Glasgow Coffee Festival: Part Two

Glasgow Coffee Festival: Part Two

In the afternoon, we repaired to the prep room – a space replete with La Spaziale espresso machines and Nuova Simonelli grinders – to do some last-minute practice. Joe pulled shots, passed them my way, and we agreed on which had the most bitterness, body, acidity, etc. (In order to keep our palates right, we avoided the temptation to partake in the delicious-smelling spicy stuff on offer out in the main hall.)

Joe was competing with the El Salvador Finca Escocia, a Cup of Excellence coffee roasted by Has Bean. The Finca Escocia was predominantly creamy and milk chocolate-like, but with an unexpected tropical fruit kick towards the finish. As a cappuccino, it tasted remarkably like bread and butter pudding.

In the UKBC, each competitor must serve three ‘courses’ of espresso-based drinks. There is the espresso course, the cappuccino course and, finally, the signature drink course. Year after year, this third and final round features some interesting combinations of ingredients, and can often incite some lively debates.

This was my first time seeing the UKBC action up close, and I was in awe of the attention to detail displayed by Joe and the other competitors as they readied their trollies ahead of taking to the stage: espresso cups were polished and neatly stacked, everything was in its place. Current champion Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, of Colonna & Small’s in Bath, even brought and assembled his own trolley, old hand that he is.

Joe came second overall, but not without clinching the awards for Best Espresso and Best Cappuccino. And, with an eloquent and erudite presentation which focused on bringing down ‘the fourth wall’ between barista and customer – or, in this case, judges – Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood demonstrated just why he remains the person to beat.

This piece was originally published on blackcoffeeandotherstories.wordpress.com in December 2014.