty coffee potential, especially at the farm level. I’ve been really lucky to meet a good amount of specialty coffee producers and learn the ropes a bit. Rusty’s Hawaiian is a big inspiration for me as they put Ka’u on the map. They introduced me to Nishant at Kaapi Royale where I learned about robusta. Then there’s Panama where I worked with Finca Hartmann and Finca Nuguo. Jose and Ailenne of Finca Nuguo have been such a dream ever since I met them. We weren’t sure what we were getting into the first year we worked together but it’s all working out so well now. I never expected to be part of discovering a new geisha farm in Panama that would go on to win so many awards. My hope is that I can learn from all these folks and share that with farmers and producers in the Philippines.

ERNA TOSBERG, ROESTBAR JOKA E. K., GERMANY – 482.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 8

Number of competitions: 3
German Barista Championship: 2014 (1st), 2016 (1st)
World Barista Championship: 2014 (12th)

Coffee: The natural-processed BLACK UNICORN from Cumbres del Poas in Costa Rica

Signature Beverage: Black Unicorn – sugar migration meets fermentation
Espresso, fermented milk, sugar, salt, and blueberries

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Does your routine have a theme? Black unicorn/cell integrity

What’s your playlist going to be? Electroswing

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
Hundreds or thousands, I didn’t count 😀

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
It’s a team approach! I had a lot of help from coffee friends in Germany and Switzerland:
The Roestbar team: they had to try the coffee every day and helped me with everything! Without them I could not have done this.
My official coach Laura Barzel: she helps me to stay sane and does all the micro management
And then I had a lot of help from coffee professionals and friends who helped me with the presentation, the deconstruction of the coffee, milk training and recipes:
Tom Schweiger (two-time German Barista Champion), Christian Ullrich (World Latte Art Champion 2014), Benjamin Hohlmann (Swiss Brewers Cup Champion 2014 % Q-Grader), Felix Hohlmann (Swiss Aeropress Champion 2016), Michel Aeschbacher, Philipp Henauer, Andreas von der Heyde (who also happens to take amazing pictures of Baristas), Marie & Nicklas Rausch (they own the best restaurant in town called Rotkehlchen – for me the best restaurant in the world!,) and my acting coach Thomas Schweins. Also we had help from the reigning German Roasting Champion and Q-Grader Alec Pfuhl.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I would like to thank my friends in Costa Rica: the ones who produced the coffee and the ones that managed the paperwork and transportation and helped us with the sourcing! PURA VIDA
Also I am very grateful to everybody who supported me back home and in Dublin 🙂

AGNIESZKA ROJEWSKA, BRISMAN KAWOWY BAR, POLAND – 375.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 8

Number of competitions:
Polish Barista Championship: 2015 (1st), 2016 (1st)
Polish Latte Art Championship: 2014 (1st), 2016 (1st)
World Latte Art Championship: 2016 (5th)
Milano Latte Art Challenge: 2015 (1st)

Coffee: A Red Bourbon Elite from Finca Los Pirineos in El Salvador

Signature Beverage:
Frozen mango and black elderberry flower juice, espresso,  and a cascara infusion with orange honey

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Does your routine have a theme? Acidity

What’s your playlist going to be?
Freedom by G. Micheal, and No by Dawid Podsiadlo

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
I haven’t counted, but the number is still growing.

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Yes, I have a demanding coach and team of people helping me, feeding me chocolate, and trying not to go mad with me

JOSÉ DE LA PEÑA, TECNOCHEF, GUATEMALA – 430.5 PTS

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Coffee: Guatemala Geisha

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Signature Beverage: grape and orange juices and coffee mucilage

LEM BUTLER, COUNTER CULTURE COFFEE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – 487.0 PTS

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Coffee: A green tip Geisha from Jose Gallardo of Finca Nuguo in Panama

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Signature Beverage: Cafe Gallardo
Nitro infused magnolia flower simple syrup and hibiscus, and a lemongrass rim

PARAS BINDRA, TRAVEL FOOD SERVICES, INDIA – 262.0 PTS

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JORGE LUIS PARAMO, MOLINO COFFEE SHOP, NICARAGUA – 210.5 PTS

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ANGELO SEGONI, QUARTA CAFFÈ, ITALY – 425.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 11

Number of competitions: 4
Italian Barista Championship: 2013 (5th), 2014 (4th), 2015 (2nd), 2016 (1st)

Coffee: A Geisha variety from Costa Rica

Signature Beverage: Traditional Italian ingridients. Almond, cloves, star anice, date syrup, and orange

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Does your routine have a theme? New generations and how it is important that their efforts improve customer experience

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
I don’t have a clue but lots. 7-9 hours everyday for four months

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
I have 2 coaches that are brothers and friends of mine, Edoardo Quarta and Vito Spagnolo

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I’m very happy to be here, especially with my two brothers. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to be here. I love what I do and this makes me feel very lucky

QUE HAN TRAN, BOSGAURUS COFFEE, VIETNAM – 348.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 2

Number of competitions: 3-4

Coffee: A blend of Red Bourbon from Honduras and Pacamara from Vietnam

Signature Beverage: Specialty Ca-Phe-Sua-Da
Espresso, Vietnamese black coffee, coconut palm sugar, and evaporated milk

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Does your routine have a theme?
It’s about the specialty coffee industry in Vietnam, where everybody hardly has anything. Money – No. Knowledge – Not yet. Techniques – Not yet. Consumers – Not yet. Producers with high quality – No, etc.

What’s your playlist going to be?
Roses – Kill ‘Em With Kindness – It’s Time – Am I Wrong –  Rather Be (Instrumental Version)

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
I have no idea

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Beside my official coach, who is the owner of Bosgaurus Coffee, I have lots of great people providing useful advices, knowledge, and techniques to help me get better. They stay with me during the practice time and I really appreciate their kindness

NENAD STOJANOVIC, PRZIONICA, SERBIA – 370.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 8

Number of competitions: 4
Serbian Barista Championship: 2010 (1st), 2016 (1st)
World Barista Championship: 2010 (40th)
Serbian Latte Art Championship

Coffee: Kenya Ruiruiru

Signature Beverage:
Red grapefruit peel, dark muscovado simple syrup, blueberry puree, cold brew filter coffee, and my espresso

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Does your routine have a theme? Simple and clean, with coffee playing the main role.

What’s your playlist going to be? The music I chose is funky
Shuya Okino feat. Navasha Daya – Still in Love
Funky Destination – The Inside Man (Soopsoul remix)

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
It’s really hard to say. So many hours each day, sometimes more sometimes less.

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
I have two coaches. Rados Raicevic helps me with the technical parts, and Drago Lakic has helped me with so many things (finding the right coffee, roaster, and so much more). And there are quite a few people who have helped me as a team.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I am very passionate about my job and have really loved working in coffee since day one. I’m looking forward to exploring other coffee markets, like the US and Australia. I’m happy to see old coffee friends from other countries and continents at WBC and am excited to meet new people as well. I hope to learn something new from all of them. I think that’s the beauty and the goal of working in coffee and the WBC.

ONDRĚJ HURTÍK, DOUBLESHOT, CZECH REPUBLIC – 363.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 6

Number of competitions: I don’t know, quite a few
Czech Barista Championship: 2015 (2nd), 2016 (1st)
Czech Coffee in Good Spirits: 2015 (1st), 2016 (1st)
World Coffee in Good Spirits: 2015 (2nd)

Coffee: Nano Challa, Agaro, Ethiopia

Signature Beverage: Nano Passion
Passion fruit juice, honey water, home made bitter-sweet syrup from rue and burnt caramel

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Does your routine have a theme? As specialty coffee people, we are sometimes getting obsessed with crazy experiments and do not appreciate that in certain environments even very simple things can change a lot.

What’s your playlist going to be? Groove Armada, Todd Terje, The Guts

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Jarda Tuček, co-owner of doubleshot and my friend

VÍCTOR FLORES MENÉNDEZ, BISCUIT FACTORY, EL SALVADOR – 359.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 5.5

Number of competitions: 4
Salvadoran Barista Championship: 2013 (6th), 2016 (1st)
Global Barista Celebration Championship: 2014 (3rd), 2015 (5th)

Coffee: Two amazing honey processed Pacamaras from El Salvador

Signature Beverage: Dried pacamara coffee cascara, prunes and dulce de panela

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Does your routine have a theme? Everything is inspired in the Pacamara variety

What’s your playlist going to be? My favorite songs by Eumir Deodato

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
Around 300 hours

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
The best barista school of El Salvador, Academia Barista Pro. The owner and my personal coach, Jonathan Rodríguez will be supporting me in Dublin.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I’m just an enthusiastic coffee lover who wants to spread the love for specialty coffee in my country and to show the world the greatness of Salvadoran coffee.

JOCI DEÁK , ESPRESSO EMBASSY, HUNGARY – 362.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 3

Number of competitions: 2
Hungary Barista Championship: 2014 (5th), 2016 (1st)

Coffee: Siervo Moreno’s coffee from Colombia, a lactic acid processed from La Palma Y El Tucan

Signature Beverage: Sea Buckthorn juice, Mirabelle plum purée, and Agen Prune plum seed oil

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What’s your playlist going to be?
Lamyank – Lose
Moderat – The Fool
Tycho – See (Beacon remix)
Yonderboi – Brighter Than Anything

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition? 170

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Livia Szollosi, the manager of Espresso Embassy and a tech and sensory judge experience in national competitions

MARY PORTILLO, CAPUCAS COFFEE, HONDURAS – 276.0 PTS

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Signature Beverage: panela, peach, coffee flower, and chocolate over ice, with water and espresso

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LEX WENNEKER, ESPRESSO SERVICE WEST, THE NETHERLANDS – 456.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 8

Number of competitions: 6
Dutch Barista Championship: 2015 (1st), 2016 (1st)
World Barista Championship: 2015 (15th)
Dutch Cuptasters Championship: 2012 (1st)
World Cupstasters Championship: 2012 (28th)
Dutch Latte Art Championship: 2011 (2nd)

Coffee: I’ll be using three different varieties from Colombia

Signature Beverage:
Pomegranate, Muscat grape, elderflower, and pear

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Does your routine have a theme?
It focuses on the influence that coffee variety has on flavor

What’s your playlist going to be?
LCD soundsystem, Daft Punk, and Electric Light Orchestra

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
One million hours 🙂

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Lots!
I have my two ex-co-workers Dylan and Jonatan, who luckily wanted to help me again this year.
I got the runner-up barista champ from 2015, Keng
We got Stijn on the team, who probably knows more about the competition than all of us combined
We got Yakup, the Dutch Barista Champ from 2010
We got Nathan, head roaster for the Coffee Company to make sure we don’t lose too much rock and roll
We got Luuk, he is the newest in coffee, but maybe the most enthousiastic of all

JANIS PODINS, FIVE ELEPHANT COFFEE ROASTERY, LATVIA – 305.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 3

Number of competitions: 4-5
Latvian Barista Championship: 2016 (1st)

Coffee: Maracaturra variety from the El Socorro farm in Guatemala

Signature Beverage: Nectarine juice, simple sugar syrup, and cacao nibs

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Does your routine have a theme? I have kept it very simple and easy. So everyone can understand

What’s your playlist going to be? Future islands, a bit of Coldplay, and Radiohead

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
About 2.5 years worth of hours, but to be honest, I lost count a while ago

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Patrik Rolf Karlsson. He’s a roaster and inspiration. He likes things best when they taste good. Simple, but very dedicated. 

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I just want to say thank you. Thanks for the people and organizations that has made this happen year after year. 

BEN PUT, MONOGRAM COFFEE, CANADA – 508.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 12

Number of competitions: 14
Prairie Regional Barista Championship: 2009 (1st), 2010 (1st), 2011 (1st), 2012 (1st), 2013 (1st), 2014 (1st)
Canadian Barista Championship: 2013 (1st), 2014 (1st), 2015 (1st)
World Barista Championship: 2014 (11th), 2015 (3rd)

Coffee: The Semeon Abay from Ninety Plus

Signature Beverage: Granadilla juice, apricot compote, malic acid, and an entirely new way to brew espresso

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Does your routine have a theme? Risk (not the board game)

What’s your playlist going to be? Motown and Katy Perry

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
Not completely sure! This is definitely the most I have ever practiced for a competition. 

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
There are so many people that have helped me this year! My coach is Jeremy Ho. This is his third year coaching me, and he always brings organization, laughter, and positivity to my competition, which is exactly what I need.

MANSOUR EHSANI, GROWERS CUP, IRAN – 303.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 4

Number of competitions: 2
Iran Barista Championship: 2015 (6th), 2016 (1st)

Coffee: It’s from La Perla Del Cafe from the Herbazu region of Costa Rica, grown by Don Carlos Barantes

Signature Beverage: Zonouz Springs!
Syrup made of elderberries and Tajikistani sun dried currants

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What’s your playlist going to be? Muse, Queen, Kako Band, Bahram Ji

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
I’ve practiced and prepared myself day and night for more than 10 months

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
I have a wonderful team: Amir Khosravi, Arin Khachatourian, Ali Yousefi, Amirparsa Ahmadineshat, and Mehdi Jafarpoursaran. Everyone had a specific role in our victory. They devoted all their time and energy towards our competition. Competing in a barista championship is a team effor, and my team proved to be the best.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I’d really love to learn roasting and travel the world, especially to coffee farms around the globe. This is only the beginning. Iran’s coffee culture and coffee community is thriving, and I’m sure you will hear a lot about Iran from this point forward.

CHARLOTTE MALAVAL, DITTA ARTIGIANALE, FRANCE – 501.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 4

Number of competitions: 5
French Barista Championship: 2014 (3rd), 2015 (1st), 2016 (1st)
World Barista Championship: 2015 (6th)
French Latte Art Championship: 2015 (4th)

Coffee: A fully washed red bourbon from Finca San Roberto in El Salvador

Signature Beverage: Creating Context
Fresh strawberry purée, basil, and cinnamon infusion in a brown sugar syrup

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Does your routine have a theme? The barista’s self-fulfilling prophecy

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What’s your playlist going to be?
Saturn – Sleeping At Last
Reality – Lost Frequency
Riptide
Ils Ont Peur de la Liberté – Keny Arkana
Demons – Imagine Dragons

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
If we’re talking from the birth of the first idea, around 7 months

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
This year I had the great chance to work, learn and grow with 4 very different and inspirational people: Francesco Sanapo, Hidenori Izaki, Amanda Juris, and Roukiat Delrue

LISE MARIE RØMO, JAVA ESPRESSOBAR, NORWAY – 391.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 7

Number of competitions: 14
Norway Barista Championship: 2013 (4th), 2015 (2nd), 2016 (1st)
Norway Brewers Cup: 2016 (4th)

Coffee: A Lactic processed Castillo from Colombia

Signature Beverage:
Espresso, floral honey and homemade golden berry soda made with a lactic bacterial culture called tibocos.

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Does your routine have a theme? Fermentation

What’s your playlist going to be? Sasac and tycho

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition? Many

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
My main coach is Alexander Hansen, last year’s semi finalist now working for Collaborative Coffee Source. An absolute legend! And my second coach is Rasmus Helgebostad, part owner at Java. He’s competed 11 years in nationals and two times in the worlds.  I also have great team of colleauges and coffee people from Oslo who have helped with training, equipment and support.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
okei… So this is where i tell you that I am the singer in a band that is called Kalkvatn. It´s great fun. We practice once a week and have a gig every now and then.

YOSHUA TANU, COMMON GROUNDS/ST. ALI, INDONESIA – 437.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 4

Number of competitions: 4
Indonesian Barista Championship: 2013, 2014 (1st), 2016 (1st)
World Barista Championship: 2014 (31st)

Coffee: Finca Morgan’s Estate Geisha Washed and a Finca El Mirador Castillo Natural

Signature Beverage:
Freeze dried oranges and blueberries, and hand-carried coffee cherries from the Malabar Mountains in West Java, Indonesia

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Does your routine have a theme? Solubility blending

What’s your playlist going to be?
Petit Biscuit – Sunset Lover
James Hersey – Coming Over
Mome – Aloha
Matt Simons – Catch & Release

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
Over 350 hours!

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
I had help from many different coaches and coffee friends/partners! Mostly from my partners in Common Grounds, St. ALi Family and my girlfriend!  They have all helped me in different ways and more than I could have ever asked! This competition could never be done alone.

REGINA TAY, INDEPDENDENT, SINGAPORE – 384.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 12

Number of competitions: 3
Singapore Barista Champioinship: 2014, 2015, 2016

Coffee: La Palma y El Tucan from Colombia

Signature Beverage: Lavender, honey, orange peel, and carbonated water

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Does your routine have a theme? Bubbles

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
120-150

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
His name is Daryanto. He’s a co-owner of Common Ground Coffee and St. Ali Jakarta. He inspired my routing and is always doing his best to support my training and discovery of new theories.

DAVID COELHO, D•ORIGEN COFFEE ROASTERS, PORTUGAL – 400.5 PTS

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EDDY PAN, SENSORY LAB COFFEE ROASTER, THAILAND – 363.0 PTS

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STEVE MOLONEY, LOVE COFFEE ROASTERS, SWEDEN – 393.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 4

Number of competitions: 3
Swedish Barista Championship: 2015 (3rd), 2016 (1st)
Swedish Latte Art Championship: 2015 (3rd)

Coffee: The Santa Rosa 1900 from Tarrazu, Costa Rica

Signature Beverage:
Rhubarb syrup, arrowroot powder, cascara infusion, and an apple foam

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Does your routine have a theme?
We are baristas and we should be focusing on baristas and the things that we actually do

What’s your playlist going to be?
Lonely, Dear – Ignorant Boy, Innocent Girl
Ratatat – Loud Pipes
Ratatat – Wildcat
Jonsi – Grow Till Tall

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
Too many to count

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Emil Eriksson: Swedish Barista Champion 2011. Emil was my first ever coffee teacher and is the reason I’m in this crazy mess of coffee, so bringing him to Dublin and forcing him to drink a lot of espresso was the least I could do.

Nora Smahelova: Chapter 1 Coffee, Berlin. Nora is a WCE certified judge and we have similar views on pragmatism I think.  It has been awesome getting to pick up a little bit of her vast knowledge of the competition.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I run a competition called The Barista League, which is the biggest barista competition in the Nordics now.  While national barista competitions are great, they can be a lot of time, money, and work.  I wanted to create a competition where anyone could come and compete and have a good time, from world champions to the newest employee in a coffee chain.  We run the events in different cities in northern Europe and our next event will be in Helsinki on the August 27th. It’s going to be a huge event with crazy rounds and lots of beer, and there will be some exciting auxillery events we are going to release after the WBC.

LYNDON, THEESPRESSOLAB, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – 351.5 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 6

Number of competitions: 9
Philippine Barista Cup: 2011 (2nd)
Grand Barista Cup: 2013 (2nd)
Philippine Latte Art Championship: 2013 (1st, Orobest Expo), 2013 (1st Priest Expo), 2013 (2nd Kumbira)
Bo’s Coffee Barista Championship: 2013 (1st)
Bo’s Coffee Latte Art Championship: 2013 (1st)
United Arab Emirates Barista Championship: 2014 (1st), 2015 (1st)

Coffee: Hachira N2 from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia produced by Ninety Plus

Signature Beverage: water, lemon, tamarind, maple, and espresso

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How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition? 150

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!”
My coach is Mark Neil, a roaster and specialty coffee specialist, and the founder of our barista community “latteartphilippines”

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I love how we all unite as baristas from around the globe. You guys give us the chance to connect and learn more, all for the love of coffee. As a professional I will use this as inspiration to move forward and pursue my career further as a coffee professional. Right now I’m a head barista, but soon I’ll be roasting and even learning from the farm. Good luck to all participants and let the coffee talk and let the coffee connect!!!! Cheers!

DAN FELLOWS, ORIGIN COFFEE, UNITED KINGDOM – 481.0 PTS

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Number of years as a barista: 8

Number of competitions: 10
UK Barista Championship: 2012 (finalist), 2013, 2014, 2015 (finalist), 2016 (1st)
UK Coffee in Good Spirits: 2012 (1st), 2013, 2014, 2016
World Coffee in Good Spirits: 2012 (4th)

Coffee: Ninety Plus Ethiopia Nekisse Limited Batch E17

Signature Beverage: The Complete Nekisse Tasting Experience
Chilled Nekisse espresso, freeze-dried strawberries, fresh passionfruit, Peruvian cacao nibs, freshly-pressed pineapple juice, salted molasses syrup, Matcha coconut cream, and a tropical infusion of dried pineapple, dried coconut and passion fruit tea

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Does your routine have a theme? Precision

What’s your playlist going to be?
Tycho – Montana
Tycho – Awake
Tycho – Spectre
Sigur Ros – Hoppipolla

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
Up to 12 hours per day, seven days per week for the majority of 2016

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Joshua Tarlo (Head of Coffee and Retail for Origin Coffee). Not to mention my amazing girlfriend Emma, Will Pitts, and Team Origin for being there every step of the way!

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I am Head of Wholesale for Origin Coffee, based in London but have also lived in Cornwall and York.

DENNIS AGABA, KAMPALA SERENA HOTEL, UGANDA

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Number of years as a barista: 6

Number of competitions: 3
Uganda Barista Championship: semi-finalist, finalist, and 1st
African Barista Challenge: 2016 (3rd)
Fushan International Barista Competition: 2016 (1st)

Coffee: An SL-14 variety grown in Bulango in Eastern Uganda

Signature Beverage: Habby Coffee
Homemade golden sultana syrup, infusion of African hibiscus petals, blackcurrant, and cocoa husk

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Does your routine have a theme? Back cloth

What’s your playlist going to be?
Drake – Hotline Bling
Meghan Trainor – No
Chris Brown – Don’t Be Gone For Long

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition? 200+

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
Claire Rwakatogolo and Fidel Bakomeza, the best barista coaches in Uganda

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
Try out Desuza Coffees, Uganda’s number one specialty coffee company!

MANGOOO, CUPERUS KOFFIE, BELGIUM

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Number of years as a barista: 6

Number of competitions: 1
Belgian Barista Championship: 2016 (1st)

Coffee: A Yellow Catuai from Santa Barbara, Honduras

Signature Beverage: Macchiato But Not As You Know It
Sweet base layer of almond milk infused with damascus and coriander flowers, herb, spice, and green coffee infusion, mashed passion fruit, and a foam made of fresh elderflower and ludium shrub

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Does your routine have a theme?
Maybe as an industry of specialty coffee we should focus more on including customers and producers instead of just showcasing exclusive or unusual coffees. 

What’s your playlist going to be?
Ludovico Einaudi – Primavera
Handsome Boy Modeling School – The Truth (feat. Roisin of Moloko & J-Live)
Al’Tarba – The One You Love
Restless Leg Syndrome – Sharitt Casette
Onuma Singsiri – Mae Kha Som Tam
Guts – Brand New Revolution

How many hours total do you think you’ve practiced for this competition?
For sure more than 100 hours

Do you have a coach/coaches? Tell us about them!
I have a couple coaches taking turns each day of the week (I’ve been training 3 days a week). They’re a great boss and a friend. It’s been such an incredible months preparing for WBC. I’m blessed to be surrounded by a great people like them.

Is there anything else you want to tell us? We’d love to learn more about you.
I’m a head barista and a coffee roaster of Cuperus Koffie, the olderst coffee bar in the city, since 1823. Based in Antwerp, Belgium, the world biggest coffee port. I only have been living here for 3 years, but the coffee scene here got my eyes wide open and has taught me so much. And being part of WBC in this year, it’s my honor to do it with all of Belgium behind me… WAIT, I forgot to tell you that I’m originally from Thailand. So there’re a lot of supports from my mother land as well. 

That’ll do it for today! Thanks for following along with us. See you tomorrow for the Semi-Finals!