Coffee

P&O's Barista Competition - Creating Great Coffee Under Pressure

By Cruising With Honey - 12:21


Baristas at Sea

Nestle partnership

P&O Australia

The only thing I’ve ever had to judge in my life, was the distance to propel my stumpy legs forward to make it safely over a puddle. So when the opportunity to be a guest coffee judge aboard P&O Cruises Australia's Pacific Explorer, I jumped at the chance. (read more about the P&O Barista Competition here)

Stepping aboard Pacific Explorer is always a thrilling experience, and it was extra-special seeing the ship decked out in all the Christmas trimmings. However, I digress.

As I was escorted down to Charlie’s, there stood six baristas - Domingo Caday Jr, Howard Cos, Gusti Ngurah Sumariata, Roydin Bhaskar, Reynalyn Genetia and Salam Sonia Deyi -  all with a slight air of nervousness, but beaming and slightly jittery.



Could this be the caffeine I wondered? I was soon to find out these passionate, hard-working individuals were all very proud to participate and thoroughly excited about showing off their skills.

Christopher James - Nestle Master Barista

Joining the contestants was Nestle Master Barista and Beverage Development Manager Christopher James (who despite his youthful 25 years, has been a barista for 10 years), guiding and patiently supporting each of the baristas. Guiding me was Nestle National Business Development Manager Katherine Edwards, an absolute coffee connoisseur in the true sense of the word.

Foolishly, I thought, “how hard can tasting coffee be and deciding if you like it or not?” But as the lovely, and very knowledgeable Katherine educated me, there is a lot more to it than just gulping down the brown elixir.

The judges!

The other two judges, Director of Supply Chain for Carnival Australia Jeremy Goodman and Director, Guest Experience, Food and Beverage for P&O Simon Blacoe were old hats at this having judged many of these competitions, so the baristas were in very safe hands.The rules were pretty straightforward; each of the six entrants was to make an espresso, a latte and a cappuccino. Each coffee is judged for different elements such as colour of crema, taste balance, coffee art and temperature.


Despite having consumed litres and litres of coffee in my life, when the first espresso was put before me, I felt rather nervous. These baristas were so passionate about their craft, I was afraid to dash their dreams. However, with some sound tips from Katherine, I was able to navigate my way through each coffee, gaining confidence with each slurp.




While the coffee was delicious, and of a very high standard, (I had to start handing out half points it was that close), what I enjoyed the most was witnessing the baristas revel in their craft. Each of them introduced themselves, revealing a little about their experiences, hopes and aspirations. Without sounding corny, I always find it such a privilege being let into another person’s life.

With each coffee presented, my confidence for picking out the nuances became better, and by the time I had sampled 18 coffees - yes EIGHTEEN - not only was I positively buzzing, but had gained a whole new respect for these individuals.

Now for the prizes. There were five, $150 crew vouchers to be won, and the overall winner would receive a whopping $1000. Scores were tallied and, for the first time in 17 years there was a tie! Reynalyn Gentia and Gusti Ngurah Sumariata!




 Patting myself on the back and taking full credit for this results, it was announced that both winners would receive $1000 each! What a fabulous result!

As hugs were exchanged and photos taken, I was a little sad it was all over. However, my mind was going full-steam ahead, and I had the sudden urge to run up and down stairs. Maybe they’ll invite me back next year... or maybe I want a career change and be a barista... or maybe I should start roasting my own beans... or maybe I need to buy a new coffee machine... or maybe I should go in search for the closest ladies bathroom…..

Addendum

Despite having consumed my last coffee over 12 hours ago, I’m still wide awake. While I would not recommend drinking 18 coffees in one day, I’d encourage you all to enjoy your favourite coffee from the many outlets across the P&O fleet. And make sure you compliment your barista, you just might make their day as their mission is to make yours.


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