Photos by courtesy of Anacafé
Cristian Fernández is the name echoing throughout Guatemala today. He is the 2024 national barista champion and what we could call the revelation of the night. Fernández, from Torch Coffee Company, stood out among the 12 baristas and will represent Guatemala at the World Barista Championship in Milan, Italy.
During the competition, the participating baristas explained and presented their espresso preparations; espresso with milk, and an inventive coffee-based beverage. The jury consisted of four sensory judges, two technical judges, and one shadow judge, who evaluated the quality of flavors, beverage consistency, the barista’s technique, and the relationship between the beverage and the participant’s description.
The champion did it again
For the second consecutive year, Raúl Rodas from Paradigma Coffee Roasters was the best among the 17 participants in the National Brewers Competition. Rodas will represent our country at the World Brewers Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. Rodas was the 2012 world barista champion.
This competition seeks to find the best professionals in preparing black coffee using filtration techniques. During the competition, participants explained and presented their black coffee preparations, choosing a filtration method for a panel of three sensory judges, two technical judges, and one head judge, within a 10-minute time limit.
The jury for the Brewers and Baristas Competitions was led by head judges Alexis Sabogal (Colombia) and Katarzyna Zyzalo-Moczydlowska (Poland), who is also the representative of World Coffee Events (WCE), the international organization that oversees competitions worldwide.
Dulce, the best taster in Guatemala’s history Dulce
Barrera from Bella Vista Coffee was the best taster among 30 participants in the National Tasting Competition. Barrera will represent Guatemala at the world competition to be held in Geneva, Switzerland. Dulce solidifies her position as the country’s best taster, now a four-time national cupping champion.
In the competition, participants had to identify the different cups of coffee by tasting 24 cups of coffee organized into eight groups of three cups each (triangulations). In each triangulation, two cups are the same coffee and preparation, and one is a different coffee or preparation. Tasters have a maximum of eight minutes to identify the different cups, and the participant with the most correct answers in the least time wins.
The edition 2024 of the National Brewers, Baristas, and Tasters Competition was organized by Anacafé and its Coffee School.
Press-release AnaCafé.
