Hi guys, here's the final blurb on the winner of the Aust Barista Champ - congrats to Hugh (second year running)! If anyone wants to add winners of other comps (eg latte art, good spirits) please feel free. "Hugh Kelly of Ona Coffee in Canberra won the Australian Barista Championship for the second year in a row. He is only the second Australian to win the prestigious title since Paul Basset won the championship in 2002 and 2003. Matthew Lewin of Axil Coffee Roasters was runner up and Jade Jennings of Veneziano Coffee Roasters placed third, a repeat of last year’s top three finalists. For his 15-minute routine, Hugh engaged the panel of four sensory judges with his fluid presentation, distinct flavour profiles, and element of fun with tangerine fairy floss he transported from a carnival setting to the judging table. Hugh also used his performance to highlight the need to bridge the gap between specialty coffee and consumers. “I want to serve quality coffee first and foremost, but I also want to focus on how to make the customer experience better. That’s why I talked to our customers and listened to what they liked and what they didn’t to help create my routine and my beverages.” Hugh presented four espressos, four milk-based beverages, and four signature drinks for the judges for assessment. He used a washed processed Geisha from Morgan Estate in Panama for his espressos; a natural processed Ethiopian coffee found near the Geisha forest in Wush Wush for his milk-based beverages; and the same Morgan Estate coffee in espresso form with 12 millilitres of peach sous vide liquid, the vapour of jasmine flavours, and 50 grams of tangerine peel and unrefined organic cane sugar for his signature beverage. The result was a tangerine sugar, which he heated at 150°C in a fairy floss machine to create a “tangerine floss”. Hugh will represent Australia at the World Barista Championship (WBC), taking place in Seoul from 9 – 21 November 2017.
