New Zealand Barista Championship – and the winner is…

Well the finals were last sunday (18th may) after months of preperation by the competitors.

It was great to see the enthusiasm of supporters and public there to cheer everyone on, and generally see how it went. Many comments i got from people were that they didnt realise how much is involved. (for those wondering, its not just a case of bowling on up, and making some coffee’s… well not as simple as that anyway..

The Favourite on the day came thru!

Luciano Marcolino from Christchurch was the winner on the day with a stunning performance!

And Laura Green from Mojo in Wellington (soon to be Dunedin) was runner up, with another amazing performance!!

Well done to everyone that was involved! It was fantastic to be part of it all, and stoked that i was able to make it to the top 10… and get 7th place!

I just wanted to thank those that had helped along the way, and spent many hours organising the competition, and venues etc. From those volunteers at each of the venues, and the cafe/roasteries that hosted the events, you guys were awesome, and very hospitable!

And a HUGE thanks to Emma Markland-Webster (and the rest of the Coffee Roasters Association) for putting it on, and getting it to such a high level of competition. It seemed incredibly well run, with fantastic judges watching and tasting hard!!

Thanks again people, its been great meeting you all along the way!

All the best for Lui (Luciano) as he prepares for Copenhagen, and representing New Zealand on the world stage!

Andrew