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The 2009 Estonian Barista Championship took place in Tallinn, on 14 and 15 March 2009. One of the contestants was Astrid Väälma, the senior bartender of the Tallink Spa & Conference Hotel, who finished fourth overall and was the winner in the “Cup Tasting” category!
The final of the Estonian Barista Championship was very intense. In addition to the taste of the prepared coffee drinks, the jury also evaluated the contestants’ technical skills, knowledge of coffee, preparation of the working area, hygiene, precision and many other aspects. And on top of that, the participants had to explain to the judges what they were doing while preparing the coffee drinks.
The contestants had to prepare four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks (so-called fantasy beverages) – all this in just 15 minutes. The coffee drinks prepared by the contestants were assessed by four tasting judges, two technical judges and the head judge, who monitored the entire competition and the other judges.
The baristas also competed in three other categories: “Cup Tasting”, “Coffee & Good Spirit” and “Latte Art”. Astrid Väälma, the winner in the “Cup Tasting” category, was the most accurate in the coffee tasting test. The 2009 Estonian cup tasting champion will represent Estonia at the World Cup Tasting Championship at the SCAE Wonderful Coffee event, scheduled to take place from 26 to 28 June 2009 in Cologne, Germany.
Astrid Väälma won the second place overall in the 2008 Estonian Barista Championship. |