Have you heard of or seen the world coffee competition? How come there are competitions for drinks? What are we judging?

In this article, we will discuss the different types of coffee competitions and what is judged in each competition, as well as how competitions help improve the coffee industry.

Generally, coffee competitions are events held to measure the quality of coffee from various perspectives and fields. Coffee competitions can also be a means to increase the promotion and selling value of the competed coffee.

Coffee competitions have been held on a local, national, and international scale. The competition includes several categories, such as coffee bean competition, aroma, flavor, roasting, barista, and others.

Through regular coffee competitions, coffee activists (farmers, producers, entrepreneurs, baristas, etc.) can show the quality of coffee produced and be recognized by coffee experts.

Here are the most common types of coffee competitions:

Competition Cupping

The cupping competition is aimed at determining the most reliable coffee “tasters” or cuppers. In the cupping competition, participants were asked to find one different coffee among three cups of coffee. Each participant who takes part in this competition will be judged in terms of speed, foresight, and accuracy in tasting each coffee.

In Indonesia, coffee cupping competitions are often held by various coffee organizations and associations, such as the Indonesian Specialty Coffee Association (ASKSI) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI).

While at the international level, coffee cupping competitions are also often held by various coffee organizations and associations, such as the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE).

Coffee Bean Competition

The coffee bean competition is a competition held to evaluate the quality of coffee beans produced by coffee farmers and producers.

The judges will assess the quality of the coffee beans based on factors such as bean color, size, maturity, and dryness. Coffee beans that have a consistent color, the same size, and the right degree of dryness will score high.

After that, the quality of the beans after roasting is also assessed. The judges will assess the aroma, flavor, body, and aftertaste of the coffee. The flavor consistency of each brew is also assessed, ensuring that the coffee has good uniformity. The taste of coffee produced by coffee farmers and producers was also assessed. The judges also try to identify if there are any defects in the coffee, which usually means a reduction in scores.

In Indonesia, coffee bean competitions are also often held by the Indonesian Specialty Coffee Association (ASKSI) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI). While outside, it is also often held by various coffee organizations and associations, such as the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE).

Coffee bean competitions are very important for coffee farmers and producers, as it is a means of knowing the quality of coffee beans compared to international standards, and also a promotional event for their products. The competition also aims to encourage coffee producers to improve the quality of coffee produced and raise awareness of good quality coffee.

Barista Competition

The barista competition is a competition that assesses the barista’s ability to serve good coffee. Participants are required to serve coffee with certain techniques.

The judges will evaluate the quality of the coffee served, including aroma, flavor, appearance, and techniques used in serving the coffee.

In barista competitions, participants usually have to serve one Espresso, one Cappuccino, and one signature. Judges will assess the taste of the drinks served, cleanliness, creativity, technical skills and overall presentation.

One of the most famous barista competitions in the world is the World Barista Championship (WBC). The competition is organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) and the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and is attended by baristas from all over the world. Indonesia itself also holds a barista competition called the Indonesia Barista Championship, where the champion of the IBC will usually be sent to represent Indonesia at the World Barista Championship.

Latte Art Competition

In addition to the barista competition, there is also a Latte Art Competition, which assesses baristas’ skills in serving Caffè Latte. Baristas will be judged on visual attributes, creativity, identical patterns, pattern contrast, and overall appearance.

Brewer Competition

The brewer competition is a competition that highlights the aspects of brewing filter coffee by hand, promoting manual coffee brewing and service excellence. Similar to barista competitions, the brewer’s skills and brews will be rigorously judged. Internationally, this competition is called the World Brewers Cup.

Roaster Competition

This is a competition to determine the most reliable coffee roaster, both in terms of the ability to evaluate the quality of coffee beans, roasting skills, and presentation skills. The competition begins with the process of evaluating the quality of green coffee(coffee grading), the characteristics of coffee roasting, until the quality of the roast is finally served in the cup. Roasters are judged in terms of their foresight in determining quality, the quality of roasted results, and the taste of roasted coffee. Internationally, this competition is called the World Coffee Roasting Championship.

Did you know that in the WCRC 2022 competition, Indonesian representatives won third place? His name is Wisnu Aji Pratter from Solo.

Conclusion

So, those are some of the most frequently held coffee competitions.

Overall, these coffee competitions are very important to the coffee industry. Competitions contribute greatly to improving coffee quality and raising awareness of good quality coffee.

Hopefully, these competitions can make a positive contribution to the coffee industry in the future.

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