Deaf Can Coffee crowned 2020 Barista Champions
Just in case you missed your favourite barista at your coffee shop last weekend (March 7), the local coffee community was duking it out at the 2020 Barista Competition.
Participants across different coffee houses delivered their best skills at the AC Hotel in New Kingston, Jamaica.
The Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, for the third year, staged its professional preliminary barista competition. The competition spanned two rounds.
The baristas representing the competing brands included Shandel Mclaughlin- Café Dolche, Demil Ballen and Andreen Smith – Deaf Can, Sadiki Gordon- Toyota Coffee House, Taniece Helon – Starbucks, and Rebecca Levy- RagaMuffin Café.
The first round required each competitor to create a traditional latte in five minutes for four judges.
Taniece Helon of Starbucks brought her A-Game! (Photo: Shaquiel Brooks/BUZZ)
Each barista was assessed on three critical key areas: preparation of style, the visual aesthetics of the latte and its taste.
In the second and final round candidates battled their way out to create a signature coffee drink in ten minutes. They were scored on four areas: preparation style, visual appeal of the drink, uniqueness of the drink and taste of the drink.
At the end of the evening, Demil Ballen of Deaf Can Coffee and Sadiki Gordon of Toyota coffee house will both advance to the finals of the competition to be hosted at the Coffee Festival on Saturday, March 21.
The panel of judge included Carol Rose- Brown, Director for Jamaica Center for Tourism, Fionna Fennell, Communications Director in the Ministry of Tourism, Gariel Ferguson, member of the Gastronomy board and Tracy-Ann Francis, a representative from the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA).
Director of Communications in the office of the Ministry of Tourism, Fionna Fennell told BUZZ that she was particularly excited with the line-up of young baristas, as it showcased their skills and talents in a growing global industry.
Check out the gallery with more highlights from the event!
Coffee was placed on a pedestal for the 2020 staging of the Barista Competition as part of activities leading up to the Jamaica Coffee Festival. (Photos: Shaquiel Brooks/BUZZ)
