11 May 2007
Pianeta Birra, or ‘Planet of Beer’ for all you non-Italians out there may seem a strange place to have the Italian Barista Championships but there was a hot beverage section for those looking for a non-alcoholic beverage after one too many free samples in the other halls that were flowing like, well, beer.
Whilst our own Jono was busy getting yet another free bottle of water* we had chance to take in some of the semi-finals of the championship to see how baristas from the home of espresso compete. There were all kinds of concoctions including signature drinks with basil and tomato (well, it was Italy!) and a most complicated set up involving some very scientific looking equipment that distilled a lemon curd looking substance. Other ingredients included orange peel, marmalade, and as with the UK competitions, cardamom was a popular choice this year. It was interesting to see that all the baristas were generally older than in other competitions we have seen; it seems that in Italy it really is possible to be a barista for life. Unfortunately we had to leave before the final to get back for the Bristol and Wales regional heat the next day so didn't see Mariano Semino from 9bar (again!) take the title, following his 2006 succes in the Latte Art Championship in Berne.
While we were at the show we met up with Caitalin Hogua, the current Romanian Barista Champion. Sadly there is no recognized SCAE section in Romania as yet, so he won’t be able to enter the final in Japan. We have to say that his latte art is some of the best we’ve seen though. Caitalin will be joining us on our stand at Café Culture so come along to see for yourself!
*Completely non-scientific research shows a strong correlation between number of bottles of free water consumed versus number of ladies in blue fluffy dresses handing out said free water…..no Jon, we don’t need them at Caffe Culture...the girls or the water!
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