The SCASA KZN Regional Barista Champs, Latte Art and Cup Tasters competitions were held this week in Durban, and 3 new Champions were crowned!
Anthem Conference Centre in Durban North played host to the coffee competitions, the last of the 4 Regionals, which determines the final line-up for Nationals, to be held at Cape Town Coffee Festival in February 2018.
In the Barista Competition, it was newcomer,
Simnikiwe Mkhize (Counter Culture Coffee), that impressed the judges to defeat the reigning champion,
Bruce Manning (Tribeca), into second spot.
In the Latte Art it was
Minenhle Sibisi (Colombo Coffee & Tea) who clinched the Regional Championship Title from
Ndumiso Ngcubu (Talkhouse Cafe) and in the Cup Tasters competition it was
Iain Evans (Coffee Magazine) who narrowly beat
Sinjon Wicks (Terbodore) for the Title.
Besides the seriousness of the competitions, it was an incredible week of coffee making, idea sharing and camaraderie amongst the KZN Coffee community - some highlights were Ndumiso Ngubu winning R2500 in the Almond Breeze Barista Blend Smackdown, Monin syrups representative Jason Andrews showcasing some incredible new latte art designs with the new Monin products and the usual barista Afterparty, with the now traditional Winner on the table shot!
Full results as follows:
Latte Art:
1. Minenhle Sibisi - Colombo Coffee
2. Ndumiso Ngcobo - The Talkhouse Cafe
Cup Tasters:
1. Iain Evans - The Coffee Magazine
2. Sinjon Wicks - Terbodore Coffee Roasters
Barista Championship:
1. Simnikiwe Mkhize - Counter Culture
2. Bruce Manning - TriBeCa Coffee
3. Ndumiso Ngcobo - The Talkhouse Cafe
4. Seshnie Govender - TriBeCa Coffee
5. Armandt Lauwrens - Ground Coffee House
6. Fikile Khuzwayo - MRP Foundation
Thank you to all judges and Sponsors!
Moricco Import and Export - Victoria Ardunio Black Eagle Espresso machines
Koldserve - Mahkonigh K30 Grinders
Ultimate Water - Water filtration
Almond Breeze - Gold Sponsor
Monin - Silver Sponsor
Vision Works - Bronze Sponsor
