music.: Woot, Woot, Wu and Five Inquisitive Ambassadors

world dominion

coffeetographer-coffee-cherry-united-states-barista-championship-dublin-berg-wu-taiwain-2016

cde

To the world stage they came. Sixty-one baristas, national champions in their homelands, came to compete for the title of World Barista Champion coordinated by World Coffee Events. As the days passed, culminating in today, Day 4 on June 25 these six were among the finalists of which Berg Wu of Taiwan claimed dominion over the world of coffee and its culture.

His compatriots, competed with coffee, often starting their routing with a question leading into the answer of such through vacuum sealers, dual visual cues, iced portafilters, gesha coffees, precise flavor descriptors, and the element of surprise, a key component in what makes discovering what makes coffee, well, special.

A look at their origin, coffee, and music buffered by a defining quote as heard and called during the live-tweeting of their competition routines. Its a wonderful time to be a barista.

CHAMP
Berg Wu, Taiwan
Simple Kaffa

“I really like these milk flavors and I think you’ll love it.”

Coffee: Finca Deborah, Gesha, Panama
1. ‘Stay,’ Kygo
2. ‘Firestone,’ Kygo
3. ‘Keeping Your Head Up,’ Birdy
4. ‘Aint Nobody,’ Feliz Jaehn Ft. Jasmine Thompson

second.
Yoshikazu Iwaze, Japan
Rec Coffee

“Good picking makes good coffee.”

Coffee: Gesha, Ethiopia, Panama
1. ‘Motion Sickness,’ Hot Chip
2. ‘Be Fair,’ Computer Magic
3. ‘Since I Left You,’ The Avalanches
4. ‘Art of Getting By,’ The Go! Team
5. ‘Slumlord,’ Neon India
6. ‘My Heart’s Rave,’ De De Mouse

third.
Benjamin Put, Canada
Monogram Coffee

“What happens if we take a risk and step outside prescribed norms?”

Coffee: Ethiopia, Semeon Abay

1. ‘Don’t Wake Me,’ Moonchild
2. ‘I Want You Back,’ Jackson 5
3. Come Get Your Love’, Redbone
4. ‘Teenage Dream,’ Katy Perry
5. ‘Heart Attack,’ Raphael Saadiq’

fourth.
Lem Butler, USA
Counter Culture

“I want the coffee to bring out what’s best in the milk and the milk what’s best in the coffee.”

Coffee: Finca Naguro, Panama Geisha

1. –
2.‘The Rest is Nose.’ Jamie xx
3. ‘Pain,’ De La Soul, Snooop Dog
4. ‘Urumbaby, ingwe,’ Cecile Kaiarebwa

fifth.
Charlotte Malval France
Freelance, Ditta Artiginale

“My role is to find the best way to make excellence accessible.”

Coffee: 80 y.o. Bourbon, El Salvador

1.-
2. ‘Ont Peur de la Libret’ Keny Arkana
3. ‘Tous Les Memes.’ Anthony Fiko
4. ‘Waves.’ Mr. Probz

sixth.
Lex Wenneker, Netherlands
Special Coffee

“Why don’t we order coffee based upon its variety?”

Coffee: Sudan Rume, Ethiopia, 3 Varietals

1. ‘All My Friends,’ LCD Soundsystem

2. ‘’Work It,’ Daft Punk
3. ‘Mr. Blue Sky.’ Electric Light Orchestra