Synesso’s Post

Competitions are some of the most exciting and engaging events taking place in the coffee industry every year. Often drawing large crowds at trade shows and expos, coffee championships are big indicators of upcoming trends in the wider industry – and continue to pique our interest year after year. For the most part, barista competitions have been leading the way when it comes to innovation – especially the World Barista Championship. The flashiness and flamboyance of these championships are part of their huge appeal, with spectators eager to know which new and interesting coffees competitors are using. Over the past couple of years, however, there seems to have been a shift in the coffee competition scene – with more and more roasting championships being held. As well as Producer & Roaster Forum’s Global Coffee Roasting Contest taking place on 7 & 8 March in Guatemala, the most recent addition is MILKLAB’s Roaster Royale, which is offering the winner an origin trip and a significant cash prize. So are roasting championships becoming more popular, and what impact could this have on the coffee competition circuit? In today’s article, Tasmin Grant speaks to Tomas Serra, an Authorised Specialty Coffee Association Trainer, and Henry Wilson, founder of PRF, to find out more. #PerfectDailyGrind #CoffeeRoasting #CoffeeCompetitions 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/d6zwcBd5

For many of us, competitions are the pinnacle of specialty coffee. The prestige of these events attracts industry professionals from all over the globe to showcase their talents and take a chance at claiming the title of world champion. When we talk about competitions, one in particular usually springs to mind first: the World Barista Championship. For nearly 25 years, the WBC has represented excellence in specialty coffee, and has pushed the boundaries of creativity and innovation to new heights. In turn, most of the competition spotlight is on baristas, whose performances often draw the biggest crowds at events and spark some of the most compelling conversations in the wider industry. But in recent years, it appears that interest has slowly started to decline. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that competitions are held in more countries, resulting in higher travel costs that many can’t afford. Perhaps even more importantly, however, is that other competitions don’t receive the same level of recognition – leading some coffee professionals to feel disregarded. As an industry, we have to ask ourselves whether this needs to change. In today’s article, Thomas Wensma speaks to Diana Johnston Ledezma, two-time UK Roasting Champion and co-founder of Sense It London, Bob Goldman, senior roaster at Allegro Coffee Company, and Jon Frech, CEO of Black Oak Coffee Roasters, to explore the issue further. 👉 https://lnkd.in/dDzyXAGh #PerfectDailyGrind #CoffeeCompetitions #SpecialtyCoffee Photo credit: Frank Lin

Welcome to our ultimate guide on coffee shop hacks! ☕ In this video, we're diving into the secrets of making your barista-worthy drinks right at home. Whether you're a coffee novice or a seasoned enthusiast, these tips and tricks will elevate your brew game. 

Boost booth traffic with a secret weapon: coffee! Learn how a simple brew can transform your trade show experience. Dive in now. #TradeShowBoost #CoffeeMagic #EngageAndBrew

Boost booth traffic with a secret weapon: coffee! Learn how a simple brew can transform your trade show experience. Dive in now. #TradeShowBoost #CoffeeMagic #EngageAndBrew

Boost booth traffic with a secret weapon: coffee! Learn how a simple brew can transform your trade show experience. Dive in now. #TradeShowBoost #CoffeeMagic #EngageAndBrew

Boost booth traffic with a secret weapon: coffee! Learn how a simple brew can transform your trade show experience. Dive in now. #TradeShowBoost #CoffeeMagic #EngageAndBrew

Thirty years ago, Stella Liebeck purchased hot coffee from a McDonald's restaurant, accidentally spilled it in her lap, and suffered third-degree burns. Liebeck sought to settle with McDonald's for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses. When McDonald's refused, Liebeck's attorney filed suit in the U.S., and the jury awarded her nearly three million dollars, though they eventually settled for $600,000. In response, McDonald’s reduced the coffee temperature from 90°C to around 70°C and added a warning on the lids. While these measures reduce lawsuit risks, they also result in lukewarm coffee and unnoticed warnings. For those who prefer hot coffee without the risk of burns, more inventive solutions were needed. Is it possible to actually use the coffee's high temperature to reduce the risk of burns? This is where we apply SIT's Qualitative Change condition, which requires turning a harmful element into a neutral or beneficial one. Smart lids offer a more elegant solution: a lid that changes colour based on the liquid's temperature. When the lid is introduced to a hot beverage with a high temperature, the lid turns red, clearly indicating the risk. The Qualitative Change condition can be applied in two ways: (1) Reversal means that as the harmful element intensifies, the undesired phenomenon decreases. (2) Elimination means the undesired phenomenon no longer depends on the harmful element. Smart lids use Reversal: the hotter the coffee, the more noticeable the warning, reducing the risk of burns. This condition introduces a surprising and elegant element to the solution. Properly implemented, the harmful factor becomes either irrelevant or helpful in solving the problem. Have you considered exploring the problem space rather than the solution space? This approach leads to inventive and simple solutions by altering the correlation between the harmful element and the undesired phenomenon. #QualitativeChange #InnovativeSolutions #ProductDesign #ProblemSolving #SIT #InventiveThinking https://lnkd.in/e_iuyHGj

Where do you see the future of #coffee #competitions heading? "For many coffee professionals, #barista competitions represent the pinnacle of the specialty coffee industry, and many have built a career off the back of their competition success. In recent years, however, these competitions have slowly fallen out of favour, as #consumers decry rule changes, reject elitism, and embrace the influence of other mediums of “coffee fame.” - Coffee Intelligence To find out more, Ross H. speaks with Charlotte Corra about the evolution of coffee competitions and events like the SCA Expo and WoC, as well as how the prestige of competitions is shifting as new generations enter the coffee sector. https://lnkd.in/e6qApPcE

Coffee aficionados and skeptics! Let's talk about the World Barista Championship – the battleground where beans meet brilliance! Now, I know what you're thinking. "Oh, here we go again, another debate about rules, judges, and who snagged the last bag of Gesha from Peru." Picture this: You're at a basketball game, right? Now, imagine if we judged slam dunk contests with the same severity as a nail-biter NBA showdown. Madness, right? It's like comparing apples to, well, coffee beans! Or expecting a pickup game to follow every technical rule in the NBA handbook. Let's be real, nobody's calling traveling in a friendly game of hoops. And let's not forget the Harlem Globetrotters, the OGs of hoop theatrics. They're not playing by the same rules as your local high school team – and that's perfectly fine! Variety is the spice of life, after all. So, back to the WBC. Sure, it's got its flaws. Judges' taste buds might have a mind of their own, and not every competitor has access to all the resources we would ideally want. But hey, that's how the cookie crumbles! Can the WBC improve? Absolutely! But let's not throw the French press out with the bathwater. This competition isn't just about brewing the perfect cup; it's about celebrating the craftsmanship and passion behind every latte art swirl and espresso shot. It's about showing the world that baristas aren't just button-pushers on coffee machines – they're scientists, and caffeine-fueled artists! So, let's raise our mugs to the WBC – where the only thing stronger than the coffee is the camaraderie. Cheers to brewing up a storm and proving that behind every great cup, there's a barista with skills worth savoring! #WBC #worldbaristachampionshiop #coffee #barista #competition #staycivil #civilcoffee