Had a fabulous coffee filled Saturday morning with Jo Berry of Origin coffee last weekend and, as she’s such a contender for the SA national barista championship this year it got me thinking.
I’ve judged barista competitions, so what three pieces of advice would I give an aspiring barista competitor? In no particular order:
- Give yourself time to prepare – the best start thinking about it, and practicing it a good 6 months before the comp. Persistent practice is key to your ability to turn it on, on the day. As Cecil Parkes says to David Helfgott in the movie ‘Shine’ ‘learn it, learn it in order to forget it’. When you’ve programmed yourself with your performance you’re free to put emotion, creativity and improvisation into it. Ok, you don’t have to be this pedantic unless you’re really serious, but it’s a good tip none the less.
- Read the judging criteria and research great performances on the web – it’s an exam really, and the criteria are pretty objective. Find out what they are. And find out what they mean by looking at videos of the best performing. Check out Stephen Morrisey, Mike Phelps, Colin Harmon, Gwylim Davies or any of the other top 10 for the past 3 or 4 years and you’ll get a better understanding of what makes a great barista performance.
- It’s good to have a goal. Aiming to win is often self-defeating. So aim for a specific goal, like best espresso, or best performance (ability to speak), best signature drink or best technical performance. If you can achieve this at a regional level, you’ll probably go through to the nationals. (nod to James Hoffman of Square Mile for this one) Just don’t be put off and think ‘but I can’t do that’, rather see what tips you can pick up.
- Commit to performing. What’s the worst that can happen? Competitors have gone through to the nationals, from the regionals with less than two weeks prep, and all that outside of work hours. Just do it.
Good luck and go for it. If it’s in the Western Cape I’ll look forward to seeing you there.
John Goodridge – Red Cherry Barista trainer
*You’ll notice you got a bonus tip there.
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