Barista Magazine

DEC 2014 - JAN 2015

Barista Magazine is your home for the worldwide community of coffee and the people who make it.

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areas hosting multiple competitive events, including the Japan Barista Championship (JBC), the World Siphon Championship, and the Japan Hand Drip Competition, to name a few. As I dashed among them, I was awestruck by the standing-room-only crowds at each competition. The SCAJ attendees were nothing if not en- gaged with all of the opportunities to watch and learn something new, and the competitors left no stone unturned in their processes. I caught a good deal of the Japan Barista Championship finals, where the caliber of baristas was through the roof. After a cere- mony to honor all the placing finalists, competition veteran Yoshi- kazu Iwase of Rec Coffee Collective finally achieved his goal and took the crown. He looks forward to representing Japan in the 2015 World Barista Championship in Seattle in April. Over on the show floor, the usual sus- pects bandied about—producers, machine manufacturers, and many a manual-brew device representative. The longest queues, however, were at booths offering beverages, especially if they were being crafted by our industry's current best and brightest. At the DCS booth, for example, New Zealand's 2014 barista champ, Hanna Teramoto, gave demonstrations on the Synesso Hydra. One of the most prevalent trends I no- ticed at the SCAJ show was the focus on single-cup brewing. Alongside the Sera- phim, Blossom, and Wilfa machines, there were booths featuring disposable drippers: individually sealed packages of preground coffee pre-portioned in a simply construct- ed cardboard dripper. With the built-in fil- ter, the devices fold out to rest easily on the brim of your mug, and after brewing, you just pick it up and throw it away. Wandering farther afield, I saw a rath- er long queue of about 30-40 people at the Ogawa booth. I joined the line, noticing the booth was selling a beautiful book on latte art. It was then that I spotted Hisako Yoshi- kawa, 2013 World Latte Art Champion, who works for Ogawa. She cheerfully demon- strated her award winning rose latte art pat- tern, and chatted about AeroPress methods with people in the crowd. Across the way at the Maruyama Coffee booth, WBC Champs Hidenori Izaki (Japan 2014) and Pete Licata (U.S.A. 2013) were always found together, tirelessly making copious amounts of coffee. During the JBC finals, Pete and Hide worked in a booth right next to the stage, where they made espres- sos for the masses. The line was endless but fast-paced, and Pete later told me that they went through six or seven kilos of espresso in less than two hours. So, let's see: autographs from barista champions? Check. In- sights on new trends in single-cup brewing? Check. Appreciation for Japanese specialty-coffee culture? Check. Now I only had one thing left on my list, and luckily, the man for the job was right in front of me. Reg Barber selfie? Check. —Holly Bastin 25 www.baristamagazine.com

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