Preparation
The barista has 10 minutes to prepare the working environment. The coffee grinder provided by the organizer is already set up and contains the sponsored coffee Brazil, Bom Jesus (Stow Coffee). The competitor is obliged to check the grinder settings and adjust them if necessary. Competitors may not bring their own grinder or their own coffee. After preparation, the barista must be ready to start the first discipline within 5 minutes. If the barista exceeds 10 minutes for preparation, a penalty of 15 points is added.
Over-time (−15): Preparation time is 10 minutes. Exceeding this time results in a 15-point penalty.
1. Order — 50 points
In this discipline the competitor faces the challenge of the everyday work environment. The order of competitors is chosen randomly and each barista receives the same order of 8 different drinks, the same equipment and the same conditions. The barista must present all drinks to the judges, then call time to signal completion. The order includes espresso drinks, filter coffee and more.
Time (up to 24 points)
- 1st — 24 pts · 2nd — 22 pts · 3rd — 20 pts · 4th — 18 pts
- 5th — 17 pts · 6th — 16 pts · 7th — 15 pts · 8th — 14 pts
Quality (up to 26 points across 8 drinks)
Per-drink scale: 0 Unprepared/incorrect · 1 Poor · 2 Good · 3 Exceptional.
2. Latte Art — 50 points
This discipline is a knockout using the Latte Art Throwdown format; points are awarded based on placement. The judge rolls a Latte Art die and the contestant must place a cup with the same pattern as the die in front of the judge within 3 minutes. Pairs are randomly selected and the winner advances round by round to the final. After serving the cup, the contestant clears the work surface.
Placement scoring
- 1st — 50 pts · 2nd — 48 pts · 3rd — 45 pts · 4th — 42 pts · 5–8th — 38 pts
Bracket: First Round → Second Round → Final for 1st Place / Final for 3rd Place (Pairs 1–4).
3. Cupping — 50 points
In this discipline the barista must recognise different coffee profiles by taste. The competitor has 3 minutes to taste and remember the flavours of the coffees placed in order A, B, C, D, E. The cups are then shuffled by the judge and the contestant must taste them again and place them in the correct order as fast as possible. Each correct cup scores 5 points; all five correct brings an extra 5 points.
Time (up to 20 points)
- 1st — 20 pts · 2nd — 18 pts · 3rd — 16 pts · 4th — 14 pts
- 5th — 12 pts · 6th — 10 pts · 7th — 8 pts · 8th — 6 pts
4. Signature drink — 50 points
Competitors must prepare their own interpretation of an Espresso Martini, provided the drink remains recognisably structured as an Espresso Martini. Before starting, the competitor must submit a written recipe to two judges. They have 8 minutes to prepare two identical drinks. Any deviation from the submitted recipe results in a score of 0. All ingredients must be supplied by the competitor (coffee may be provided by the organizer).
Scoring categories (10 points each)
- Visual presentation — appearance, colour, crema, glassware
- Aroma & flavour — aroma quality, flavour clarity, balance, finish
- Coffee integration — harmony and complexity of the coffee interplay
- Creativity & concept — originality, concept, innovative ingredient use
- Technical execution — consistency, accuracy, workflow, cleanliness
Judging summary
Total per discipline: 50 points. Final total across four disciplines: 200 points. Judges score each competitor individually and record the total points and overall place on the judge score sheet.
