Coffee king crowned
The nine finalists of the 2001 Brasilia Barista of the Year competition were a fine example of flair, technical expertise and commercial awareness. But one star shone brighter than the rest and was deemed by the judges to reflect the future of the coffee market.
Ivan Pantovich stunned the judges with the quality of the coffees he produced in the competition, set up four years ago to highlight the value of the barista - a professional bar worker skilled in the art of espresso-making. Pantovich, who arrived in the UK from the former Yugoslavia in 1996, works across the South of England as a trainer for Costa. He took the title at his first attempt, with the remark: "I'm still discovering about coffee."
"His espresso was unquestionably the best," said one judge. His speciality coffee drew praise for being "outstanding".
The only one to be served cold, the drink was made by mixing espresso and caramel syrup in a cocktail shaker, along with ice cubes. Its presentation, in a large cocktail glass with brown and white sugar on the rim and garnished with coffee beans, was judged to be "simple and attractive and made you want to drink it".
The event, held at London's Savoy hotel on Friday 23 November, began with Brasilia managing director Louie Salvoni raising a glass of Guinness in a toast to Dublin, where the competition was due to be staged before the attacks of 11 September prompted reservations about flying.
From then on, the starting whistle was the charge of TV personality Stuart Hall of It's a Knockout fame, who hosted the proceedings.
The finalists were given a variety of tasks during the day to test both their practical skills and knowledge of coffee, and furnished with a Brasilia two-group Gradisca machine, an RR45 grinder and knock-out drawer, several bags of Tri Caff‚ coffee beans, plus milk, sugar, cups, saucers and spoons. In addition to the title and trophy, they were vying for a £5,000 cash prize.
The five judges were marking the taste of the coffee, technical efficiency, presentation, commerciality, and passion and flair for the subject. The baristas were given a menu of coffees to make in 15 minutes, with judges requiring two each - to check consistency - of six types: espresso, cappuccino, caffe latte, ristretto, long black (also known as Americano), and espresso macchiatto.
Prompting the most discussion among judges were the speciality coffees, prepared in the next stage of the competition. Ingredients including Amaretto, cream, raspberry syrup, candied peel, marshmallow and coconut made an appearance in the finalists' creations.
Salvoni described the ultimate speciality coffee as being not too fancy, with the correct coffee content, and commercially viable. Taste judge Michael Caines added that simple ideas worked best.
Reigning champion Thomas Polti scored highly with his Caff‚ Royale, comprising a double espresso, Amaretto, cinnamon, and Vov (a mix of marsala and egg yolks) whipped into the cream on top. He was making a bid for a third title, having won in 1999 and 2000, but faced tough competition from winners of the regional finals held last month in Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Guildford, Edinburgh and Dublin. The London final ended in a tie, producing two winners, Simona Giaquinto and Rossi Cinquemani.
Polti delivered "a polished act" throughout, according to the judges, but was unable to shake off the challenge from Pantovich, and finished in second position.
After lunch the competitors took turns in the hot seat for a round of Who Wants to Win Five Grand?, a spin on the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? TV show. The quiz included such questions as "At what altitude is arabica grown?" and "What does a manometer measure?", to which answers were correctly given by Rowena Groves and Paul Meikle-Janney as at least 800 metres above sea level and boiler pressure, respectively.
The afternoon culminated in a race in which the baristas had to produce as many espressos as they could in five minutes. The race was won by Polti, who knocked out 40 espressos, almost matching the record of 42 set last year by Cinquemani.
The judges agreed Cinquemani shone technically and was skilled at maximising the efficiency of the machine, and he was placed third overall this time.
By Diane Lane
The finalists
Thomas Polti, Chequers Bar and Restaurant, Millbrook, Bedfordshire (2000 champion)
Rowena Groves, the Coach House Coffee Shop, Luff, Scotland (Scottish national champion)
Daniel Gilmore, Indigo and No Sign coffee bars, Swansea, Wales (Welsh national champion)
Yvonne Gamble, the Gallery Restaurant, Moores department store, Coleraine, County Antrim (All-Ireland champion)
Simona Giaquinto, Yes Dining, London (Joint London champion)
Rossi Cinquemani, Bar Italia, Soho, London (Joint London champion)
*Ivan Pantovich, Costa Coffee (Southern champion, and overall winner)
Paul Meikle-Janney, Coffee Community (Northern champion)
Aaron Stewart, Caffé Nero, Peterborough (Midlands champion)
The judges
Michael Caines, head chef and co-director of Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon, and proprietor of Michael Caines at the Royal Clarence, Exeter, was tasked with tasting all the coffees. Coffee is a big part of the business in Exeter, which includes the MC coffee bar, and he was looking for a taste that was not bitter or acidic, and a smooth finish.
"They're all using the same coffee, but it's about who can extract a purer flavour," he said. "It is important to make a good espresso that will stand up through the milk in a cappuccino."
The competitors' technical expertise was under the scrutiny of Brasilia training development manager, Margaret Driver.
Judging the presentation of the drinks was Caterer & Hotelkeeper editor Forbes Mutch, who also looked for a tidy station and a well-turned out barista.
Commerciality, or being able to produce perfect drinks efficiently and with charm, was the skill sought by chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, Bob Cotton, who asked himself: "If I were to buy a coffee shop, who would I want to look after it?"
Assessing each competitor's passion and flair for their subject was the remit for Michael O'Donovan of Compass New York. "Coffee is a lifestyle in the USA," he said. "Mainland Europe gets it but there's still some way to go in the UK and Ireland."
