Gwilym Davies crowned 2009 World Barista Champion in Atlanta

ATLANTA (April 20, 2009) – Gwilym Davies of the United Kingdom has won the 2009 World Barista Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.

National barista champions from 51 countries converged in Atlanta to compete for the ranking of world’s top coffee maker in front of a live and online audience of thousands of viewers from around the world.

As the winner of the 2009 competition, Mr. Davies receives a highly sought after Victoria Arduino Athena espresso machine and Mahlkonig K30 grinder in addition to the prestigious title of World Barista Champion.

In three days of preliminary round competition at the Georgia World Congress Center, each competitor served 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 original signature drinks to exacting standards in 15-minute performances.

The top 6 competitors from round one advanced to Sunday’s finals (Sammy Piccolo of Canada, Attila Molnar of Hungary, Colin Harmon of Ireland, Gwilym Davies of the United Kingdom, Lee Jong Hoon of the Republic of Korea and Michael Phillips of the United States of America), where Davies won the top spot.

The 11th annual World Barista Championship will be held in London in conjunction with the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe’s Wonderful Coffee exposition in June 2010.

About World Barista Championship UK Ltd.

World Barista Championship UK Ltd is a nonprofit organization jointly owned by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and Speciality Coffee Association of Europe. The first WBC competition took place in Monte Carlo in October 2000 and has since held annual competitions Miami, Oslo, Boston, Trieste, Seattle, Berne, Tokyo, Copenhagen and Atlanta. The organization’s next event will be held in London in conjunction with the SCAE Wonderful Coffee exposition in June, 2010. For more information, please visit http://www.worldbaristachampionship.com.

World Barista Championship Atlanta 2009

And the finalists are…
posted by sarahallen on 2009.04.18

You’ve been waiting for this for three long, barista-talent filled days, and it’s finally come: the announcement of the six finalists in the World Barista Championship, being held here in Atlanta, Georgia. Finals take place tomorrow, Sunday, April 19, at noon EST.

1. HUNGARY—ATTILA MOLNAR
2. UNITED KINGDOM—GWILYM DAVIES
3. CANADA—SAMMY PICCOLO
4. UNITED STATES—MICHAEL PHILLIPS
5. IRELAND—COLIN HARMON
6. REPUBLIC OF KOREA—LEE JONG HOON

For a live video feed, click: VIDEO FEED

The great barista battle is brewing

The National Barista Championship beginning Friday will showcase some highly sophisticated coffee preparation -- and for three local competitors, the experience is as rich and savory as a perfect demitasse of espresso.

By KRISTIN TILLOTSON, Star Tribune

Grind. Brew. Extract. Steam. Serve. Repeat. And repeat again, several hundred times, quickly and gracefully.

Since early February, Adam Palmer has spent 30 hours a week in a Zen state, practicing for the Olympics of coffeemaking, the U.S. Barista Championship to be held this weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. As one of three young Twin Cities men competing in this creme de la creme contest for coffee fanatics, he knows that no ordinary cup of Joe will tickle the picky palates of judges who consider coffee a high art, not a mere beverage.

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