Is the barista so fake? Just to invite you to have a taste!

#I want to join Appreciation Citizen 3.0 but less than 5000LikeCoin

There are currently 16 people who have joined this tag, and two citizens ( @lessons_from_books @一一子) have notified me that I have become Appreciative Citizen 3.0, thank you two for sharing with me!

However, it is a pity that the citizens who joined this label just regard this label as their " second home page ". Let me give some suggestions. In fact, you can post another article to introduce more about your creative concept or history, writing direction or List of projects, recommended works, the original intention of joining the Matters writing platform... Please use this tag as a " fundraising platform " to let everyone know you better, and tell the citizens who follow this tag how much LikeCoin you are missing. , you can collect 5000 LikeCoins to entrust to " Civic Liker Appreciate Citizen " and become Appreciated Citizen 3.0.

 After I posted the post, if the citizens who came to clap their hands "appreciated citizens", the number of praises I received (feeling) would be doubled. If I'm wrong, come and complain about me! ! !

This citizen @一一子 came to Matters in June last year . He also actively published articles and participated in community activities. However, I have no impression of him at all. It can be seen that my reading eclipse is very serious, and I rarely read it. "Latest Articles".

( Secretly tell you that citizens who feel that they are being left out can go to liker.social and send a lot of messages to the public announcement.)

This citizen set up the hashtag #UnlockCoffeeEcology , and accumulated more than 70 coffee-related knowledge articles, so I invited him to write a topic to introduce the "World Coffee Brewing Competition (WBrC)" to everyone.

There are two Taiwanese who have won the honor of the World Coffee Competition:

Wu Zelin : Champion of the 2016 "World Barista Championship" (WBC, World Barista Championship).

Wang Ce : Champion of the 2017 "World Brewers Cup" (WBrC, World Brewers Cup).

As a fake wenqing, shouldn't you come and learn about the barista who is more fake than you?

🍮Coffee Contest? It's easy~ Isn't it just a cup of good coffee and it's done?

In fact, in the coffee competition, brewing a good cup of coffee is only the most basic entry requirements. There are also many evaluation standards and the efforts behind it. Today, Taiwan's pride: Wang Ce won the 2017 World Coffee Brewing Competition. Let's make an introduction!

🍮Competition content

Wang Ce participated in the "World Brewers Cup Championship" (WBrC), which is one of the seven major competitions of the Coffee Olympics (Note), that is, the hand-brewed coffee competition. The competition is divided into two stages: preliminary and final. The final is divided into two parts: "Designated Brewing" and "Optional Brewing".

 Note: The world's largest coffee competition is organized by the "World Coffee Events" organization of the Specialty Coffee Association SCA. There are 7 competitions, including: World Barista Competition (WBC), World Latte Art Competition (WLAC), World Brewing Competition (WBrC), World Coffee Bartending Competition (WCIGS), World Cup Tester Competition (WCTC), World Baked Bean Competition (WCRC) and World Turkey Kettle Competition (Cezve/Ibrik).

🍮"Optional brewing" is more exciting and interesting, so let's focus on dismantling it!

In the part of " brewing by yourself", the contestants have 5 minutes of preparation time. When it comes to the official competition, they need to lead the judges to experience the coffee with explanation and performance within 10 minutes while making coffee, and present 3 cups of coffee. Coffee to 3 reviewers . The scope of the evaluation is not only on the brewing technique and coffee taste, but also on the contestants' "coffee theory knowledge" and "customer service skills".

🍮Score criteria:

(1) Drink Rating

 Judges will evaluate aroma and flavor at high temperature (~70°C), acidity and body at medium temperature (~40°C), and tail at low temperature (~25-30°C) Rhythm, balance and overall performance.

Since a cup of layered coffee can present different flavor characteristics at each temperature , judges will taste it repeatedly to fully appreciate the details of the coffee.

Judging is also not easy to do! It is strongly recommended that friends who love to drink coffee do not become baristas, they should be judges in order to keep drinking coffee!

(2) Performance Rating

 If you say the coffee has a strawberry apple orange flavor, but the judges can't taste it, it doesn't help. Because the judges will evaluate the contestants' ability to describe the sensory experience given by coffee in detail and accurately in the "flavor description" column, the accuracy is more important than the description.

In addition, contestants must provide a professional and engaging coffee drinking experience, and keep the bar clean and hygienic, which are all points in "customer service".

(3) Chief judge's score

 That's right, in addition to the 3 judges, there is also a head judge, who will score on "overall process", "sensory consistency" and "TDS" (Total Dissolved Solids).

🏆 The Champion

Knowing the grading standard, let's take a look at Wang Ce 's performance again, and you will see the difference! Even if we can't taste the coffee through the camp screen, we can see his sincerity and seriousness from his brewing skills, speaking skills and hard work behind it.

▷ Brewing technology

It is very important for players to create unique brewing methods. It's not that you have to jump in a circle of fire to make coffee to be special. Taking Wang Ce as an example, the most eye-catching thing is of course his nirvana "Three Pots Brewing with Two Hands"!

He did not do it for the sake of doing it. He once explained that because there were three judges, he hoped that the judges could drink coffee at the same temperature and time at the same time, so he developed this ten-star difficulty "two-hand three-pot brewing method" ". As soon as this nirvana came out, it perfectly showed the coordination of his left and right brains and the flexibility of his hand muscles, and his impression of him was completely added.

 💡Actually, it took him two years to practice and tried thousands of times to make the error value within 2ml and ensure the consistency of three pots of coffee. (Don't believe the difficulty has ten stars? Try it yourself!)

Many contestants make cups or take turns, and there will always be some differences in time. Wang Ce can greatly shorten the waiting time for the judges and show his concern for the guests . In this way, he controls the rhythm of the whole process. Get a very high score in the bar!

▷ Presentation skills

When Wang Ce went to study in the UK as a child, speaking in English was of course not difficult for him. He also explained while brewing, so that the judges would not feel bored and continue to be interested in listening.

Listen carefully to the content of his speech, and he emphasizes the theme of "Connect Connect" . From his encounter with this coffee bean at the estate, to working with the roaster to bring out the best properties of the bean, and then to brewing the flavor he wants to present in his hands. It shows that from the estate to the guests, the mission of the barista is to discover and connect with each other, and hold the warmth in his hands. It is a perfect demonstration of the From Seed to Cup pursued by a boutique coffee.

▷ Behind the scenes

Most of the contestants will visit the manor in person, cup and test hundreds of coffees, and use the most suitable processing method and roasting method, and then use the best brewing method to present multi-layered flavors, which is far more than "brewing a cup of coffee. coffee" level.

 💡As the saying goes, "Three minutes on stage, ten years off stage". In the process of preparing for the game, after countless failures, practice, writing, memorizing, time control...can you achieve a cup of coffee on the field. (Of course, financial support is also needed, and the competition beans are super expensive~)

In these world coffee competitions, contestants from all over the world are doing their best. I have also seen some people put on the roasting machine to roast beans on the spot, and some people make marshmallows during the competition, like a circus performance. What are they doing? In addition to winning the award, the ultimate goal is to show their passion and insight into coffee, and to lead the industry to continue to move into new fields.

▷ Short interview with "One Yizi"

Where did your coffee-related knowledge come from? Occupation is a coffee shop? Or engaged in coffee promotion teaching?

Not that great and great , I'm just a barista who can't make coffee anymore because of my sensitive hands . Because I used to work in large and small coffee shops, I was also responsible for training new people, I took some professional courses, and I like to travel to explore coffee in person. Knowledge is accumulated in this way.

Post on Matters, what do you hope to achieve? Just sharing knowledge? Operating an offline brand? What are the plans for the subject matter of the article?

At the beginning, I hoped to make my little story as a barista (something I wanted to break the news) into an animation " Coffee Ecology and Animal Friends ".

Animations you do alone? (so amazing!)

YES! I am reading advertising design, so my creations are more trans-media🤣. Currently, I have done a series of animations, but no one is watching, so I gradually turned into writing news about coffee, but no one is watching, so again Created " Barista's Growth Diary ", no matter whether anyone saw it or not, I wanted to write it down to commemorate those years of coffee experience, and came to Matters by accident.

The newly launched " Unlocking the Coffee Ecology " is a series of courses that are decided to be opened directly because no one has signed up. I hope to give some laymen who want to learn coffee but dare not act with confidence : it turns out that I am a coffee novice. Become a coffee expert! Because that's how I got into the coffee world.

The current plan for publishing articles is that after the course is completed, more articles and original novels/comics about life experience will be published, which has nothing to do with coffee (should~).

The name "Yi Yi Zai" seems to have nothing to do with coffee? What is the purpose?

Because my life is not all about coffee, I just use my own name.

If a person who drinks convenience store coffee on weekdays and occasionally Starbucks or Louisa has the opportunity to visit " Simple Kaffa " with you, how would you lead him to experience specialty coffee? For example, looking at such a menu, there is a choice barrier.

Instead of choosing what to drink for him, I will take him directly to the bar and let the professional barista in "Simple Kaffa" lead him to experience the tasting. Because specialty coffee is to be experienced in person, starting from the moment you open the door.

And I just drink " Taiwan Alishan Zou Zhuyuan " coffee~The light of Taiwan!

Wu Zelin , owner of Simple Kaffa, is the 2016 WBC World Champion Barista . In 2019, it was voted No. 1 in "2019 Asia's 50 Best Cafes" by Big 7 Travel.

💡 Off topic:
In 2017, I went to WBC as a volunteer, and I saw Wu Zelin in the background. It was the first time I took a photo with a coffee star XD.

Before I went to "Simple Kaffa" (old shop) to check in and complained that people were using smart cups to rush, but Wu Zelin replied to me, which made me flattered ヾ(灬ºωº灬)ﾉ I also saw that the world champion is so kind~ (Part 2 picture)

💡What are the qualifications to be a WBC volunteer?

If you are healthy, you can communicate in basic English and like coffee, but you need to pay for airfare and accommodation at your own expense.

After applying, you will first choose the time slot and position of the job online, and you can report at that time. I was in charge of the stage team at the time, helping the players to move millions of utensils to the stage😨, wipe down the coffee machine, and time the clock. I thought I could steal a sip of coffee, but it turns out that every cup of coffee must be thrown away on the spot == but I would still recommend volunteering, because the volunteers come from all over the world, it's also good to go on a trip and meet friends at Yifei~

A cup of "Taiwan Alishan Zou Zhuyuan" coffee is priced at 600 yuan. Is it worth drinking? Why is it so expensive?

I think more expensive beans basically just mean more limited and rare, like NFTs. As for whether it tastes good or not, it depends on personal taste. You may think that the 200 yuan Ethiopian hand brew is better than the 600 yuan "Alishan Zouzhuyuan". There is no right or wrong.

I suggest that if you usually drink convenience store coffee, canned coffee or Starbucks, if you want to try "specialty coffee", you can first choose the Italian coffee category (milk latte/milkless American coffee) , you will find The coffee will be softer and the sweetness is more natural, because it comes from the coffee beans themselves, and the taste will be smoother.

If it is acceptable, you can try pouring coffee again, choose according to the flavor you like (strawberry/citrus/oolong tea/raisin/…), and then like a treasure hunt, look for what flavors are there, drink from high temperature to low temperature, The taste is still changing, and this is the most interesting part of "specialty coffee". (But I want to remind you that if you don't like sour, it is suitable to choose cocoa/nut/caramel flavor)

How fake is it to make coffee?

🍮 A few myths to share with you

Shouldn’t the hand-punching competition be made with the same bean punch to distinguish the competition❓

That's right! you are so brilliant! In fact, the brewing final is divided into two parts: "designated brewing" and "optional brewing".

In the " Designated Brewing " section, contestants have 8 minutes to prepare, and then use the unground coffee beans and tools provided by the conference to brew 3 cups of coffee for the 3 judges within 7 minutes, no explanation is required. It's just... such a dull game, the ratings are 0! So it didn't air!

Are there really so many flavors❓ (Fake words?)

If you say the coffee has a strawberry apple orange flavor, but the judges can't taste it, it doesn't help. Because the judges will evaluate the contestants' ability to describe the sensory experience given by coffee in detail and accurately in the "flavor description" column, the accuracy is more important than the description.

Because a cup of layered coffee can present a different flavor profile at each temperature.

Wang Ce invited judges to evaluate aroma and flavor at high temperature (~70°C):

 "In the aroma section, you will find melon, followed by a combination of many fruits, such as: peaches, apricots, butterscotch, hibiscus, the flavor is full of melon, accompanied by peach, orange blossom... "

To evaluate the acidity and body of coffee at medium temperature (~40°C):

 "When the coffee is warm, you'll find more tropical fruit aromas like mangoes. And the finish will be sweeter, with more citrusy fruity aromas like blood oranges. The acidity is in the upper middle, like sweet peach. , then into a bright pineapple with a medium consistency and a smooth mouthfeel..."

Assess finish, balance and overall performance at low temperatures (~25-30°C):

 "Caramel finish, kiwi converted into banana liqueur on the finish, finished with pink grapefruit."

This step by step leads the judges to fully taste the details and evaluation accuracy of the coffee. Fake words are also indispensable!

Participating in the competition is just to show off your wealth, why are the coffee beans prepared by the contestants so expensive❓ (Fake break/show off your wealth?)

Haven't you heard? Good coffee beans will taste good even if they are brewed! It is very realistic, if you can get good beans, you have already won at the starting point.

Therefore, most of the contestants will visit the manor in person, cup and test hundreds of kinds of coffee, after wasting countless expensive micro-batch beans, find the most suitable processing and roasting method , and then use the best brewing method to bring out the best coffee. The maximum potential of the bean makes every cup of coffee on the field.

In these world coffee competitions, players from all over the world are doing their best. What are they fake? In addition to winning the award, the ultimate goal is to show their passion and insight into coffee, and to lead the industry to continue to move into new fields.

By the way, the hand punch competition is no longer a fake, and the ultimate fake is the "World Barista Competition" WBC!

❑ Further reading

[Wu Zelin Coffee Column] The competition is hot: What does more and more champions in coffee competitions represent?