Roast Masters, a new specialty coffee roasting competition, will launch at The Amsterdam Coffee Festival (ACF), taking place from 1 to 3 March, 2019. The ACF says the new competition seeks to find, test, and celebrate the best coffee roasters on the planet. International competitors will include representatives from ST. ALi, Ozone Coffee Roasters, Assembly, Belleville, Bocco, Caffénation, Coffee Company, Ditta Artigianale, Dutch Barista, Giraffe Coffee Roasters, Lot Sixty One, Manhattan Coffee Roasters, Mok Specialty Coffee, Moyee Coffee, Schot Koffie, Special Roast, and White Label Coffee. Roasters will compete across two disciplines – single origin and espresso blend – over three days to showcase their roasting and espresso blending in a fast-paced, live setting. The single origin category will see competing roasters receive five kilograms of the same green beans one month before the event, to give them enough time to create and develop a unique roasting profile at the March competition. At Roast Masters in Amsterdam, judges will cup the resulting coffees side by side whilst each roaster presents their profile to the panel in two minutes. Points will be allocated for taste and presentation. The espresso blend category will allow roasters to bring their own coffee to the table. Each roaster has 15 minutes to present an espresso, macchiato and a flat white to the judges and explain the taste profile and commercial rationales behind the blend. The commercial espresso blend wholesale price must be under €25 (about $40) per kilogram to qualify. Points will be allocated on taste, presentation and showmanship.
Applications are by invite only, but expressions of interest are welcomed. For more information, email here. For more information, click here.