The Coffee Masters segment -- A Carnival for Coffee Enthusiasts
The Coffee Masters barista competition was a key part of this war. Unlike previous selections for the World Coffee Championship, this battle featured the Coffee Masters competition for the first time. A total of 20 baristas from different countries participated, with an elimination format, and the final winner would receive a prize of £5,000. Participants' visual, olfactory, and gustatory senses were fully exercised.
The important part of the competition was The Cupping. In this segment, baristas were required to taste six types of coffee within three minutes and remember their order. The organizers would then randomly shuffle the coffee order, and participants had to restore the order within two minutes. This was bound to be an exhilarating battle of taste, with five minutes witnessing the "strongest tongue." Additionally, there would be an opportunity to witness world-class latte art skills. In The Latte Art segment, judges would roll the dice three times to determine the three different designs that participating baristas had to complete, and the final judgment would be based on the aesthetic of the designs and the quality of the milk. In The Order segment, participants were required to complete an espresso-based coffee within nine minutes, which posed a significant challenge.
This segment spanned four days, with the final champion being James Bailey, a barista from our ally London Workshop Coffee Co., who also received the £5,000 prize. James is an aggressive competitor who had already achieved first place in the UK and fifth place in the world in a coffee brewing competition in 2012. In the same year's barista competition, he achieved an excellent second place in the UK, also winning Best Espresso and Best Signature Drink. In 2013, he ranked second in the UK brewing competition and first in the London Latte Art Smackdown competition.
The True Artisan Café segment -- A Carnival for Coffee Enthusiasts
This segment provided an ultimate carnival experience for both expert coffee makers and casual coffee lovers. Numerous well-known coffee brands and shops participated, including the London specialty coffee shops Notes, Allpress, Union Hand Roasted, and Climpson & Sons, as well as 42 Coffee and Horsham Coffee Roaster. Additionally, many past coffee competition champions appeared on the front lines. The enemy also provided various free snacks to entice food lovers. There was also a live DJ mixing coffee cocktails to distract our troops. The enemy set up a voting segment where our side could vote for their favorite espresso, creative coffee, and cocktails.
The Milk & Sugar segment -- A Bold and Novel Exhibition
Milk & Sugar was a new segment at this London Coffee Festival. It was a unique exhibition where there were no rigid rules or conventional frameworks, showcasing some original and imaginative brands that covered fashion, design, lifestyle, and food in various forms. The enemy employed a mix-and-match strategy, allowing our side to experience multiple activities such as haircuts, exhibitions, and fashion weeks all at once.
The Lab segment -- A Cutting-Edge Coffee Art Release
In this battle, The Lab segment continued to interact with our side, showcasing the most cutting-edge coffee art, technology, and firsthand coffee brewing techniques. All participants tasted the latest coffee flavors. Over four days of battle, nearly a hundred themed shares satisfied all our curiosities. Moreover, soldiers in our ranks who aspired to open their own coffee shops seized the opportunity to hear industry experts discuss the development direction of the coffee industry and the most valuable insights on opening a shop.
