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FHA2018 SHOWDAILY
2 5 A p ri l 2 0 1 8
Barista’s winning skills:
Attention to details, cleanliness
and technical knowledge
What kind of barista skills will
score points at the competition?
Norasikin Surani: Attention to
details, cleanliness, technical
knowledge and presentation skills.
Attention to details comes from
your technical knowledge; being
able to adapt to the different
equipment. This will allow you to
showcase your knowledge at the
competition.
I feel that a lot of baristas
don’t know their machines well
enough. A barista should be able
to adapt to different machines,
different grinders and still give
off their best.
Cleanliness is also very impor-
tant. Your cups and equipment
have to be clean; same for ma-
chines and your work bench area.
This is not only during competi-
tion time but also should be an
everyday practice, a habit.
Presentation skills come to
using the right cup, spoon, sau-
cer, and so on, and being able to
present your coffee in a way that
What makes a barista’s skill stand out? At this year’s
Barista Super Duo Challenge, top baristas from across the
region gather to compete before a panel of judges and a live
audience. Norasikin Surani, a judge at the competition, tells
the Show Daily what it takes to make it as a top barista.
helps the judges understand why
you chose this particular coffee
and what you wish to deliver from
this cup of coffee, flavour-wise.
The more stories the barista
can tell about the origin of coffee;
for example, farmers and their
farming techniques, the more it
will help the judges visualise the
coffee better.
What are your expectations from
this year’s batch of contestants?
Norasikin: I hope that contest-
ants don’t always rely on winning
coffees. I would like to see them
utilise more ‘normal’ everyday
coffees.
A contestant should be able
to not only brew well but also
explain it well; engage the audi-
ence/judges about the coffee and
explain to them the profile/tasting
notes of the coffee properly.
Inform the judges on how to
experience the espresso/coffee at
its best. Tell them how you’d like
them to drink it and what are the
tasting notes you’d hope they’d
experience — help the judges
understand what you’re trying to
achieve.
A lot of espressos are very
complex; therefore, you must be
able to explain the espressos in a
more relatable way to people, in
a language that’s more familiar
to people. Remember, you’re still
able to gain complexity with relat-
able and familiar flavours.
Aside from the flawless skills,
what level of coffee knowledge
should top baristas possess in
order to gain more points during
the competition?
Norasikin: Knowing the origin of
your chosen coffee is as important
as having great skills. Understand-
ing how the origin and geography
of the farm affects the taste of
the coffee and why they chose
that particular coffee for this
competition.
What are the trends in spe-
cialty coffee preparations in
Asia-Pacific?
Norasikin: I’ve noticed a lot
of baristas are starting to play
around more with ratios and tem-
peratures. They seem to prefer
to pull their espressos thinner,
achieving a lighter bodied coffee.
Also, many baristas nowadays are
starting to work backwards and
paying more attention on differ-
ent parts and the various sciences
of the brewing process; temping
methods, distribution methods
and tools, using different shower
screens, grind size, using different
types of water and even the type
of cups they use.
When it comes to training, what
advice can you give baristas to
hone their skills more?
Norasikin: Always refresh your
knowledge; learn, unlearn and
relearn. Always go back to ba-
sics and don’t be afraid to learn
again. Keep on pulling and keep
on pouring.
Remember, it’s okay to make
mistakes as long as you learn from
them. Stay humble always and
don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Even a trainer or senior barista is
able to learn new knowledge when
trainees ask interesting questions
that they’ve never thought of ask-
ing before.
And always be receptive to
feedback, even from your custom-
ers because at the end of the day,
they are the ones who drink your
coffee.