Hugh Kelly of Ona Coffee (in the picture) has been crowned the 2016 Australian Barista Champion. Hugh has kept the barista title within the Ona family for the second year running after Company Director Sasa Sestic won the event in 2015.
“It’s an amazing feeling. Winning hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m obviously very happy,” Hugh said.
The Australian Barista Championship was held at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE), which took place from 17 – 19 March at the Melbourne Showgrounds.
It was a close battle between the top six competitors, with Veneziano Coffee Roasters’ Jade Jennings placing second, and Axil Coffee Roasters’ Matthew Lewin taking third place.
The Ona Coffee Head Trainer won the Central Regional Barista Championship in September 2015 before travelling to Melbourne to compete in the national finals against other regional winners, and open heat finalists vying for the top position and trophy.
Each year the prestigious event, hosted by the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) attracts huge crowds of supporters and onlookers who engage in the exciting format. The competing baristas must prepare four espressos, four milk-based beverages, and four signature drinks for sensory and technical judges to assess over a timed routine of 15 minutes.
Hugh’s routine put the spotlight on abundant varietals and the importance of embracing ways to improve the experience they can deliver.
“The industry has access to standard common varietals and I wanted my routine to demonstrate how we can get the most out of them. We have a deep understanding of sourcing, processing and roasting but I’m confident we can lift the customer experience even further with common varietals,” Hugh said.
“Last year many baristas presented the judges with stories about origin and the discovery of new techniques, but I wanted to explore what is possible with what we already have available to us.
With the growth of the coffee market, changes to climate change and shifts in consumption, we need to look forward at different methods and teaching practices to lift the customer experience, and not decline it.”
For his routine, Hugh produced espresso coffees using a freezer-processed Castillo from El Mirador in Colombia, which displayed refined stone fruit flavours. His milk-based beverage highlighted the same varietal in a different way, presenting distinct flavours of vanilla and blueberry.
For his signature drinks, Hugh was inspired by the production of ice wine. He combined freeze concentrated fresh black currant with ice stones and his Colombian coffee.
In 2015 Sasa Sestic won the 2015 Australian Barista Championship. He then went on to beat almost 50 countries in Seattle, United States to claim the World Barista Championship (WBC) title, the most coveted title of all coffee competition titles.
This year, Hugh will follow in Sasa’s footsteps, making the journey to Dublin, Ireland to compete in the WBC from 22 – 25 June.
“It would be amazing for Australia to win the WBC back to back. I can’t promise we’ll win again, but I can promise I’ll do my best,” Hugh said.
This was Hugh’s fifth national competition and he couldn’t haven’t have been in safer hands with Sasa mentoring Hugh in the lead up to the competition.
“It’s been a real partnership. I think going to Seattle with Sasa for the 2015 WBC and being responsible for organising all his equipment was a massive experience for me.
It gave me an insight into the level of preparation needed for the worlds,” he said. “Sasa has been great. We have the same work ethic and he’s been really encouraging in helping me to get my message across. Now I just have to convey that to the world.”
About Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE2016)
The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) is the largest dedicated coffee show in the Southern Hemisphere.
MICE2016 welcomed more than 120 exhibitors, featuring the latest in espresso equipment, coffee brewing devices, exotic and expensive coffee beans, roasting equipment, and more. The event took place place from 17 – 19 March 2016 at the Melbourne Showgrounds.
For more information visit www.internationalcoffeeexpo.com
