Summer issue - barista comps

admin

Hi guys - as i've mentioned elsewhere, the summer issue is now out.  One of the things we're trying to encourage is discussion about any of the topics in the mag.

This issue, it's the value of 'barista competitions' in general.  Please read the article p47  and give your feedback, or feel free to state your opinion, even if you haven't read the article.

-A

DDP

The discussion around whether or not Barista competitions are a true representation of real life cafe pressures and the validity of these competitions as a testing format for quality baristas is an interesting discussion. Not having witnessed these competitions first hand, a detailed discussion directly at the issue maybe not the appropriate angle. But just a point. Myself as a self-learned barista, one of the ways I set a method of production was to research the WBC marking criteria to see what elements are important in judging these competiton. I would encourage any practicing and would-be barista's to study this carefully, do a google search if neccessary. I found that the format and marking criteria is most helpful in handling everyday elements of coffee production. It sets easily applicable guidlines to general coffee making procedures that aid the quality of product, hygiene, product knowledge and personality requirements of what is expected in a great service environment in a great cafe. Test it. I did. This is a great exercise to improve the quality of production amoungst your staff and will create a culture of quality assurance as staff will then use this criteria to judge their own skill and production, as well as ensuring their work mates are adhering to similar guidlines. I would, from the un-experienced point of view (in relation to competition), suggest that the format and criteria of judging would be one of the most effective way of judging a barista's skill in a controlled environment. Let's not forget the general rules that we can only compare apples with apples with if the operating environment for all competitors is consistant. A controlled environment will always be different to the competition format, but it will still present a hasty pressure that only a skilled barista would be able to handle. I would say that it is a great format for judging. But each to their own I suppose.

mattyj

I reckon that there's gotta be way more pressure on a barista in a competition than there would be working in a shop. Tons more. In a shop, you might have an agro boss hovering over your shoulder, watching you make coffee, telling you what you're doing wrong. In a comp, you've got two judges hovering over your shoulder, taking notes and scoring you on what you're doing. At least with the boss, he's telling you right then and there. In a shop, you're very often (depending on where you work of course) serving coffee to people with average palates, who aren't drinking your coffee to dissect the taste: you're serving to customers there for a caffiene fix, or meeting up for a staff lunch, or having a gossip session with all the other young mums. Serving coffee to a person who is sitting there to specifically judge your coffee and therefore your rank in the city/state/country/world would be WAY more pressure. Just my guess, anyhow.

One-a-day

I agree and disagree with Mattyj , I guess the individual barista who has experienced competition would best answer this question. I assume the controlled enviroment would 99% of the time produce a different result then every day life unless the competitor put the same effort/dedication into their work place. Mattyj brings up a good point ,is there a generic level of quality served to the "masses" most of the time and competition is where you see real quality? . Again it all depends on the individual and their work ethic I supose.

Lukey

yeah it's all got to do with the barista themselves. u could put them into 2 types 1. the barista that does nothing but trains for competetions and 2. the barista that pumps out 400 - 1000 coffees a day every day. i just competed in my first competition a couple of months back and failed terribly. why? i had no track record, didnt know what to expect and of course didnt practice eneough prior to competing. however u ask some of our regulars and they'll say that get an awesome cup everytime. some places i worked at we would do 800 -1000 coffees a day but i would make sure that every one had a design on them. it's with anything, the more u do of something the easier it gets. there's pressure on both sides. the difference is, at work your not making 800 coffees for 800 judges with a whole audience watching every coffee u make whilst at the same time explainng what your doing. in a competition you've got one shot and it's all over in a matter of minutes. luke

Glenjamin

Well i'll have to put my two cents in. Having been in barista comps before, i would have to say that all the intense training that you go through reflects not only in the comps, but in the coffee you serve to the customer. if you practise as a barista at shop level, you tend to develope short cuts or bad habbits. So when competing at comp level, you tend to go into autopilot. so infact these bad habits would be apparent in the comps. therefore, you would suck big time!! so looking at this the other way, training for comps eliminates all short cuts, giving the best posible result in the cup. then taking these good habits back to the shop, you will find that these techniques stay with you, and your customers will love you for it.

Lukey

Well i'll have to put my two cents in. if you practise as a barista at shop level, you tend to develope short cuts or bad habbits. So when competing at comp level, you tend to go into autopilot. so infact these bad habits would be apparent in the comps. therefore, you would suck big time!! so looking at this the other way, training for comps eliminates all short cuts, giving the best posible result in the cup. then taking these good habits back to the shop, you will find that these techniques stay with you, and your customers will love you for it.

whatever mate, sorry but shop level barista? i could pick a handful of barista's that don't compete but consitently pump out 100's of coffee a perfect technique and no bad habits and would mop the floor with the guys that are competeing. i know what your getting at, but bad analogy. no offence to you. luke