World Barista Championship 2018 is coming

We are thrilled to share with you that this year we are going to be straight into the eye of the specialty coffee storm during the World Barista Championship!

The 2018 World Barista Championship is fast approaching - in just under few weeks, from 20th to 23rd June, over sixty competitors will take to the stage in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, at the World of Coffee show. With regional competitions well under way, qualified competitors will have started planning their preliminary round performance - preparing three espresso-based courses in fifteen minutes to a panel of judges and the audience. Alongside the preliminary round on day one and two, competitors will also collaborate in groups of teams, as part of the WBC Teams Competition. The Netherlands’ coffee industry is thriving, and what’s more, sustainability is of high importance to Dutch consumers – last year, the CBI went as far as to describe the country as “the epicenter of sustainability initiatives within the coffee sector”. [caption id="attachment_3355" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A barista competing[/caption]

SCA has also announced a new round of Qualified Sponsorships

The Specialty Coffee Association has also announced a new round of Qualified Sponsorships for World Coffee Competitions starting in 2018 – affecting what equipment can be used for in the championships. At the moment, Simonelli and Mahhlkoenig are the espresso machine and grinder sponsors respectively. Other sponsors include Ally Coffee, Swiss Water, and more. Information about Qualified Testing for the sponsor position will be announced soon. Over the last eighteen years, it’s been clear to see that behind every barista, there is a strong support network—from coaches to producers, to roasters. The World Barista Championship Teams competition is designed to foster and encourage that same spirit of mutual support amongst competitors. Participating competitors are grouped into ten teams, equally weighted based on historical performance of their National Body. Competitors continue to give the standard on-stage performance to the audience and a panel of judge, while working with and supporting their teammates behind the scenes. Each team also works a shift on the Team Bar, where competitors will work together to decide on a menu, equipment, and service. Here are some of the baristas, that are going to participate this year: [gallery size="full" ids="eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC8zMjIwNzY4NV8xMDE1NTc2MjMzODAwOTA2OV8xMTU1NDIwMTk2MzIwNTc1NDg4X24uanBnIiwidGl0bGUiOiJKb2huIEdvcmRvbiwgTmV3IFplYWxhbmQiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiaHR0cHM6XC9cL2RhYm92LmNvZmZlZVwvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAxOFwvMDZcLzMyMjA3Njg1XzEwMTU1NzYyMzM4MDA5MDY5XzExNTU0MjAxOTYzMjA1NzU0ODhfbi5qcGciLCJkZXNjcmlwdGlvbiI6IiJ9,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9BZ25pZXN6a2EtUm9qZXdza2EtUG9sYW5kLmpwZyIsInRpdGxlIjoiQWduaWVzemthIFJvamV3c2thLCBQb2xhbmQiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiIifQ==,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9EYXZpZC1Tb2xhbm8tR3VhdGVtYWxhLmpwZyIsInRpdGxlIjoiRGF2aWQgU29sYW5vLCBHdWF0ZW1hbGEiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiIifQ==,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9EYXJpYS1QaW5jaHVrLUJlbGFydXMuanBnIiwidGl0bGUiOiJEYXJpYSBQaW5jaHVrLCBCZWxhcnVzIiwiY2FwdGlvbiI6IiIsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjoiIn0=,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9NYXRoaWV1LVRoZWlzLVN3aXR6ZXJsYW5kLmpwZyIsInRpdGxlIjoiTWF0aGlldSBUaGVpcywgU3dpdHplcmxhbmQiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiIifQ==,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9Ub3JlLU92ZXJsZWlyLU5vcndheS5qcGciLCJ0aXRsZSI6IlRvcmUgXHUwMGQ4dmVybGVpciwgTm9yd2F5IiwiY2FwdGlvbiI6IiIsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjoiIn0=,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9QZWRyby1NYXJtZWxvLVBvcnR1Z2FsLmpwZyIsInRpdGxlIjoiUGVkcm8gTWFybWVsbywgUG9ydHVnYWwiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiIifQ==,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9UaGlhZ28tU2FiaW5vLUJyYXppbC5qcGciLCJ0aXRsZSI6IlRoaWFnbyBTYWJpbm8sIEJyYXppbCIsImNhcHRpb24iOiIiLCJhbHQiOiIiLCJkZXNjcmlwdGlvbiI6IiJ9,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC9QaW5hci1Ba3RlcGUtVHVya2V5LmpwZyIsInRpdGxlIjoiUGluYXIgQWt0ZXBlLCBUdXJrZXkiLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiIiwiYWx0IjoiaHR0cHM6XC9cL2RhYm92LmNvZmZlZVwvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAxOFwvMDZcL1BpbmFyLUFrdGVwZS1UdXJrZXkuanBnIiwiZGVzY3JpcHRpb24iOiIifQ=="] The overall winner of the Teams competition will be determined by combining each team member’s individual score from the WBC preliminary round. The team with the highest combined score win the WBC Teams Competition, and some great prizes, including the chance to participate in a future WCE All-Stars event. The highest ranking member of the winning team who is not already qualified into semi finals will win a spot as the sixteenth semi-finalist, and continue in the World Barista Championship. In 2017 the WBC Teams competition was won by Team Tamper, which included Canada, China, Italy, Kenya, and Romania. Kenya’s Martin Shabaya qualified into semi-finals, and also joined the WCE All-Stars event at Hotelex Shanghai—keep your eyes peeled for more of the 2017 Team Tamper at upcoming All-Stars features! [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC8yMzU1OTcxOF8xMDE1NTI5MjQzNzY2NDA2OV81MjUwODM2OTU0NjAzOTM0NTNfbi5qcGciLCJ0aXRsZSI6IjIzNTU5NzE4XzEwMTU1MjkyNDM3NjY0MDY5XzUyNTA4MzY5NTQ2MDM5MzQ1M19uIiwiY2FwdGlvbiI6IkRlbW9uc3RyYXRpbmcgdGhlIGJlc3Qgb2YgaGlzIHNraWxscyIsImFsdCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMThcLzA2XC8yMzU1OTcxOF8xMDE1NTI5MjQzNzY2NDA2OV81MjUwODM2OTU0NjAzOTM0NTNfbi5qcGciLCJkZXNjcmlwdGlvbiI6IiJ9,eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvb2xkMi5kYWJvdi5jb2ZmZWVcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjJcLzExXC8yMzQzNDg4OF8xMDE1NTI5MjQzNjk1NDA2OV8xNjk1OTI0NzkyMDM3NjIwODMzX24uanBnIiwidGl0bGUiOiIyMzQzNDg4OF8xMDE1NTI5MjQzNjk1NDA2OV8xNjk1OTI0NzkyMDM3NjIwODMzX24iLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiSW4gY29tcGV0aXRpb24iLCJhbHQiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvZGFib3YuY29mZmVlXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDE4XC8wNlwvMjM0MzQ4ODhfMTAxNTUyOTI0MzY5NTQwNjlfMTY5NTkyNDc5MjAzNzYyMDgzM19uLmpwZyIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjoiIn0="] Stay tuned for some more freshly roasted info, photos, and videos, straight from the event! Sources: https://www.worldofcoffee.org/ https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2017/01/world-barista-championship-2018-amsterdam/ https://worldbaristachampionship.org/announcing-2018-world-barista-championship-teams/