2015 WBC Competitor Kalle Freese, Freese Coffee, Finland

SprudgeLive’s coverage of the 2015 World Barista Championship is made possible by direct support from Nuova Simonelli and Viora Lid. All of SprudgeLive’s 2015 barista competition coverage is underwritten in partnership with Square and Urnex Brands. 

We’re proud to serve as official media partners of World Coffee Events.

We reached out to each of the 2015 World Barista Championship competitors prior to their routines, to learn a bit more about them as competitors and coffee pros. We hope you enjoy these interviews!

We reached out to each of the 2015 World Barista Championship competitors prior to their routines, to learn a bit more about them as competitors and coffee pros. We hope you enjoy these interviews!

Name: Kalle Freese

Company: Freese Coffee

Country: Finland

Number of years as a barista: 5

Number of competitions competed in: 20+
World Cup Tasters 2012: top 10
Nordic Barista Champion 2012
World Barista Champtionship 2013: top 20
Finnish Barista Champion 2015

Competition Coffee: Two coffees roasted by Has Bean. A natural processed Bourbon from Finca La Ilusion in El Salvador, and a mix of Geisha and Nyika from Msese co-op in Malawi.

Competition Milk: Cow

Signature Beverage: “The Peachinator”
The goal is to make my rather adventurous espresso more approachable by introducing elements we associate with “comfort” coffees: lower intensity, more mouthfeel, richness, and sweetness.
1. Peach skin infusion with 100 g of hot water and 4 g of dried peach skins, steeped for about 1-2 min. 7 g of this in espresso.
2. Kalle’s special bitters blend #15 – Grapefruit and bergamot zest, peach kernels and cacao nibs infused in glycerol under pressure (think David Bowie and Queen). 2 g of this bad boy mix.
3. Peach puree, 2 g
Dose into the Malawian espresso (20g / 53g in 32 seconds), mix 5 times and pop it in the gob.

Secret Weapon: Petesy “Peachy” Williams.

Playlist:
1. Todd Terje – Swing Star, pt 1
2. Jungle – The Heat
3. Boards of Canada – Dayvan Cowboy
4. Hot Chip – Motion Sickness
5. Some Finnish Stuff
6. Daft Punk – Contact

Routine Theme: Communication and a different style of menu.

Total Practice Hours: 120+ in two weeks after our nationals.

Coach/Coaches: Everybody knows Petesy.

Fashion: Uniqlo

Additional Notes: I like binge eating oysters and swimming in coffee beans.

Why do you think you’d make a great World Barista Champion?
I’m pretty good at making coffee, but more importantly, I get other people excited about it.

Social Medias:
Twitter: @kallefreese