Boston and Berlin to host 2019 World Coffee Championships

World Coffee Events (WCE) has announced the 2019 World Barista Championship (WBC) and World Brewers Cup will take place at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Boston, United States from 11 to 14 April, 2019. World of Coffee Berlin will host the 2019 World Latte Art Championship, World Coffee In Good Spirits Championship, World Cup Tasters Championship, and Cezve/Ibrik Championship from 8 to 10 June. In a press statement released on Tuesday 5 June, WCE, a subsidiary of the Specialty Coffee Association, said the new competition locations were selected “after pausing to implement a new, more in-depth site selection process”. This year, the 2018 WBC will take place in Amsterdam from 20 to 23 June, 2018, taking place at the World of Coffee Amsterdam show at the RAI centre. World of Coffee is an annual coffee trade show dedicated to supporting coffee professionals by bringing the best of the specialty coffee world together for trade, education, community. The trade show takes place from 21 to 23 of June. This is the 19th year of the championship, which recognises the highest levels of barista professionals, and their mastery and innovation in coffee service. Nearly 60 competitors from around the world will come together in Amsterdam to show off their skills and represent their coffee communities, including Australia’s Craig Simon of Veneziano Coffee Roasters, the 2018 Australian Specialty Coffee Association Australian Barista Champion. Fans can watch live, in-person by buying a ticket to World of Coffee, or watch the stream live online at worldbaristachampionship.org. In the WBC, competitors will each prepare three drink courses for judges using coffee(s) of their choosing: the espresso course, showcasing flavour and accuracy in shots of espresso; the milk drink course, where the competitor balances an espresso with milk, in the style and volume of their choosing; and the signature drink course, where competitors can do most anything they want, as long as it has espresso and they prepare it live. The competitors all use a common set of sponsored equipment, with espresso machines provided by Victoria Arduino, and grinders by Mahlkönig. These sponsors join dozens of other companies large and small in helping support this competition. Each competitor has 15 minutes to present these three courses in whatever order and approach they think best represents the greatest possibilities of specialty coffee. The presentations are scored on many different sensory and technical points, with 16 competitors advancing into the semi-final round, and six into the final, with the winner being crowned the World Barista Champion for the year. For more information on this year’s WBC with access to schedules, videos and profiles of each WBC competitor, visit worldbaristachampionship.org.