SCAE UK News Updates

UKBC 2012 Midlands Heat Running Order

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

This years Midlands Heat is being held at

The Space – Norwich (Roundtree Way, Norwich NR7 8SQ)

hosted by Mad About Coffee – on Saturday 03 March 2012

We have 13 competitors lined up, and 2 teams of judges to get through them all on time, and leave the Sensory Judges palates intact!

If you cannot make it to the event please follow #ukbcht4 for updates

We are still accepting volunteer applications – please email glenn@scaeuk.com if you are interested

13 baristas are competing and their performance times* are as follows;

Saturday 03 March

  • 0955 Alex Sargeant
  • 1025 Liam Ward
  • 1055 Howard Barwick
  • 1135 Alex Bitsios
  • 1205 Luke Evans
  • 1245 Matthew Roberts
  • 1315 Don Altizo
  • 1355 Ewa Skarbinska
  • 1425 Alex Redgate
  • 1505 Thomas Kettle
  • 1535 Michelle Warne
  • 1615 Neil Scopes
  • 1645 Callum Hale-Thompson

*with 13 competitors this will be an action packed event and times may need to vary slightly throughout the day

Please dig deep for Coffee Kids

We have collected an outstanding £312.79 for Coffee Kids this competition season. Lets see if we can continue to help this worthy cause.

Any donations for drinks consumed on the exhibition machines provided by San Remo and manned by the volunteers and baristas are gratefully received.

Still time to apply for Northern Ireland UKBC Heat

We now have entrants for the Northern Ireland heat on 20 March. Applications for the Northern Ireland Heat are still being accepted too. If you’ve been inspired by performances so far, or the Best Newcomer Prize  sponsored by Union Hand Roasted then please download and fill in an application form as soon as possible.

UK Coffee Events at Hotelympia

If you’re attending the Latte Art or Coffee in Good Spirits events at Hotelympia (hosted by Fresh RM) this week please ensure you have pre-registered to avoid the £30 on the door charge Register Here

Coffee in Good Spirits takes place on Wed 29th Feb, with Latte Art taking place on Thu 01st Mar. Both events start at 1030

We look forward to bringing you results from these events later in the week

 

 

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Amateur Barista Competition to be held in 2012

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

Although we’re only halfway through the UK Barista Championships for 2012, and have 3 exciting heats plus a semi & finals schedule (as part of The London Coffee Festival) still to run, we’ve been quietly planning a new competition – the Amateur Barista Championships

There have been several inspirations for this, and our volunteers, many of whom are home baristas, has helped us make the decision to launch this event in 2012.

Aimed at the home enthusiast*, we hope to introduce a fun event – judged by working baristas!

*this event will be open to any person with an interest in coffee who is not professionally employed in the industry

Using a home espresso machine (defined as 1 group – non-commercial machine) brought along by the home enthusiast,  or using a machine made available by a sponsor, the entrant will be required to prepare a number of drinks from a menu which will be published shortly, to present to the baristas for evaluation.

For further details, or to register your interest visit the UK Coffee Events website

 

 

 

 

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New SCAE UK National Coordinator – Lynsey Harley

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

A warm welcome to Lynsey Harley who joins the SCAE UK as National Coordinator from March 1st.

Lynsey (United Coffee) put herself forward for the role of National Coordinator after outgoing NC, Kenneth Cooper, choose not to stand for re-election last year, and was up against Jamie Banwell (Base Coffee) and Andrew Webb (Crediton Coffee Company) for this position.

Lynsey will be able to be contacted via email lynsey@scaeuk.com from March 1st and we wish her well in the role.

 

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UKBC Photographs Heats 1-3

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

Thank you to the photographers who have helped capture some of the spirit of the UKBC 2012 so far

Heat 1 – courtesy of Dennison Frankowski (@denfran)

UKBC 2012 South East Heat Images

Additional images provided by UKBC Technical Judge Glenn Watson (Coffee Photography)

UKBC 2012 South East Heat – Glenn Watson

Heat 2 – courtesy of Maria Dragan (Maria Dragan Photography)

UKBC 2012 South West Heat Images

Additional images provided by competitor Barry Cook

UKBC 2012 SouthWest Heat – Barry Cook

Heat 3 – courtesy of Robert Sharp (Robert Sharp Photography)

UKBC 2012 Northern Heat Images

 

If you are interested in photographing heats 4-6 please contact glenn@scaeuk.com to express your interest and to receive the photography brief

The 3 heats that are yet to take place are;

  • Midlands – Sat 03 March – Hosted by Mad About Coffee – at The Space, Roundtree Way, Norwich NR7 8SQ
  • Scotland – Fri 16 March – Hosted by Matthew Algie – at Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Northern Ireland – Tue 20 March – Hosted by Johnsons Coffee – at Hillsborough Courthouse, The Square, Hillsborough, Co Down

 

If you have images from any of the heats that you would like showcased please contact Glenn to arrange for these to be uploaded to the SCAE UK Flickr site

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Top 20 Barista Leaderboard (after 3 heats…)

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

After 3 heats of the 2012 UK Barista Championships the top 20 places to date can be announced.

3 heats are yet to take place

  • Midlands – Sat 03 March – Hosted by Mad About Coffee – at The Space, Roundtree Way, Norwich NR7 8SQ
  • Scotland – Fri 16 March – Hosted by Matthew Algie – at Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Northern Ireland – Tue 20 March – Hosted by Johnsons Coffee – at Hillsborough Courthouse, The Square, Hillsborough, Co Down

The leaderboard will be updated with placings from these heats

 Top 20 Barista Leaderboard (after 3 heats)

Sang Ho Park
Dale Harris
Maxwell Colonna Dashwood
Gordon Howell
Dave Jones
Dan Fellows
Matthew Robley-Siemonsma
Rummy Keshett
Sam Dunford
Stuart Archer
James Bailey
Steve Dyson
Mark Pooley
Chris Walton
Alex Passmore
Christopher Killen
Philip Hambleton
Steve Pearson
Amber Rodgers
Gerraint James

 

Congratulations to all baristas who are on the leaderboard so far.

 Best Newcomer Prize Leaderboard

Sponsored by Union Hand Roasted, the  current leader of the Best Newcomer competition is Dan Fellows.

Dan Fellows just edged out Matthew Robley-Siemonsma to take this coveted spot.

The best newcomer after all the heats have taken place (and who meets the eligibility criteria set by Union Hand Roasted) will participate in a trip to origin. For further details please read the interview with Alan Miller which outlines eligibility criteria and prize inclusions

If you’ve competed and your name is not on the leaderboard, we hope you have enjoyed the UKBC experience so far, and hope to see you enter again next year. Your scoresheets will be sent to you after the finals.

A big thankyou to …

We’d like to thank the sponsors and heat hosts who have each played a huge part in the success of the UKBC to date. They have given time and money to help the SCAE UK bring the event to your region.

Hosts

  • South East Heat – DunneFrankowski
  • South West Heat – Westcountry Catering Exhibition at Expowest
  • Northern Heat – Pumphrey’s Coffee

Sponsors

Please support the hosts and sponsors where you can. Their continued support helps support the development of baristas and the quality of coffee produced throughout the UK

  • San Remo – Machine Sponsor 2009-2012
  • Arla / Cravendale – Milk Sponsor
  • Bunn – Brewing Equipment Sponsor
  • InterAmerican – Green Coffee Sponsor
  • Mahlkonig/Ditting – Grinder Sponsor
  • Pentair – Water Filtration Sponsor
  • Union Hand Roasted – Roasted Coffee Supplier
  • Monin – Syrups Sponsor
  • Natvia – Official Sweetener of the UKBC
  • Reg Barber – Trophy Sponsor
  • Novus – Tea Sponsor
  • London School of Coffee – Training School Sponsor

 

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UKBC 2012 Northern Heat Results

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

Pumphrey’s Coffee of Newcastle hosted the 2012 UK Barista Championships Northern Heat at the Life Science Centre on Friday 17th February, filling the event with local baristas (8 out of the 14 who competed live or work in Newcastle) and even attracted spectators from Scotland.

Both Sky News Tyne and Wear and the BBC covered the event

Sky Tyne and Wear <- click to view a short Sky video featurng Chris Killen, Stuart Lee Archer and the UKBC Judges

Gordon Howell, of The Attic (at Harlequin Coffee and Tea House – York) was the winner of this hotly contested heat, followed closely by Stuart Archer of Pumphrey’s Coffee, and Steven Dyson of Spring Espresso .

In a break from tradition, the winner of Best Espresso (Gordon Howell), Best Cappuccino (Joe Meagher) and Best Signature Drink (Tom Booth) went to 3 different baristas.

Gordon Howell is a 4th time entrant in the UK Barista Championships and first competed the last time that the Northern Heat was held in Newcastle.

Gordon used Has Bean’s “Jailbreak” coffee during his performance, serving it in all 3 drink categories. For his signature drink he deconstructed the blend to highlight each coffee’s characteristics by preparing the coffee’s individually as a pourover or aeropress, giving the judges a total sensory experience with aromas and taste coming together right at the end by folding these ingredients into the espresso.

Without the help of volunteers an event of this size could not run as smoothly as it did, and both competitors, sponsors and exhibitors have been in touch to express their gratitude to all those who helped.

Photographs from Newcastle based barista, Rob Sharpe, will be available to view on the SCAE UK Flickr site

Now that we have the scores from the first 3 heats the Top 20 Barista Leaderboard will be published. Check back soon to view the leaderboard.

We are now building towards the next event – the UK Coffee Events Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits and Cezve/Ibrik competitions, collective taking place at Hotelympia on 29Feb and 01 Mar.

  • Registration (free) is required on the Hotelympia website http://www.hotelympia.com/
  • Places are still available and entry is open until the 25th Feb. Visit the SCAE UK Competitons page to view the rules and download an entry form
  • The hashtag on Twitter for these events is #ukce

The next UKBC Heat takes place on Saturday March 3rd in Norwich, hosted by Mad About Coffee. Follow the build up using #ukbcht4

 

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Coffee in Good Spirits, Cezve / Ibrik and Latte Art Competition at Hotelympia

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

On 29 February and 01 March the Coffee in Good Spirits, Cezve / Ibrik and Latte Art competitions will be held at Hotelympia

The provisional timings are as follows;

Wed 29th

  • 0930 Judges calibration
  • 1230 Coffee in Good Spirits
  • 1430 Cezve / Ibrik

 Thu 1st

  • 1030 Latte Art

We are still accepting entries into each of these competitions.

The following people have entered already. If your name is not on this list and you would like to enter please email Jamie Banwell – events coordinator to reserve your place.

Latte Art

Dave Jones
Matthew Woolley
Sam Dunford
Cosmin Mihailov
Luke Evans
Sam Abdelsalam
Sang Ho Park
Peter Attridge
Davide Burse

Coffee in Good Spirits

Richard Dixon-Teasdale
Oliver Brown

Cezve / Ibrik

As yet we have had no entrants for this competition

Visit the SCAE UK website to download the rules and applications forms for each event.

Entry is only £25 and the odds of winning are pretty good!

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UKBC 2012 SouthWest Heat Results

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

Dale Harris of Has Bean completed a clean sweep of all drink categories, taking awards for Best Espresso, Best Cappuccino and Best Signature Drink, in addition to winning the 2012 UKBC SouthWest Heat held at the Westcountry Catering Exhibition at Expowest on 08/09 February 2012.

The UKBC has a strong following in the SouthWest, with a growing number of roasters and coffee shops operating in this region. Host Peter Sugden and the Expowest team always make us feel welcome. Thank you for the support Peter !

Dale had some strong competition in this heat, with Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood (co-owner of Colonna and Smalls coffee shop in Bath) and Dave Jones (Origin Coffee) taking podium places, not too far behind in points.

Dale and Maxwell both competed in the final of last years UK Barista Championships and had both been predicted to do well at this heat.

The coffee Dale used was from Finca Santuario in Colombia. Last year his roaster / employer Has Bean coffee  carried typica and bourbon selections from the same farm which Dale presented to the judges.

Maria Dragan was on hand to capture images of this heat, and had been following barista Alex Passmore in the buildup to his event. Her images can be found on the SCAE UK Flickr stream

Thank you Maria for providing such a vibrant set of images – you’ve well and truly captured the spirit of the event!

The attention now turns to Newcastle where hosts Pumphrey’s Coffee are gearing up to welcome Northern baristas on 17 February. Follow the buildup on Twitter with the hashtag #ukbcht3

Once all heats have been completed, the Best Newcomer prizewinner will also be announced. This prize has been sponsored by Union Hand Roasted.

Keep an eye out on this site over the next few days for the updated leaderboard (top 20 places) in the UKBC so far.

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UKBC 2012 Northern Heat Running Order

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

The 2012 UKBC Northern Heat – hosted by Pumphrey’s Coffee – kicks off at 1015 on Friday 17th February at Life Science Centre, Times Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 4EP

If you cannot make it to the event please follow #ukbcht3 for updates

We are still accepting volunteer applications – please email glenn@scaeuk.com if you are interested

14 baristas are competing and their performance times* are as follows;

Friday 17 February

  • 1015 Michael Hadwin
  • 1045 Anthony Smith
  • 1120 Chris Walton
  • 1150 Steve Dyson
  • 1215 Gordon Howell
  • 1345 Christopher Killen
  • 1415 Dan Rowe
  • 1445 Tom Booth
  • 1515 John Broad
  • 1545 Joe Meagher
  • 1630 Paul Byrne
  • 1650 Stuart Archer
  • 1720 Michael Ryan
  • 1745 Alex Mackay

*with 14 competitors this will be an action packed event and times may need to vary slightly throughout the day

Not to be confused with Northern Ireland

Applications for the Northern Ireland Heat are still being accepted too. If you’ve been inspired by performances so far, or the Best Newcomer Prize  sponsored by Union Hand Roasted then please download and fill in an application form as soon as possible.

Mahlkonig Grinders

If you’re worried about taking your equipment on a journey to compete then consider using the Mahlkonig Grinder which is made available for competitors to use at each event. We are pleased to have Mahlkonig on board as grinder sponsor for 2012, and a number of competitors have already taken up their generous offer. Click their logo to the right of this to view their range and find out more about Mahlkonig Grinders.

The Send Me To Vienna competition is also underway this year, with more chances than ever to win a place to visit the World Barista Championships in Vienna .

Send Me To Vienna is sponsored by NatVia – the official sweetener of the UK Barista Championships

And finally… thankyou to everyone who has been using the hashtags for each event. We’re getting lots of updates coming through, and would love to see more tweets with pictures to help paint a great picture for all who cannot attend.

 

 

 

 

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National Coordinator for the SCAE UK Chapter

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

A few weeks ago we advertised the position of National Coordinator for the SCAE UK Chapter, and we’re pleased to advise that we have 3 applicants for this role.

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Lynsey Harley

Q Grader for United Coffee UK; look after sourcing, blend development, education and training. Competed in the UKBC’10 & spent 2011 judging in national/world competitions. I’ve a good working knowledge of competitions; the support needed by baristas and the level of expertise required by judges.

My plan with the NC position would be to organise events, talks, and better education. Utilise the wealth of knowledge and expertise we have in the UK to bring the industry forward leaps and bounds. The chapter is more than competitions, we must engage those who don’t compete, but want to learn, develop and improve.

Andrew Webb

2011 Founded Crediton Coffee Company Ltd, in store speciality coffee roasters in the heart of Devon.

35 years chartered civil engineer and project manager with UK and international experience including

10 years as consultant with the International Coffee Organization working on numerous projects worldwide relating to certificates of export, coffee quality, education and promotion.

My work at the ICO inspired me to roast speciality coffee after I sold my project management business and moved to Devon. My son and daughter manage the day to day running of our coffee shop and roastery giving me the benefit of time to commit to furthering the objectives of the SCAE through the National Coordinator role.
Jamie Banwell

My name is Jamie Banwell, I’m Director of Base//Coffee (Cornwall) Ltd, a start-up coffee wholesaler.

I’m fortunate enough to be on the organising group for the SCAE UK, responsible for promoting World Coffee Events (WCE) sponsored events. Working in that role has inspired me to stand for the role of NC. My work, helping organise the UKBC, has demonstrated to me that there is an opportunity for the SCAE UK to engage in a rapidly growing and dynamic sector.

I feel strongly that we can grow the WCE events to engage more Barista, and the public in general, and create an organisation at the centre of the debate about coffee. Our role, through the web and social media etc, should be to inform, directs and helps those who want a career in, or just wish to learn about, the coffee industry.

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Voting is open only to SCAE members, and all who are eligible to vote should have received an email from Jayne Richards earlier today

Good luck to all 3 candidates for the role, each of whom have unique attributes, but appear to share a common objective.

We look forward to reporting the results once the new National Coordinator role has been awarded

 

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