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Mr Ross Bright
Master Coffee Roaster & Wholesale Manager with the Spinelli Coffee
Company |
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Source:
www.chaplinpr.com |
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The Search is On For Singapore¡¯s Top Coffee
Barista! |
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The Winner of the Singapore National Barista
Championship 2007 Will Represent Singapore in the World Barista
Championships in Japan |
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Singaporeans¡¯ enduring love affair with the
coffee bean could never have taken off but for the passion and expertise
of a small number of individuals called baristas who are widely regarded
as ¡°the sommeliers of the coffee industry¡±. |
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Now, the Singapore Coffee Association (SCA)
has launched its first inaugural Singapore National Barista Championship
(SNBC), which will take place from March 29 ¨C 31 at Suntec City
Convention Centre Room 208 & 209. |
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SCA¡¯s Chairman, Mr. Victor Mah said,
¡°Barista refers to one who has acquired some level of expertise in
the preparation of espresso-based coffee drinks. The barista is a
professional who is highly skilled in coffee preparation, with a
comprehensive understanding of coffee, coffee blends, espresso,
quality, coffee varieties, roast degree, espresso equipment,
maintenance, latte art and everything associated with delivering
that perfect cup of coffee.¡± |
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The contestants, who are all either
Singaporeans or Permanent Residents, are drawn from all age
groups, races and backgrounds and work for many of Singapore¡¯s
best known coffee brands and retailers. |
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However, the organisers are quick to
point out that this is not a competition amongst coffee companies
but amongst individuals to determine who has the best
coffee-preparation skills. |
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Aside from a prize purse of SGD1,000,
the winner of the Singapore National Barista Championship 2007
will also go on to represent Singapore in the World Barista
Championships in Tokyo from July 31 ¨C August 2. |
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The winners and runners up will also
receive a considerable boost to their personal careers thanks to
the status awarded to the national barista champion. |
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Said Ms Teo Sio Hoon, Director of
Tourism, Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA): ¡°This
competition is an excellent platform to raise the profile of the
barista as a professional, as well as promote the idea that being
a barista is a viable career option¡±. |
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All contestants will have to go
through a Food & Beverage Workforce Skills Qualifications (F&B WSQ)
assessment prior to the competition to evaluate their ability as
baristas. Successful contestants will receive a WSQ Statement of
Attainment, which is a national certification of their skills. |
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Ross Bright, Master Coffee Roaster &
Wholesale Manager with the Spinelli Coffee Company said the
championships would also perk up the food & beverage industry in
general by raising awareness that far more goes into the
preparation of a good cup of coffee than the installation of an
automatic espresso machine. |
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¡°How often have you ordered a pricey
coffee in an expensive restaurant only to find that it¡¯s poorly
prepared and occasionally even undrinkable? By throwing a focus on
professional coffee preparation in line with international
standards we¡¯re making a statement to the Singapore F&B industry
that Singaporeans are educated in their palettes and won¡¯t settle
for anything less than a coffee product delivered with technical
competence and know how,¡± said Mr. Bright, who is part of the
organising committee and a certified World Barista Championship
judge. |
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The SNBC has lined up a panel of 7
experienced judges including Head Judge Justin Metcalf, one of
Australia¡¯s most recognised coffee and caf¨¦ consultants. |
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Of those 7 judges, 4 are sensory
judges, 2 are technical judges and 1 is the Head Judge). |
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Each competitor must serve each of the
four Sensory Judges a single espresso, a single cappuccino and a
single signature beverage of his/her choice (which must be
espresso-based and alcohol-free), for a total of 12 drinks, during
a period of 15 minutes or less. The four drinks of each category
must be identical and served at the same time. |
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Judges will be scoring the contestants
on a combination of criteria including technical proficiency,
presentation and creativity, taste, cleanliness and hygiene and
overall flair and flamboyance. |
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Judges will also keep an eye out for
those who display the most passion for their vocation! Therefore,
competitors may explain their processes aloud during their
preparation and speak and interact with the judges and they may
also choose their own music soundtrack by which to work. |
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The Singapore Coffee Association is
also working with its official partner, Singapore Exhibition
Services (SES), to promote the event. Ting Siew Mui, SES¡¯ Project
Director for Lifestyle Events, said there is ¡°much synergy¡± in the
partnership, as SES is the organizer of the biennial food and
hospitality trade show, Food & Hotel Asia (FHA), in 2008. |
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¡°As coffee consumption increasingly
becomes a lifestyle in Singapore, it is important to give the
necessary impetus and support to develop this industry not just as
a business, but also as one of the joys in life,¡± Ting said. |
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The SNBC is sponsored by UCC
(Presenter), DaVinci Gourmet, EQUAL and GREENFIELDS (Gold
Sponsors) as well as a list of other sponsors. |
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Further information about the SNBC
2007 is available on the Singapore Coffee Association website:
www.singaporecoffee.org.
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Source:
www.chaplinpr.com Media
Release 21 Mar 2007 |
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FrontPage Edition: Wed 21 March 2007
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