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F O A M : N E W S ASTORIA NAMED OFFICIAL ESPRESSO MACHINE FOR WORLD LATTE ART AND COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS YEAR, THE COMPETITION MIGHT be even hotter at the World Coffee In Good Spirits and World Latte Art contests, but the espresso machines will be nice and temperature stable, thanks to the announcement of Astoria's Plus4You as the official espresso machine sponsor. The announcement, which was made by competition organiz- ers at World Coffee Events this past December, will ensure that brand- new Astorias will grace all of the brewing stations at the international competitions, taking place in Göteborg, Sweden, at the World of Coffee Event from June 16–18. Federico Gallia, chairman of the board for RYOMA, the Italian hold- ing company which owns both Astoria and the Wega espresso-machine manufacturing companies, says that the machines' innovative features and design will be especially helpful on the Coffee In Good Spirits and World Latte Art stages. "In a competition, the barista is in a continual race against the clock," Federico says. "In the final phase, he or she has just a few minutes to prepare and to produce the set of requested drinks. In such a competitive environment, every detail counts." The machine's temperature-stable, multiboiler design allows baris- tas to turn out drink after drink apace of the competitive clock, and every element of the rest of the Plus4You's design was conjured with speed and efficiency in mind. In addition to simply offering baristas the opportunity to work quickly and cleanly, the Plus4You is a step toward greener machines, as well: The machines operate at a 47.6% energy savings when in standby mode, and a 30% energy savings over traditional espresso equipment when in operation. Not only is Astoria powering the competitions with its tools and machines, but also with its full support in the training lab. "Our team is already hard at work on this and is eager to bring its expertise and enthusiasm to Göteborg," says Federico. "We are extremely happy to embark upon this adventure and have fielded a special Team Astoria specifically for the event." For the World Coffee In Good Spirits contest, baristas will be tasked with creating coffee-based cocktails, showcasing not only their skill at preparing espresso, but also at creating synergistic drinks that comple- ment the coffee flavor with a range of different alcoholic ingredients. In addition to crafting the best traditional Irish coffee, competitors also whip up "designer" specialties of their own concoction. "Our slogan will be, 'We bring our expertise; you bring your style,'" Federico says, and adds that he's especially looking forward to seeing what the individual baristas dream up. "One of the most exciting aspects is certainly the 'Creativity' section, which allows the barista to express his or her own vision by means of signature drinks, offering additional value to the competition through personal style. What a show!" World Latte Art competitors will also be put to the creativity test, preparing sets of identical beverages with both free-pour and "design- er" patterns on top. The Plus4You's dedicated steam boiler will come in handy for the latte artists, then, ensuring they always have the perfect steam pressure for making beautiful batches of velvety microfoam to pour with. "Plus4You will be the perfect ally for all the baristi from a technical point of view," says Federico, "but it will also be a valuable partner to affirm their own personal style." Achieving the sponsorship at these high-profile coffee competitions will certainly help push Astoria's equipment into more baristas' minds and onto more coffee-shop counters, which is particularly gratifying to Federico and his team. "We are especially excited about the prospect of meeting baristi from all over the world in such a prestigious interna- tional context. The baristi's world is modern and dynamic, so this is a further incentive to offer outstanding service!" Astoria machines are currently used in 130 countries worldwide, which is a testament not only to the company's long history in the canon of espresso-machine technology and innovation, but also to the pieces themselves, which are among the most widely respected cof- fee-making equipment for professionals everywhere. Find out more about the Plus4You at www.usa.astoria.com, and about the World Coffee In Good Spirits and World Latte Art Championships at www.worldofcoffee-nordic.com. —Erin Meister Just announced as the official espresso machine for the World Coffee In Good Spirits and World Lae Art Championships for 2015–2017, Astoria's Plus4You has a low environmental impact. Internal soware manages the automatic standby during operating pauses, and a nighime energy-saving feature distributes power only where and when it is needed. 20 barista magazine