This year will mark the sixth year of the Caffè Vergnano Best Barista Competition and we are taking this opportunity to bring the competition to a whole new level. For more than 130 years Caffè Vergnano has been producing high quality coffee but it is only with the aid of the expert Barista that our customers drink truly high quality espresso, cappuccino and espresso based drinks. The Caffè Vergnano Best Barista will be judged on many merits of skills which are required of a Barista every day Technical skill as a Barista Coffee knowledge and understanding of flavors Ability to adapt Organisation and cleanliness Speed and efficiency Latte art skill Drink development Personality, customer awareness and friendliness In order to be Caffè Vergnano s Best Barista 2016 you will need to show all of these aptitudes within a 15 minute time frame. The Barista will need to create a series of drinks for the judges and also create two drinks of his/her own choice. For more details see the judges guidelines and score sheet. This is an event open to all Baristas who work with Caffè Vergnano around the world.
The will be divided in to 3 separate stages. 1. SETUP TIME: The Barista will begin by spinning the Latte Art Wheel. Once spun they will have 10 minutes in which to set up the equipment they need, calibrate the grinder for the blend which they have chosen, make any practices for the latte art and also decorate the judges service area. 2. PRESENTATION TIME: A maximum of 5 minutes is available for the Barista to give a small presentation before the Barista begins the competition time. The Barista may use this time in any way they choose in order to gain more points. They may present their coffee knowledge, explain their personlised drink or simple introduce themselves and say hi. 3. CHALLENGE TIME: 15 minutes in which they must prepare the following: Preparation of 4, but only presentation of 2 espresso. Preparation and presentation of 2 Cappuccinos of which latte art design is open. Preparation and presentation of 2 Cappuccinos with the type of latte art which was selected on the latte art wheel. Preparation and presentation of 2 personlised drinks. THE CAFFÈ VERGNANO LATTE ART WHEEL Prior to the start of the competition the Barista must spin the Caffè Vergnano Latte Art Challenge Wheel. This wheel will determine exactly what type of latte art they will be required to produce for the cappuccino round. The Caffè Vergnano Latte Art Wheel has 8 different latte art designs. These designs are generic: Tulip with 4 or less pours Tulip with more than 4 pours Single Rosetta (or leaf) Double (triple or more) Rosetta Heart with 4 or less pours Heart with more than 4 pours Swan Combined pour or Swirl plus hearts The Barista does not need to replicate the design perfectly but must produce his/her own version of the latte art which was selected by the spin. The two pours should be identical for maximum points. Different bonus points will be awarded depending on the degree of difficulty of the design chosen by the spin.
SETUP TIME: Maximum 10 Minutes. Before the time starts the Barista must first spin the Caffè Vergnano Latte art Wheel. This wheel will have 8 different designs of latte art. The Barista will be required to produce his/her version of the design which was selected by the wheel when the wheel stops. The Baristas 10 minutes setup will begin once the wheel has stopped spinning. During these 10 minutes the Barista will be able to calibrate the grinder. Each barista is open to choose any of the Caffè Vergnano blends which they wish to use (500 600 700 800 900 Crystal...etc) The grinder will therefore require adjusting slightly from one Barista to another. The Barista is also completely free to choose the dose of coffee which they will use and therefore grind calibration is important. During these 10 minutes the Barista will be required to prepare the presentation area for the two judges. Points are awarded for the setup of the judges area and how the drinks are presented. The Barista may prepare anything that the Barista wishes. The Barista can have the plates and spoons ready, milk in the pitchers, water in the glasses or anything that he/she feels needs to be made ready. During these 10 minutes the Barista will be able to prepare any equipment which is needed for his/her special drink. Although the Barista may not begin preparing the drink the Barista may prepare anything which is later needed for the drink. During these 10 minutes the Barista is also free to practice the latte art for the latte art Wheel stage. PRESENTATION TIME: Maximum 5 Minutes. The Barista may use this time in any way they choose. They may introduce themselves, impress us with their coffee knowledge or describe their personlised drink. This time will be considered by the judges as part of their overall presentation and therefore points will be awarded during this time.
COMPETITION TIME: Maximum 15 minutes. Once the competition time starts each Barista will have a maximum of 15 minutes in which they must present 8 drinks to the judges. They may present these drinks in any order. 2 Espresso The Barista must prepare a minimum of 4 ESPRESSO. The Barista must choose 2 of these espresso to present to the two judges. Each espresso must have an extraction of at least 15ml and a maximum of 30ml. These espresso must also be prepared in a Caffè Vergnano espresso cup supplied for the day. 2 Cappuccino The Barista must present 2 cappuccinos to the judges. These two cappuccinos must be prepared in the Caffè Vergnano cappuccino cup. Extra points will be scored for latte art presentation. The latte art must be of the type chosen by the latte art wheel. Therefore if the chosen picture was a Swan the Barista may present his/her personal version of the Swan design. These two pours should be identical. These two cappuccinos will be tasted, evaluated and scored by the sensory judges. The Barista may however choose to repour each cappuccino once if not happy with the first pour (time permitting). 2 Latte art open The Barista must prepare 2 cappuccinos with their own choice of latte art. This latte art MUST be different than the latte art presented in the cappuccino stage. The Barista may pour any design they wish, the barista may also pour two different designs. The Barista may choose to use a different cup for these cappuccinos. The cup may not be larger than 220ml. The Barista may choose to extract the espresso in any way. (example: double ristretto). Two cappuccinos must be presented for evaluation. The Barista may however choose to repour each cappuccino once if not happy with the first pour. These cappuccinos will be evaluated by the Head Judge for latte art design. 2 Personlised Drinks The Barista must prepare 2 PERSONALISED DRINKS. The Barista must prepare a drink where the principal flavor is the coffee. The Barista may choose to use any type, origin or variety of coffee. The Barista may choose any extraction method. (Aeropress, Syphon, Espresso, Chemex..etc) The Barista may bring and use any equipment that they wish. The Barista may prepare a hot drink or a cold drink, a long drink or a short drink, an alcoholic or nonalcoholic drink. The Barista should explain his choice of coffee, the flavors and the reason for the ingredients which were chosen. The Barista should show his knowledge of all the products and equipment used. The idea of this round is not to present a Double Caramel Iced coffee with Whipped Cream. Maximum points will be scored by presenting a drink which shows your understanding of the coffee, the flavors and Barista Skills. The Barista will have a total available time of 15 minutes to produce all the drinks. The Barista is not required to use all the time but penalties will apply beyond the 15 minutes.
EQUIPMENT For each event there will be either one or two competition stations available depending on location and space. At each event the barista will have at their disposal the following items: An espresso machine (will vary depending on location) The latte art wheel Grinder. The Barista is free to bring and use his own grinder. Caffè Vergnano bar blends Knock box Tamper. The Barista is free to bring and use his own tamper. Steaming milk jugs. The Barista is free to bring and use his own jugs. Milk. The barista is free to bring and use his own milk. Caffè Vergnano espresso cups Caffè Vergnano cappuccino cups Every Barista will also have an allocated time to spend on the espresso machine and grinder to familiarize themselves with the machine. The competitor is not allowed to modify the espresso machine internally or externally including steam wands tips and porta filters. A grinder will be made available for the competition. The competitor is fully responsible for all aspects of the grinder including pre-cleaning and calibration. The organizer will ensure that the grinder is in working order. Should the Barista wish, they may bring their own grinder. The Barista is responsible for setting up and presenting the judges area and bringing any extra equipment that they may require. For example: Trays Spoons Water glasses Table cloths Display and decoration Napkins Cleaning cloths Tamper Shot glasses Steaming milk jugs Mixers Siphons Aeropress Water boilers Any specific utensils that you may require. (latte art tools) Blender Jiggers Syrups Sauces Pourers Your own Cappuccino cups for latte art pour At the end of the Baristas 15 minutes, the Barista must clean down the station to make ready for the next Barista.
JUDGES There will be three judges during the. The judges will be divided into two different roles and responsible for the following tasks: HEAD JUDGE. In charge of overall evaluation, calibration of equipment etc. Is responsible for the judging of the Latte art section. Technical evaluation, use of grinder, tamper and all equipment used during the many technical aspect for the preparation of the personalised drink. Has the final authority in concerning judges decisions. Evaluation and scoring the barista for an overall score, this will include their style and flair, their coffee knowledge, their cleanliness and Barista skills. SENSORY/ TECHNICAL JUDGES The judges are responsible for assessing the taste profile of the espresso section. The judges are responsibile for assessing taste profile of the Cappuccino section. The judges are responsibile for the some technical aspects of the latte art section The judges are responsible for assessing the Personal drink section of the Barista. Evaluation and scoring the barista for an overall score, this will include their style and flair, their coffee knowledge, their cleanliness and Barista skills. The Judges score sheets are available and it is suggested to study these sheets well in order to understand where points can be won or lost. Below is a table describing how the total 420 points are divided between the judges. Head Judge Sensory 1 Sensory 2 Total Start up 15 points 5 points 5 points 25 Espresso 10 points 25 points 25 points 60 Cappuccino (wheel) 25 points 25 points 25 points 75 Open latte art 55 points 10 points 10 points 75 Personlized Drink 25 points 25 points 25 points 75 Barista Evaluation 60 points 25 points 25 points 110 Total 190 115 115 420