South Island Baristas Flaunt Their Espresso Talent

South Island Baristas Flaunt Their Espresso Talent

Over 20 competitors from around the South Island will today compete at the Christchurch Convention Centre in the hope to be crowned New Zealand’s National Barista Champion for 2006. Now in its sixth year, the National Barista Awards brought to you by Robert Harris will today begin to scour the country for the most accomplished coffee maker in the land. The last three National Champions have originated from Christchurch promising to make today’s regional competition one of the best!

Each of today’s competitors will be tested on all areas of their barista talent. A panel of seven expert judges will determine which two competitors will then go on to compete at the National Final at the Wild Bean Cafe Festival and Awards in Auckland in November. The National Barista of the Year will qualify to enter the World Competition in Tokyo, Japan in 2007.

Within the competition time of 15 minutes each barista is required to make four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature beverages. 2006 is the first year that the signature beverage component has been added to each regional competition and requires baristas to make a unique espresso based beverage, sure to prove to be an exciting new challenge for many.

The New Zealand National Barista Awards are only made possible through sponsorship and industry support. Robert Harris has been the major sponsor of the event since the first competition in 2000 and invest around $100,000 each year in the event. Anchor has also been a loyal and key sponsor since the National Competition began.

Today’s competition starts at 11am at the Christchurch Convention Centre. The event is open to the public free-of-charge. Each competitor is on stage for 12minutes setup, 15minutes competition time and 7minutes cleanup.
For further information visit www.nationalbaristaawards.co.nz

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