Ciao Milano!

Having been to a few events in the last few months, it was interesting to see another take on the how a barista competition could be hosted. Organized by the ever-enthusiastic 9bar, the event was full of energy and therefore always had a plenty of spectators. Teams from Lebanon, Croatia, France, Italy and Portugal competed for the new title over three days. Each day the teams (one bar manager and two baristas) had to rise to the challenges facing everyday working baristas. Poor Nick Orosi single handedly flew the flag for Croatia after his teammates were unfortunately involved in a car accident on the way to the event. Hopefully they are all on the mend now and looking forward to the next challenge.

Day one saw the ‘speed round’. Each team had 10 minutes to prepare and serve as many cappuccinos (2 points) and espressos (1 point) as possible, with additional points available for latte art. There was a small problem with teams not being able to use there own coffee; the supplied beans being too fresh, but being professionals each team got down to the task at hand.

There were no daily announcements as to who was winning, or how many drinks were approved by the judges, but we do know Lebanon managed a total of 16 drinks.

The second part of the competition took a fair amount of preparation before arriving in Italy. Each team presented a menu, from which to choose a total of 4 drinks for the multi-order round. These chosen drinks, together with 4 cappuccinos, had to be served simultaneously, reflecting a real café situation. With the teams working full pelt, this was a challenging 12 minutes. Again, no immediate results, so onto day three for the final ‘creative’ round….

9-bar, the organizers of the event, run two training academy’s for not just coffee, but also bartending, a skills cross-over that is more apparent in mainland Europe than elsewhere. This was really apparent when the French team, (including 9-bar staff) began their third and final round by flairing with portafilters, jugs and anything else they could get their hands on. Very impressive and definitely got the ever present crowd excited. They then went on to serve the drinks needed for the round, two with alcohol, one hot, one cold, and two without, again, one hot, one cold. The teams were also encouraged to introduce a taste of their home country into this round, which all the teams successfully managed through liquor, pastries, herbs and spices.

In the end it was the Lebanese team who took the title in the first Mediterranean Cup, and having also seen their performance at the European Team Challenge in Moscow, it really is no surprise. They are very dedicated and take it very seriously, as Joe Hayek said during the event ‘We are here to win’. Luckily, they did, and we were able to share in the celebrations…. and a bottle of tequila

As with all the recent team competitions, it is the taking part, sharing and learning that is the most important factor, not who the winner is. This was the first event the Portugal have entered, and came in an impressive 2nd place, with Italy in third.

The lasting memory we will have of the event (other than how quickly a group of Lebanese can polish off a bottle of tequila) is the energy and enthusiasm of the event. The guys at 9-bar are true showmen, they know that barista events are not always the most thrilling for Joe Public to watch (we hate to say this but it’s true folks) so made sure the days were full of life and kept the audience informed of what was happening (apart from the running scores!). The move away from the traditional style of competition kept it relevant to everyday baristas, something seen at both the Nordic Cup and European Team Challenge, and hopefully the way forward for these events…..