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2009 WA Latte Art and Coffee Cupping Competition

We had another great day at the Latte Art championships and the Cupping Competition last Sunday. I bravely stood up to the plate again and sacrificed my tastebuds to the cause of coffee to judge the latte art competition in the morning, because as we all (should) know, latte art is much more than just drawing hearts and flowers on top of coffee. The milk temperature and texture and the way it combines with the espresso is paramount to getting a good score. So no matter how lovely your patterns are, if your coffee tastes like microwaved nescafe, you will lose.

Fortunately the competitors on Sunday were a much classier lot than that, and after some stirling efforts from many competitors, the winner once again was Production Supervisor and latte artiste extraordinaire, Kim Godleman of 5 Senses.

Sadly I was judging the whole time of the comp, and with no minions to run around taking photos for me, I didn’t get many shots of the actual competitors during the day. The 5 Senses team did get a few shots though, that you can check out here.

Next up was the cupping competition, and true to form, I had not practiced once. Still, my steely nerves and trust in my palate was strong. I managed to get a break for lunch in between the latte art and the cupping, so I primed the tastebuds with a potato and ham calzone and a lemon lime and bitters. A lunch of taste champions no doubt. A few swirls of mineral water just to round out the bitters and we were good to go.

What is cupping you say ?
Cupping is the traditional method for breaking down the flavour profiles of brewed coffee. You roast a bunch of coffee to a certain level (generally lighter than for espresso), grind it to a specific courseness, and then let it steep in hot water (not boiling) for a set period of time. Then breaking through the crust of grinds on the top and inhaling deeply the aromas of the brew, and drawing out as much detail as you can about the nose, before slurping it as you would if you were tasting wine. Aerating the coffee across your palate and assessing the acidity, body, and length of finish etc.

The cupping competition is designed to be a high speed spectacle that mirrors this tradition. Each competitor is given 8 sets of 3 cups. 2 of the cups in each set are the same coffee, and one is different. The point then is to guess the odd one out, in as fast a time as possible.

The winner of the world cupping championships last year scored 8 out of 8 correct in less than 1 1/2 minutes. That’s 24 tastes of coffee in under 90 seconds… and 100% accuracy on what he was tasting.
Whilst I doubt I’ll ever be in that league, I’ll explain the method I use for this competition (If you can call it a method).

How I do it
Basically I taste the first cup in a set, slurp it across my palate and look for one single defining character of that coffee. Some coffees are predominantly sour, some particularly bitter, others are really earthy, or acidic, or just have some weird kind of funk to them. I then use that one characteristic to match against the other cups. If the next cup has it too, then they are likely to be the same, if the next cup doesn’t, then test the third, if the third has it, bingo. You can also try and use things like the heat profile of steam coming out of cups, and the colour of the brewed coffee if you need a little help. Though often it’s just more confusing.

So in a sense, you’re really not tasting coffee at all. You’re pulling out one flavour component that you can use to match against. Of course being a professional coffee taster, those flavour components are going to be a lot more apparent to someone who does it every day than to a weekend cupping warrior. But the concept is still the same. Of course the problem arises when the coffees all start to taste like each other, or when your mind starts to wander, and the taste you were matching against suddenly slips from your mind.

So how did I do ?
Well, not bad, but not good enough to take out the win this year. I was dead certain of the first set, which I pushed out after only one sip of each cup, and later found out I had it wrong. Which still confuses me as to how I could be so certain, but then these things happen. I managed to get 5 out of 8 sets right in a little over 4 minutes. Pipped by a stirling performance by non other than barista to the stars Ben Bicknell, who managed an outstanding 7 out of 8. A host of other competitors also came in with 5 out of 8 actually. So perhaps we’re all just talented :)

For the record, here are the results from the two days of competition:

Barista Competition Final Results

1st: Mark Chandler from 5 Senses Coffee / WA Barista Academy 546.5 points
2nd: Jespa Bood from Ristretto 454.5 points
3rd: Charles Stuart from Rocketfuel 453.0 points

Latte Art Final Results

1st: Kim Godleman from 5 Senses Coffee
2nd: Dale Fewson from Café 54
3rd: Natalie Donaldson from Epic Espresso

Cupping Competition Final Results

1st: Ben Bicknell from 5 Senses Coffee 7/8 in 3 mins 58 secs
2nd: Angela Kowalczyk from Epic Espresso 5/8 in 3 mins 32 secs
3rd: Matt O’Donohue (that’s me!) Executive Producer of Abstract Gourmet 5/8 in 4 mins 7 secs

W.A Barista Competition – Winner

Just a quick update with some photos and to announce that Mark Chandler of the WA Barista Academy has taken out this years WA Barista Competition. Mark had an excellent routine and amongst a small but quality field came out on top to take the win.

Mark signature drink of a pear puree, blueberry reduction and espresso with beetroot dust on top was both tasty and well constructed, and his overall routine and technique were enough to put him over the line.

Great effort this year by all the baristas though, who despite the hurried time frame, came together to put in some fantastic performances.

I was lucky (?) enough to judge all 9 competitors over the course of the day, and despite being massively over caffeinated now, really enjoyed the day. Big thanks to Ben Bicknell for pulling it together, the rest of the judges, runners, helpers, and competitors, and current Australian barista champ (and runner up in the WBC) Dave Makin for swinging over to lend a hand with judging and keeping things in check.

Look for more photos from the latte art and cupping competition tomorrow !

2009 WA Barista Competition

The W.A Barista Competition is happening again this coming weekend. This one has snuck up on a lot of people, but it’s still definitely on and definitely happening. You might be a little confused as to why the 2009 competition is being run in late 2008, and you wouldn’t be the only one. But due to the World Barista Championship changing their scheduling to run earlier in the year, all the of the state and national heats needed to be pushed forward so that we could have them all run in time for the World finals.

Your support and involvement is still very much needed. So if you’re in Perth, and have a love of good quality coffee, then come down to the event and check it out ! Details are as follows:

AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association – 2009 WA Barista, Latte Art and Cupping Championships

When: 22nd and 23rd November 2008
Where: Mt Hawthorn Community Hall, 197 Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn

The WA Championship Circuit is here again! With an early Australian national finals in January 2009, the AASCA WA Barista, Latte Art and Cupping Championships will be held on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2008.

Open to any resident of WA, the 3 championships offer a range of formats for the coffee professional to show their prowess, whether it be by showcasing their unique signature drink in the Barista Championships, pouring an immaculate milk design in the Latte Art Championships or demonstrating their understanding of the taste of coffee in the Cupping Championships!

This year’s competitions will be held at the Mt Hawthorn Community Hall with events proceeding over both the Saturday and Sunday. Entry to the event is free for spectators providing a great insight into the ‘behind the bar’ environment where coffee is crafted, tasted and presented. Come along and be part of the booming specialty coffee scene in Western Australia!

For more information about competing or judging in the Barista, Latte Art or Cupping Championships, email wa@aasca.com or phone 0439 511 881.

Contact:

Ben Bicknell
Email: vicepresident@aasca.com
Phone: 0439 511 881

2008 WA Web Awards Dinner

Excuse the break in the custard like flow of posts about Europe for this little bit of news from the home front.

I was recently fortunate enough to be nominated as a finalist in the WA Web Awards, and funnily enough actually came away with the winning entry in the blog category for this year. Yay blogs ! This explains the new little piece of bling on the sidebar of the site, and the new found skip in my step (that my real work is slowly trying to crush out of me).

The awards night was a rather lavish affair held at the UWA Club, on the grounds of my lovely former university, where I spent far too long doing very little, and rarely anything that could be even remotely considered good eating (unless you have a penchant for mock chicken pies in dubious creamy sauces).

Nothing quite so horrid on display at this event though. I started in style arriving by limo with many salubrious members of the Perth web and twitter community. Getting things going with some tasty and some not so tasty sparkly bubbles.

Then on to the event to be greeted with two of my favourite things. Complimentary wine, and classic table top arcade games with endless credits ! After a brief smackdown with the ever dexterous Luis, I realised I had met my match at Galaga, but still reigned supreme at Miss Pacman (You can draw your own conclusions as to what that means).

On to the events. Before we’d even had a bite to eat the first categories were drawn. The student prize and then the blog category. A slight sense of dread coming over me as I heard my name called out, realising that I had no speech prepared whatsoever. Fortunately a few glasses of champagne and a general ability to talk crap on command served me right, and after thanking my designer Teresa, and pondering that I never thought I’d win an award for being a bad dinner guest… It was back to the business of eating.

The soup course was fairly bland to be honest. The two choices of pumpkin soup and tomato soup were fairly safe, but I guess you’d call them sure fire classics. Once I’d added a fair dose of salt and pepper to my pumpkin soup it was quite tasty. Though a vaguely unsettling creamy concoction constantly threatened to settle on the top if I left it alone for too long. The tomato soup I tried was a little more robust, which what tasted like actual tomatoes in it (always a good sign a large catered events).

A few more awards and lots of claps and LOL’s. The 5 Senses crew taking out both categories they were finalists in. An excellent effort for Jordan their web developer and the rest of the crew responsible for feeding the info through on the site.

Mains were then served, and although I’m not sure I actually got a choice in the matter, ended up with the steak. Now cooking at large functions is hard. Cooking well at large functions is even harder. Cooking steak well at large functions is nigh on impossible, and in my brief career as an awards night attendee has never actually happened. Until this night.

Imagine my joy when after being presented with the next available dish by an overworked wait staff, I cut in to reveal a perfectly cooked medium rare piece of beef fillet. It was served with some pancetta wrapped asparagus that had both bite and flavour, and a little stack of potato gratin, that made a lovely cheesy accompaniment. The other option for the night was a salmon fillet, which I didn’t get to try, but the ones next to me looked great too. The vegetarian option looked good too, and not the standard vegetarian lasagne mess that so often discerning vegos are forced to choke down.

Finally, dessert was a stack of mini pavlovas with a berry couli and a little chocolate stick. Light airy, and with a casual mashmallowy texture. Everything a good pavlova should be, without the dreaded moisture sapping dryness that can so often afflict this classic dish loved by Kiwis and Aussies alike (though we all know who came up with it :) ).

The night didn’t end there of course. A round of 5 Senses brewed coffee and as much more wine as could be haggled from the staff who had probably had enough of a few hundred rowdy nerds by that point, and it was time to hit the town. Sated by what can only be described as a marvellous achievement in large scale dining.

So thanks for everyone who continues to come back to this site, despite my complete inability to stick to any kind of schedule, and I hope I can continue to produce things that you all like to read, however badly worded and inappropriately punctuated they, may be… :)

Jaws Mint: Gourmet Sushi

Sushi, one of those foods that people claim to love so much, and then quickly ruin it by saying “but I hate raw fish, it makes me gag”. I am not the worlds biggest sushi or sashimi fan, but I do love the simplicity and the gentle philosophy of Japanese food, which for me is embodied by the notion that quality and freshness of produce will beat any amount of preparation.

A single slice of high quality sashimi grade tuna or salmon needs nothing else to make it a taste sensation.

The people at Jaws Mint understand this concept. With the sushi train in the former Hoyts movie theatre in the city closed down, and the other sushi train in the Hay St Mall buzzing with a considerable throng of daily devotees, Jaws Mint is the newest shop to enter the Jaws empire.

Situated on the corner of Hay St and Hill St in the city, and directly opposite the Perth Mint, it’s a return to a more classic style of sushi experience. With a series of small tables and long bar running almost the length of the restaurant, behind which a solitary chef pretends to prepare dishes for everyone.

The real work however, happens out the back. Behind a tantalising curtain glimpses of furious activity can be seen as sushi and sashimi is sliced and served, and piping hot pots of chawan mushi are delivered to tables with customary warnings that you will burn yourself (and you will).

The menu is simple but well featured with enough styles of dishes to keep things interesting for everyone. There’s even a tasting menu for the less adventurous, to provide a structured overview into good Japanese eating.

Whilst initially disappointed that we wouldn’t be going to the sushi train, with it’s infinite novelty. My dinner companions for the evening were soon placated with a stack of very tasty dishes. We had some beef tataki ($15), some chicken kaarage ($9), some chawan mushi ($5?) (yes i did burn myself), some tuna sushi rolls, and a couple of 17 piece sets of nigiri sushi ($35).

Of course, I don’t seem to be able to go to a restaurant like this without making life difficult for the waitresses. I confuse them, ask questions that aren’t on the script, order too much food, and generally cause problems. What this meant is that instead of receiving all of our food, we got half of it. Which was probably enough anyway. Eventually the rest of the food came and we enjoyed it all. I felt a little disappointed that sitting at the bar didn’t give me any more opportunity to be entertained or watch the action of the kitchen though… and I got more and more suspicious of what exactly was going on behind the curtain as the night went on.

In the end though, the food was great, and the service was polite and giggly with a hint of apologetic (as you’d expect of a Japanese place).

If you’re looking for something a little upmarket in the form of a traditional sushi bar, Jaws Mint may be just the spot.

Jaws Mint Restaurant – “Gourmet Sushi”
323 Hay St, East Perth
Phone: 9225 4573
Mon – Sat: 6pm – 10pm
BYO

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Catching up with the locals

It’s probably about time I linked up some of the other great local gastro blogs I’ve been reading lately, and that have dropped into my radar. I don’t do enough of it.

Each of these blogs are doing good things, and i find it really encouraging that more people want to start blogs up and share the ideas, recipes, and restaurant tips with the rest of the world. I especially like the fact that people talk about the local scene and what’s going on around them, rather than just bake cupcakes and let other people drool over them. I get the most value out of blogs are locally focused, but with global appeal.

If I’ve missed anyone you think I should have listed, then feel free to drop a link in the comments. For the most part though, it’s blogs I read that are based in Perth, mostly about food, and updated semi regularly.

And so to the list…

Beaufort Street Bloggers : Join the crew as they traverse their way from the start of Beaufort St to the finish, eating at every restaurant sequentially along the way. They’re doing a great service to the greater Beaufort St region and I personally commend them for having the balls to eat at a number of places I would run a mile from.

Palate : Jennifer’s blog is just starting up but looks the goods so far. She gets out to a bunch of local restaurants and scores invites to swanky dinners, which is something I could get used to as well. hint hint people.

Tannic Teeth : Jason is a local wine writer, and when he’s not out doing photography or projecting lasers onto things, he’s the in house wine guy at Spice Magazine. His blog is about restaurants, cafes, and wines he’s tried lately. He does perm his hair, but I don’t hold that against him.

Beyond Beeton: Rachel, who I’m not sure I’m giving anything away by naming here, is taking a leaf out of Mrs Beeton‘s book, and applying her ethos of household management to the modern age. A well fed house is a happy house after all.

And then the old timers (blog wise, not chronologically)

Ace High Wine: Max is a wine writer and semi professional (is that accurate Max?) poker player, having pulled off some great wins recently. He samples a great many wonderful wines and when he’s not too busy meeting deadlines, posts them up on his blog.

Cafe Grendel : My coffee counterpoint and seeker of truth in all things caffeinated. Grendel does a much better job of me lately at getting around the traps and finding good coffee. He also ruminates a lot more than I do, which I think is a good thing. The world needs more rumination, and it’s what blogs are about.

Wino sapien : Edward is my favourite wine blogger, and not just because he swaps small goods for bottles of Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier. He’s been steadily amassing a wealth of wine related knowledge and tasting notes for some years now, and I can always rely on him to have something new and interesting and different to try. If my wine cellar looked anything like this, I would be a happy man.

Spiceblog: When Anthony isn’t running a magazine or changing nappies, he posts tantalising recipes and photos to his blog, with teasingly skant information on how to do it yourself…which I probably couldn’t anyway. His blog was amongst the first ever food blogs in Australia, and is still a wonderful read.

To cure what ails: Hu Tieu Bo Kho

Soup is great to cure a lot of things. I’ve been having a lot of it lately. The Vietnamese are smart people… they recognise the power that a good soup can have, when extrapolated to it’s natural conclusion, the meal in a bowl.

For a while now I’ve been appreciating the comfort that a steaming bowl of ph? can deliver. The combination of thin slices of beef, mint, chilli, bean shoots, rice noodles… all mingling together in a well crafted stock, creating an experience that totals more than the sum of it’s parts.

Along the same lines then, I present to you “Hu Tieu Bo Kho”. Hu Tieu is a type of rice noodle, Bo means beef, and kho literally means braised, but more specifically refers to a style of thicker soup in which meats are cooked. So what you get when you put them all together is a lovely rich soup full of chunks of tender beef (brisket or chuck seem to be popular), with carrots, bean sprouts, and some of the other typical pho accompaniments. The soup is flavoured with star anise, lemongrass, and five spice, and seems to vary in consistency and intensity amongst my beloved top end of William Street ‘Little Vietnam’ area restaurants.

I could eat this every day of the week… such is the simple joy it brings.

You can find this one here:

Vinh Hong Restaurant
2/399 William Street
Northbridge
Phone: (08) 9227 1899