It's no wonder prestigious Conde Nast's Traveler Magazine pointed to Malaga Province's many regional food and drink events this year, urging serious foodies among its readers to head to Andalucía for their next holiday. Malaga City witnessed yet another great culinary event this month, this time celebrating Spain's growing coffee culture during the National Coffee Championships. For coffee addicts currently staying in Marbella holiday homes, this was an event not to be missed.
Promoting Spain's emerging Coffee Culture
The country's 17 best baristas battled it out for the title of Spain's coffee champion, an annual 2-day competition that will entitle one lucky winner to eventually compete in the annual World Barista Championship next year, a hot and steamy contest held by World Coffee Events under the very strictest of conditions.
Held in front of a 300-strong audience and under the scrutiny of several fierce judges, the Malaga contest didn't just require baristas to make the perfect cuppa.
They had to choose their own backing music, something with a hook that shows judges that here's a barista who knows how to entice coffee addicts through the door and keep them riveted for a length of time. Patrons who love the music will sample more delightful concoctions made from coffee beans, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, frothy milk and syrup.
Spectators could discover surprising new blends in a free-sample corner, where platters with chocolate-covered strawberries helped punters to clear their palates for the next round of picture-perfect cappuccinos, espressos and lattes.
More challenging for the Bean every Year
The event took place at the imposing Palacio de Congresos and saw the crème de la crème of some 200 hopeful professionals, who had competed on national level to make it into the final. The event was hosted by the Forum Cultural del Café for the tenth year in succession.
It's all about promoting coffee culture and winners can look forward to spending a week in coffee-growing countries like Costa Rica or Colombia to experience at first hand how coffee is grown, harvested and turned into the most stunning roasted beans mankind can cope with of a morning. Last year's winner, a lucky barista from Asturias, was flown to Uganda.
The judges' panel comprises of experts chosen from all part's of Spain and many of them have competed in the event themselves in the past. Every year the contest draws more spectators and coffee fans, clearly a sign Spain is getting quite hot under the collar about the topic coffee and coffee culture.
Malaga is sprouting more and more cafes and coffee shops - and not just American chains with their highly branded interiors either. Baristas must cudgel their "bean" to come up with ever more daring blends, adding more exotic ingredients and spices every year to win in the "specials" category, an essential part of the national and international competitions.
The Winner takes it all
Asturia won again this year, when Damian Seijas bagged first prize, with Rani Aouam from Andalucía in hot pursuit in third place. Javier Carrion from Valencia managed to secure second place.
When it comes to making coffee, Damian Seijas is truly a champion barista, for Seijas also bagged accolades for Best Artistic Latte and Best Special Drink. It seems, people in Asturias have woken up and smelled the coffee a little earlier than Andalucía's citizens, producing baristas who'll be able to stand up to international pressure from some 50 other nations, all frothing at the mouth to compete in the forthcoming 16th World Barista Championships next April.
Each competing barista must perform at their best in front of WCE Certified Judges from around the world. The "performance" must last 15 minutes, include background music chosen by the barista, and must show judges the barista can make four espressos, four cappuccinos, and four original signature drinks to very exacting standards. The competition's rules force baristas to display a wealth of coffee knowledge. Next year's judges will be looking for technical skill, overall presentation, creativity, cleanliness and taste in each performance.