Central America produces some of the best coffees in the world. That’s unquestionable. However, it has been 11 years since a barista from the region made it to the World Barista Championship (WBC) finals, and 12 years since Guatemalan Raúl Rodas was crowned WBC. What is happening with our coffee ambassadors?
Bandola Digital spoke with two global coffee authorities: Federico Bolaños, recognized as one of the best barista coaches of all time, with the highest record of successes in the history of the World Coffee Championships (WCC), including 3 world champions, 3 world finalists, and 7 world semifinalists; and Scott Conary, an international coffee judge, the first American certified by the World Barista Championship (WBC), and an active member of the World Coffee Events (WCE) Rules and Regulations Committee.
The positions of both experts are based on their roles and years of experience. Interestingly, both agree that to begin with, contestants need financial support and a good team behind them throughout the process.
Photo courtesy by Irina Orellana
“Central American baristas have the potential and talent to achieve whatever they want, and we can see that they do well when they have experienced coaching. I’m not saying that having a coach is the secret recipe, but it helps a lot. It’s like in football; if the team goes out to play without a coach, they will do their best, but they will hardly go in the right direction to win. In barista competitions, it’s not enough to have good coffee and proper accessories; you need a coach and a good team. No one wins the WBC without having a team of experienced individuals.” says Federico Bolaños.
For Judge Scott Conary, the competitor and their team must find their path to success, which is directly linked to a series of variables. “Each Central American country, in general, is in a different place in terms of the industry, with constant changes in each one… These organizational, funding, access, and support differences, including varying levels of government support and broader political and economic factors, control us all to some extent.”
The significant difference between baristas from the region and those from countries that have been semifinalists in the last decade, according to the judge, is essentially fourfold: they have access to high-quality coffee (in volume), experienced roasting (for a global stage), access to resources, and the ability to create and support a team that can guide the process.
Time and… money or something else?
After each competition, hundreds of speculations arise. This year, many complained about the way judges work; others attributed the failure to a lack of financial support. While it’s true that one must invest to obtain a world champion, other factors, according to the experts, are more decisive.
“Barista competitions have been professionalized to high levels… And I don’t detract from the barista; I am a barista, and the barista must execute very well. But when you have a great team behind you—coach, roaster, even a psychologist because the competitor’s stress, pressure, and anxiety level affects the outcome—that’s when you can fight for first place,” says Bolaños.
Experience has also confirmed that the barista’s preparation time is essential. A champion cannot be formed in two months, especially when countries like Japan, the USA, Canada, and Australia invest four to six months working with the barista and their entire team.
“Money isn’t everything. With Colombian Diego Campos (WBC 2021), for example, we had such a limited budget that we had to borrow grinders there, and that was the year the judges moved from rating balance to sensory experiences, and we won,” says Bolaños.
To put it in numbers, the expert says that with a budget of $20,000, a good team could work towards finding a new champion in the region; but he emphasizes that this champion needs to: 1) be knowledgeable about coffee, that is, study the science of coffee (the physics and chemistry of infusions), and read scientific books that complement their coffee knowledge and allow them to become better professionals; 2) be humble enough to seek support and opinions from others; 3) be passionate; and 4) be a person of integrity, loyal, and grateful to everyone who supports them.
According to Judge Conary, Central America produces incredible coffees, “the distinction is in how to prepare them better for the global stage, and to have great control over them, for consistency and to present them professionally in detail.”
“Central American baristas have access to incredible coffee: it’s grown there. They just need support to afford it and roast it for the world stage. They have deep knowledge of agriculture and coffee cultivation/processing details; competitors from non-producing countries must travel to learn some details, but no one knows it better than those who live there. And finally, they have an obvious passion for coffee that is passed down through families: this alone is not enough, but it’s a unique starting point compared to non-coffee-growing countries,” says Conary.
Which Central American country wants a barista champion the most?
If everybody coincides saying that in Central America, there is excellent coffee and excellent baristas. So what is missing for adequate preparation investment? A strategic business vision, says Bolaños.
“Latin America, in general, should have a particular interest in their baristas doing well because this is a catapult, a showcase of their coffees to the world. We are countries where coffee is an important component of the economy, so governments and governmental organizations should have a national program, a business strategy with more resources allocated to support the national champion barista, enabling them to purchase the best coffee, suitable equipment, and an experienced coach to champion their country’s coffee through its barista champions.”
In the last 10 years, the countries that have been in the BWC semifinals the most times are Australia (10 times), the USA (9 times), Canada (8 times), Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea, and Japan (all 7 times).
“The competitors from these countries have managed to obtain the resources to delve into the details that can make a difference in obtaining higher scores. This can come from companies, organizations, sponsors, or local or other government support,” says Conary.
Innovation and confidence
With over 15 years of experience as a coach, Bolaños believes that one of the biggest mistakes he sees in presentations is believing there is a trend in themes. One year a barista who presented their coffee with 100% technology won; the next year, someone focused on customer service; this year, the champion did so with a mindfulness concept. “The winner is the one who brings a different concept, is innovative, and leads the judges to a great consumer experience. You can’t come with something that was done the previous year; that’s looking at the past; it already happened,” he says.
On this particular topic, Conary invites Central American baristas to look at what the current champion did well and improve it because even he didn’t get a perfect score.
“In general, the champion showed very precise control over the extraction of his coffee so that he could describe it in great detail and achieve a balance that also scored highly. This understanding of coffee comes from many hours of focused practice (and the ability to obtain high-quality coffee with enough volume and quality roasting to practice over and over). Also, whenever possible, it is useful to get an external review, outside your usual support, to get multiple perspectives on the results and what might work on the global stage.”
That external review is precisely what Bolaños insists on in terms of the work team and advisors. A quality coach will help the barista in all construction processes: selecting the coffee, creating the concept, developing the speech, presenting it creatively, and ensuring that everything works within the rules to produce the desired scores.
“I go to Australia and sit down with a barista, and they, who don’t have farms, often know more about productive practices. And it’s not just Australians; Koreans, Asians, and all world-class baristas are like that. Our baristas need to read more, have academic knowledge about coffee, and remember that this is about knowledge and that hospitality is a science. Saying ‘please enjoy’ is not enough,” says Bolaños.
