Barista Competitions
A barista is a person who prepares coffee drinks in a coffee house as his or her profession and especially strives to create the perfect espresso. The barista possesses extensive knowledge on different kinds of beans and roasts and has the technical skills required to master the espresso machine.Baristas consider the extraction of coffee as art and they actually perform in front of their customers each time they prepare an espresso, a cappuccino, a caffe latte or a caffe mocha. However, if they wish for larger audience and consider themselves as really talented they can consider competing in barista competitions. These events take place every year and they are held at local and national levels. The ultimate title to win is the World Barista Champion.The World Barista Championship was first held in 2000 in Monte Carlo and it became quickly a public event where the best baristas from different countries battled for espresso making supremacy. The World Barista Championship takes place every year in a different country and the competitors are the winners of the national barista competitions.In the United States the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) hosts several local barista competitions. There are ten regions, and each state has been assigned to a region. Local competitions are sponsored by businesses, and the winner of each of the local events has the chance to try to impress the jury at the US Barista Championship. There are many barista competitions in Europe and the United Kingdom. Canada, Australia and Central America also have barista competitions at the local, regional and national levels.In a barista competition the judges have to assess both the contenders and the coffee drinks they make. The criteria based on which they score each barista involve the quality and taste of the beverage, personal presentation, technique and also the presentation of the coffee drink.The baristas race against the clock as they are only allowed to perform for 15 minutes. They also have 15 minutes before the actual presentation to prepare with every detail for the show - ingredients like syrups, chocolate sprinkles or anything that you can think of except alcohol, cups, trays, blenders, mixers and portable burners. Contenders even roast their own coffee and bring it with them at the competition. After serving their drinks, baristas have 15 minutes to clean their station before they make room for another contestant. The espresso machines used in the competition are key to the taste of the coffee. The machines must be left absolutely clean and free from any impurities.During the 15 minute performance interval baristas have to prove their skills by preparing 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 signature drinks. Four sensory judges that have to decide on the quality of the drinks sample each one of the beverages. While preparing the beverages, the baristas have to present their work, give details about the ingredients they used to the audience and also treat the judges as customers in a coffee shop. One can only imagine the stress.After the espressos and cappuccinos, which are finished with latte art - complicate designs drawn atop the cup with foamed milk by using the pitcher, the time comes for the signature drink. It is the competitor's original creation and this is where baristas reveal their creativity and skills combining roasts, syrups, steaming and frothing milk and using all sorts of ingredients and flavours that turn their beverages into savory works of art. The baristas can spend even months to invent this perfect drink that can bring them the victory in a competition.Here are some examples of drinks that barista champions have invented:Troels Poulsen, the 2005 World Barista Championship winner, created a drink called ESB, as in "enhanced sensory balance" by combining melted pepper-gel, espresso and lavender syrup.Phuong Tran, the 2005 USA Barista Champion, was inspired by her childhood in creating the Crimson Sage, a drink made of sugar cane juice, white pepper powder and steamed milk infused with sage leaves. She said that as a child she loved drinking sugar cane juice with ice and she always dreamed of using it in a drink.Sammy Piccolo, the 2004 Canadian Barista Championship winner, created "Insieme" by using raw sugar, egg yolks, curry, bittersweet chocolate and milk.Bronwen Serna, USA Barista Champion of 2004, entitled her signature drink "Sweetness" because the main "secret" ingredient was honey. She also used dark chocolate powder and served it with a dark chocolate square.Baristas train hard for these competitions, especially if they have the chance to participate in the World Barista Championship. They try to bring to perfection their technique and put together their program as during the competition everything has to work smoothly, no glitches are allowed. They can actually be compared to athletes rehearsing for the Olympic games as some of them even have coaches that sometimes play the role of judges in preparation for the competition.Barista trainingWell, perhaps after reading about the competition requirements it might be wise to brush up a bit on your skills. There are several ways to either get basic skills training as a barista or enhance your existing skills:Books and manuals. There are many books or manuals available that take you step by step through the processes of making an espresso, a cappuccino and other specialty coffee drink. The drawback is that you only have still pictures to look at which may make it difficult for beginners to see the details of the methods.Videos. These provide both visual modeling as well as commentary on how to produce the perfect cup of espresso.Training classes. There are training locations in most areas that offer courses that range from three hours to a full day on learning the secrets of a barista. Many of these programs also deal with how to care for the espresso machine and offer a certificate upon completion.Hands-on. Some experienced barista will offer personal training or mentoring for those interested in becoming a barista or in improving their skills.Whatever you decide to do, if you have a talent for making a great cup of espresso you should consider entering a barista competition. You will meet other people that share your passion for coffee and will certainly get some new ideas to try in your coffee shop.Jim Cheresly shows you what coffee appliances to use in order to prepare a fine coffee drink at http://www.madcoffeemaker.com where you'll find more about coffee roasters, grinders, coffee makers and espresso machines.
LONDON CATERERS PROVIDE SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM THE CITY
When Channel 4 wanted to reward and excite the Big Brother contestants with a gala dinner who did they call? London's Flying Chef - the City and West End events division of The Chelsea Events Company. Not a fine dining restaurant or one-man/woman private cook, but a professional events operator who could deliver their service within the constraints of a live television broadcast and impress a disparate bunch of contestants who've spent 37 days isolated from reality.
The challenge for Chelsea Events was to secretly enter the Big Brother house without alerting the contestants and maintain their complete isolation from contact with the outside world, then, within 30 minutes, set up a fine dining feast for the contestants to enjoy. The set up – within 23 minutes – and meal were a complete success! Contestant Makosi said "It's awesome, all we need now is music and we'll have the perfect night" The meal was also a major feature in the Sunday papers.
To meet the brief of 'a wow factor in both visual impact and taste' the menu included: Salad of Cellophane Noodles, Lemongrass and Chervil, with Marinated Prawns and Crayfish Tails, Mizuna, Soured Cream and Caviar or (V) Caesar Salad with soft Quails Egg and Chargrilled Asparagus
Main Course Fillet of Beef with Purple Basil, Virgin Olive Oil and Deep-Fried Capers
or (V) Aubergine Charlotte
Dessert Croquembouche with fresh strawberries (profiterole tower, with fresh cream and rich chocolate sauce)
Veronica Goff, Executive Chef, Chelsea Events commented, "We've worked in some inaccessible locations and under severe time constraints but this was a challenge to beat them all. Not only do Endemol (series producer) set a tough agenda for the Big Brother contestants they also ensure Chelsea Events operated to the extremes of its abilities. An experience we enjoyed achieving and an interesting success to add to all our CVs."
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London Caterers and Sandwich Delivery
Italian wine smells.
I am often reminded by my relations of the first family wedding that I was allowed to go to as a six year old. My much older cousin was getting married to a beautiful Italian lady and of course her relatives insisted upon Italian wine at the reception.
I had been introduced to wine with a lot of water in it as a baby (presumably so I would go to sleep) but this hadn't really awakened my sense of smell to wine. One of the waitresses at the reception in a marquee on an unusually pleasant English day took a bit of a shine (in a grandmotherly way) to this six year old and I was quietly presented with a glass of wine. "Italian", she said, "don't tell anyone".
So I took a sniff at this 'adult' beverage and said to my 70 year old neighbour "Italian wine smells, it's not like the stuff I drink at home". My older and much wiser great-uncle told me I was correct. All wines smell, but some smell better than others, and some do not taste the same as they smell.
Well being thoroughly baffled by this explanation I smelled it again, (I wasn't quite brave enough to actually drink it 'neat' yet despite my bravado). My great uncle explained the different smells to me. Strawberries, slightly of wild herbs, a woody smell from the barrels, a sort of blackberry whiff there somewhere and so on. Taste it, he said, don't drink it, just have a sip and tell me what you think.
By this time my trepidation at drinking 'neat' wine had disappeared in my eagerness to try a taste of what I could smell. The first sip was a true experience. I suddenly transformed from being a schoolboy into a wine connoisseur in the space of a couple of seconds (or so I thought at the time). Yes I can taste this, yes I can taste that. Wow!
"Don't drink anymore of that", my mentor told me. Have a sip of water. Try a sip of this one and you tell me this time what you can smell and taste. Oh dear. Different colour!!
Italian wine smells, so I told him what I smelled. It was very different from the one I had tried before, much crisper, sharper, more scent, pine needles was it? Having obviously passed the first test I was allowed to have a sip. These are both made out of grapes? Why are they so different?
Well it depends upon the grape variety and the part if Italy it's made. In the North they make very different wines from those of the South. The soil they are grown in varies from very good, to very poor and the aspect (the facing direction to gain the most sun) can change the character of a grape and therefore the wine that can be made from it. It's also a question of keeping the very best grapes for the best wines from a particular region.
My great uncle had me spellbound with all this information and I forgot to finish my wine. "Now you know a bit about the care taken in making wine in Italy you will sip it and enjoy it like I do, rather than just drink it".
I could not resist "how do you know so much about wine uncle?"
"I've lived and worked in a winery in Italy all my life. I've owned it since my father died."
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