MILAN – Shih Yuan Hsu is the best brewers of the word: it’s thanks to a natural geisha produced from Mikava Coffee in Colombia, that she could win the World brewers championship in Melbourne. Actually, Shih Yuan Hsu works as a barista at Coffee Lover’s Planet in Taipei City, Taiwan, now with in her hands a first place that she would never forget.
Shih Yuan Hsu, let’s start at the end: what is it like to win the World brewers cup? How did you feel when you heard your name being mentioned?
“It’s so surreal, I can’t believe I won. I was blank for a moment and had to reconfirm the results by looking at my team. I must say it wasn’t easy and all of our team’s effort finally paid off.”
What is coffee to you? How did the connection with this drink come about, how did it form, what do you do professionally?
Shih Yuan Hsu: “I wake up to coffee every day, drink it and enjoy it every morning. After attending a coffee brewing class, I found coffee is something I am passionate about. I am a professional coffee barista at a Coffee Lover’s Planet in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Of all the extraction methods, why did you choose brewing?
“I chose pour over brewing method because there are more variables which I can make changes to, allowing me to bring out a wide variety of flavors from the coffee. That’s why coffee is attractive to me.”
How did Shih Yuan Hsu train for the World Cup? Was it hard? Were the competitors very able in the discipline?
“This is my second time joining World Brewers Cup; therefore, I have experience in planning my training. I spent around 60% of my time on Compulsory Service which pays off. It was a tough competition and the competitors are very proficient and skillful.”
Can you tell us about your performance in Melbourne? What challenged you the most, what was your greatest asset?
Shih Yuan Hsu: “It was tiring as it requires a lot of concentration and I am glad my routine went well. The temperature and the humidity of Melbourne is the most challenging as it causes a lot of uncertain changes to my coffee. I need to spend time fine tuning it. My team is off course my greatest asset as they helped me directly and indirectly. Without their support, I won’t come this far.”
What coffee did you choose and bring to the competition? How did you develop the preparation?
“I chose carbonic maceration natural geisha from Finca Mikava of Columbia. By combining my brewing method and testing multiple roasting profile, we managed to bring out the best in this coffee.”
And now? What awaits Shih Yuan Hsu on her way as world champion?
“Personally, I would want to bring the best coffee tasting experience to the general public so that more people can enjoy good coffee. I also hope to inspire more new brewing methods among the coffee brewing community.”
Would you like to say something to those who intend to compete on the piste?
Shih Yuan Hsu to the young competitors: “The beans change from time to time, do not limit yourself to a fix type of brewing. This journey of training and practicing is a long and hard one but when you stepped on the stage to perform, the reward is worth all the effort.”
