World Cezve/Ibrik Championship finalists announced

The 9th World Cezve/Ibrik Championships are currently underway at the Gulfood event in Dubai, UAE.  After three full days of heats and performances from 19 international competitors, the judges have confirmed the six finalists that will compete to become the next World Cezve/Ibrik Champion on Wednesday. The six finalists are Jerome Jumawan of the Philippines, Sara Al Ali of Saudi Arabia, Konstantinos Komninakis of Greece, Ekaterina Szasz of Romania, Hazel Atesoglu of Turkey and Karthikeyan Rajendran of the United Arab Emirates.  Organised by the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), and supported by sponsors Gulfood and Loumidis, the World Cezve/Ibrik Championships is an annual event that celebrates the world’s most traditional brew method in a competition format. “In recent years the art of brewing coffee in a cezve (ibrik) pot has grown significantly in popularity as more and more specialised equipment has been developed and made available for purchase,” Event organiser, SCAE's Annemarie Tiemes.”In what has previously been an event largely contested by Southern and Eastern Europeans, this year’s championships welcomed competitors from as far afield as the Netherlands and Uganda. Ibrik is enjoying a revival as people look to the next up and coming trends in coffee.” Competitors are vying for the much coveted title of World Cezve/Ibrik Champion, as well as the trophy that goes with it. Handmade by the event’s Award Partner, Soy Turkiye, the trophy is made from 100 oer cent silver. In true tradition of the championships, SCAE collaborated with local partners Easternmen Co, Swiss Water Decaf, Karam and the Dubai Coffee Museum to offer a range of entertainment in the form of traditional dance, including performances from Arabian, African and Lebanon performers that entertained the hundreds of spectators and onlookers in attendance. “So far the World Cezve/Ibrik Championship has received positive feedback and I am truly inspired by the huge presence from different nations,” said Khalid Al Mullah, part of the local working group in Dubai. “My expectations of this event have proved the capability of hosting bigger events at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the future.” The 9th World Cezve/Ibrik Champion will be crowned on 24 February 2016.