Table of contents for 40 in BeanScene

Before the sun rises, another day begins with the soft scratching sound of a wattled brush turkey. I sit on the floor of a thatched kitchen hut to prepare my morning coffee with women from a farming village on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. I watch as a female coffee farmer laughs and chats to her sister. Their workdays blend into one endless shift. Her hands are rough from working dawn to dusk, picking, carrying, pulping, fermenting, sorting, washing, and drying coffee. When she’s not in the fields she cooks, gathers firewood, and looks after her children and subsistence crops on a daily basis. Without rest, this woman sees the world through the sweat of her labour. I watch her pick coffee cherries from her small garden of…

IMF SHOP ROASTER IMF’s Australasian agent Roastquip has introduced a fully automatic 5-kilogram and 15-kilogram shop roaster, controlled by a Siemens PLC touchscreen. Using the same technology as the industrial models, the new IMF shop roasters automatically control the roasting process. They load the beans into the drum, roast the coffee precisely to a programmed profile, and discharge the beans for cooling. The electronically operated Vortex valve that controls the temperature makes a thousand calculations per second, so bean and air temperatures can be controlled to one-degree accuracy. This results in incredible consistency. Drum speed and airflow can also be controlled automatically throughout the roast profile. IMF shop roasters incorporate an efficient, built-in afterburner (no smoke). They can be installed anywhere, including multi-story buildings in CBD locations that have existing…

WORLD BREWERS CUP CHAMPION – ODD-STEINAR TØLLEFSEN Standing on the world stage was a very familiar feeling for Norwegian barista Odd-Steinar Tøllefsen. He placed fourth in the 2014 World Brewers Cup Championship (WBrC). The day after the competition, Odd-Steinar says he started planning for this year’s event. “Fourth place made me realise that becoming a world champion was not impossible. I started my search for my competition coffee,” says Odd-Steinar of Supreme Roastworks. Odd-Steinar went to Ninety Plus Panama Gesha Estates and picked his own coffee. The most “insane cup” he sampled was a natural-processed Nekisse coffee from the Semeon Abay Maker Series from Ninety Plus in the Sidamo region of Ethiopia. The coffee was roasted nine days before the finals. Odd-Steinar blind cupped three different roast profiles once a…

The past month has been an absolute whirlwind for me. Winning the World Latte Art Championship (WLAC) was a dream come true. The three patterns I created for my WLAC routine included the Caffeinated Zebra (see BeanScene June 2015 edition), Love Triangle (stay tuned), and the Flirting Peacock. Each one of these patterns is an original design, and that’s what I’m most proud of. I got the opportunity to present the judges with something they’d never seen before. Now that my patterns are out there for everyone to see (I’m already seeing lots of great Caffeinated Zebra attempts), I want to show you how to replicate the Flirting Peacock too. But don’t worry, we’re going to take it step by step so you can impress – or “flirt” – with…

Spend enough time near cuppers, roasters, or baristas, and you would have undoubtedly seen a wall adorned with the colourful graphic known as the Coffee Taster’s Flavour Wheel. More than just a pretty picture, the wheel is actually a critical piece of the cupping puzzle, and a part of the foundation of specialty coffee knowledge. Since its creation more than 20 years ago, thousands of coffee professionals around the world have used the wheel as a reference point for coffee communication. If you’re new to the wheel, the best way to understand it is to think of a visual tool that enables quick and easy access to the vocabulary of coffee tasting. As a long-time coffee professional, I can tell you the value of being able to communicate with others…

VIC • Australian Barista Academy by 5 Senses Coffee – Melbourne Academy 300 Rosslyn St, West Melbourne www.baristaacademy.com.au (03) 9269 6700 • Barista Course Melbourne 28 Elizabeth St, Melbourne www.baristacoursemelbourne.com (03) 86160412 • Cartel Coffee Roasters 6/21 Leather St, Breakwater www.coffeecartel.com.au (03) 5222 6115 • Coffex Coffee 58 Dawson St, Brunswick www.coffex.com.au( 03) 9380 1111 • Coffico Coffee 81 – 83 Charles St, Coburg North www.cofficocoffee.com.au (03) 9355 8883 • Complete Hospitality Training 28 Elizabeth St, Melbourne www.chtmelbourne.com.au (03) 9654 1554 • Genovese Coffee 2 Nicholson St, Coburg www.genovese.com.au/learn/# baristatraining (03) 9383 3300 • Griffiths Bros 10 – 11 Rosemary Crt, Mulgrave www.griffithscoffee.com.au (03) 8545 1314 • Home Barista Institute & The Café Coach 225 – 229 Victoria St, West Melbourne www.homebarista.com.au www.cafe-coach.com.au (03) 1300 462 633 or 0401 680…

It’s been quite an amazing year as we look back on what we’ve accomplished throughout this competition cycle. To produce two world champions – World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic and World Latte Art Champion Caleb Cha – is an impressive feat. I think it says a lot about where we are as a nation, and also that we must be doing something right in our competition circuit. REGIONAL COMPETITIONS Although the past few months have been quiet on the competition front, we’ve taken the opportunity to get organised for the year ahead, and are proud to announce the schedule for the 2016 ASCA Coffee Competition year. - ACT/NSW Coffee Championships, 3 – 4 September, The Coffee Experience, Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney. - DaVinci Gourmet Coffee Chain Championship, 4 –…

Amelia Franklin is the Founder of People of Coffee Foundation and a Co-Organiser of the inaugural International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Australian Chapter Formation. Amelia also operates Amelia Franklin Fairtrade Coffee Roaster in Bellingen, New South Wales. She has won awards for her coffee in the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show and Golden Bean Roaster Competitions. Through her work with the IWCA, Amelia is dedicated to raising awareness of gender equality within the worldwide coffee industry. Addison Dale is the 2015 New Zealand Barista Champion. Addison has worked in the coffee industry for the past seven years. After a summer in Melbourne, Addison moved back to Wellington and began working at L’affare. It was through this experience that he got involved in the New Zealand Barista Championship. In the past…

Sydney’s The Rocks waterfront was transformed into a coffee lover’s paradise when tens of thousands of coffee fans descended on The Rocks Aroma Festival on 26 July. Visitors travelled from far and wide to immerse themselves in all things coffee, which focused on showcasing Australia’s premium and boutique coffee roasters. The Rocks played host to a number of gourmet food stallholders, roving performers, artists, and photographers, all taking to the streets to demonstrate their love of coffee. Even BeanScene magazine could be spotted on Sydney’s George Street, asking participants to get involved in a good old-fashioned Melbourne versus Sydney coffee debate (see more page 68). In the weeks leading up to the one-day festival, Aroma invited the coffee industry to host forums and workshops. One such organisation to take part…

MFC Roasters has accepted an invitation from the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) to be its feature coffee producer at this year’s Royal Melbourne Show. Taking place from 19 – 29 September, the Royal Melbourne Show is Victoria’s largest and most iconic annual community event, attracting around 500,000 attendees each year. New to the Show in 2015 is Winning Tastes, a pavilion created to showcase medal winners from RASV fine food and beverage award programs. Located in the building used to film MasterChef, the pavilion is destined to be the foodie precinct at the Royal Melbourne Show. The pavilion will feature medal-winning producer stands, rotating pop up restaurants, Burch & Purchese Dessert Bar, a BBQ and Craft Brew Bar, award-winning spirits Speakeasy Cocktail Bar, cooking demonstrations, and producer masterclasses.…

Zeta Grealy describes herself as a “city slicker turned country farmer” with an eternal love for high heels. When Zeta first stepped off the plane at Gold Coast Airport in 1994, she didn’t quite know what to expect. She jumped in a car and drove 30 minutes into the Tweed Valley in northern New South Wales. On arrival at the mountaintop property, her first hurdle was how to open the barbed wire fence to her newly purchased block of land. “I was in a little pink dress with heels. I knew I had arrived,” Zeta says. “I was used to living a city lifestyle, and here I was about to embark on a farming adventure, to which I had no experience. I was just a little bit terrified of what…

Zimbabwe has always been a part of my life for the following reasons. I grew up with tales from my grandmother of the former unrecognised state of Rhodesia in southern Africa, describing it as a calm and beautiful place, with a quintessential African charm. She had lived there for a period when my mother and uncles were growing up, before they had moved to Kenya. I was always somewhat surprised that Granny talked about it with such passion and longing. It was quite clear that Kenya did not live up to her Rhodesian memories. My grandmother evidently thought that Rhodesia was better than Kenya. This made little sense to me as I ranked Kenya top. This is where I had spent much of my childhood. In fact, I found it…

I work as Head Barista in Melbourne CBD café Operator25. I was runner up in the ASCA 2015 Coffee in Good Spirits competition. I was born in Indonesia but moved to Melbourne in 2008. Like so many others, I fell in love with the city and its coffee culture. I first worked at Manchester Press where I learnt the art of coffee before eventually joining the crew at Operator25, and taking the helm as Head Barista. I also work closely with roasters such as Codeblack Coffee and Small Batch Roasting to learn the science of coffee, and further deepen my passion for the industry. This particular pattern that I’ve poured (right) is a combination of rosettas and swan heads. The rosetta streams inside a bigger rosetta, and the pattern is…

As the wheels of Ethiopian Airlines flight 619 touches down in Addis Ababa, the African sun starts to break its way through the dark of the night. As a proudly born African, my heart starts to beat to the rhythm of my motherland continent each time I return. I feel invigorated to do my best for the birthplace of coffee. Every visit is an opportunity to experience this continent’s rich and plentiful landscape. In celebration of the Ethiopian New Year on 11 September 2014, I was invited into the homes of my coffee suppliers as an esteemed and honoured guest. They treated me to a coffee ceremony, a customary welcome tradition. This was also an opportunity for me to show my gratitude for helping me source the beans that led…

NSW Allpress Espresso 58 Epsom Rd, ZETLAND Austin’s Coffee & Tea 62 Broadmeadow Rd, BROADMEADOW Campos Coffee 193 Missenden Rd, NEWTOWN Coffee Warehouse Cafe 17-35 Parramatta Rd, HOMEBUSH Don Campos 2/21 Fountain St, ALEXANDRIA Double Roasters 199 Victoria Rd, MARRICKVILLE Grinders Coffee 204 Norton St, LEICHHARDT Pablo & Rusty’s 161 Castlereagh St,SYDNEY Pablo & Rusty’s 1 St Johns Ave, GORDON Pablo & Rusty’s 13 Burns Bay Rd, LANE COVE Pablo & Rusty’s Jacaranda Square, Cnr Dawn Fraser & Park St, SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK Pablo & Rusty’s 3 Plassey Rd, NORTH RYDE Toby’s Estate 32/36 City Rd, CHIPPENDALE Toby’s Estate 129 Cathedral St, WOOLLOOMOOLOO Tulipshi Cafe Suite 307, The San Clinic Bldg, 185 Fox Valley Rd, WAHROONGA White Horse Coffee Shop 2/137 Flora St, SUTHERLAND QLD Emjays Coffee Shop 6, Zanzibar…

Stepping out in front of an audience isn’t an easy thing to do. In the case of the World Barista Championship (WBC), people cheer from the stands in support, cameras flash, judges watch your movements from every direction, and four sets of eyes stare back at you across a bench. Getting to this stage isn’t easy. It takes dedication and a team of supporters, but ultimately it’s a privilege and a whole lot of fun. It was only three years ago when the Caffe L’affare team in Wellington – where I worked at the time – managed to twist my arm into competing in the New Zealand Barista Championship. My first year competing in 2013 was purely a learning experience, but somehow I placed sixth. In my second year, I…

The team behind The London and Amsterdam Coffee Festival are taking Coffee Masters to New York from 25 – 27 September at 69th Regiment Armory. At the first New York Coffee Festival, Coffee Masters NYC will adopt the same format as the competition launch in London. Applications to enter the New York event close on 14 August. Baristas had to submit a one-minute video presenting their signature drink. From the list of international applicants, 20 people will be chosen to test their skills in New York. The competition includes cupping, brewing, latte art, order challenge, signature drink, and espresso blend rounds. London Coffee Masters will also return in 2016, from 7 – 10 April. Applications are now open. Enter at www.coffeemasters.org/apply In May, United Kingdom’s James Bailey from Workshop Coffee…

There’s a certain steely-eyed look about Chef Colin Fassnidge when he critiques a plate of food on TV show My Kitchen Rules (MKR). He surveys the presentation, tastes it, then lets the contestants know exactly what he thinks. Colin demands perfection on the plate, and when it comes to his morning coffee, he expects no less. “I want the beans to be fresh. I don’t want to taste burnt beans. I don’t want to taste burnt milk, and I want to taste the beans without being overpowered by the milk,” Colin says in his thick Irish accent. Colin kickstarts his day with a triple shot flat white. “I work long hours and have two young kids,” Colin justifies. “To be honest I’ve cut down on the amount of coffee I…

Every café will have its own extraction expectations. While the perfect extraction can be a matter of individual preference, there are some basic guidelines that should be followed to ensure maximum flavour in the cup. Before I discuss how to develop a “superior espresso”, let’s quickly look at what a good espresso is. CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD EXTRACTION: o Espresso should start pouring from the spout at approximately four seconds after brewing has been activated. o It should begin with thick, dark brown crema, like melted chocolate off a spoon. o There will be significant colour changes as the shot progresses. It will start off a dark brown colour, then the shot will open up and become a hazelnut/ caramel colour. As the shot begins to fade it will appear…

Fifty years ago the term “barista” didn’t register highly in the scale of professions. The job still doesn’t appear in university course guidebooks, but it’s credibility in the hospitality sector has grown to become one of the most revered. Today, working as a barista can be the stepping stone to a long and successful career into other avenues of the industry, including work as a barista trainer, Q grader, green bean buyer, roaster, machine technician, and manager. Just as skill sets and position descriptions have developed, so too has the demand for quality coffee across the country. Travel overseas and in some cases, job vacancies are paired with the words: wanted, Australian barista. Why? Because Australia is recognised as having some of the most highly trained coffee professionals. The art…

On a cold Melbourne evening in June, Uppma Virdi of Chai Walli took Australasian Specialty Tea Association (AASTA) members and guests on a journey to India. “Chai is the lifeblood of India,” Uppma told her guests. “It cannot be reduced to a powder or syrup to be made with a coffee machine.” Uppma treated all who had gathered to a live demonstration of how chai is brewed, then paired it with a serving of chai-infused cake. She first talked about chai from a cultural perspective. “Everyone in India drinks chai three, four, five times a day, and each family has their own recipe that’s been passed down for generations,” she said. Uppma then went on to explain the different spices used in chai, and how to balance them. Chai Walli’s…