Stevo Kühn is nominated in two categories in the Coffee Magazine Awards 2021. He continues his journey in coffee with vigour and this year had the opportunity to represent South Africa at the World Barista Championships. We caught up with him after the enlightening experience of being in the mix of world coffee professionals.
"Wow, what a time it has been!
There are just so much going in to getting ready and then delivering something that you’re proud of. It was a pretty wild ride, but so thankful for all the support from the SA community. So many people just got involved, and for that I am so grateful.
The set did not go according to plan as I had to remake 2 of my espresso’s (my stem pressed up against the machine and gave me an inaccurate reading). This was a heavy call to make as I knew it would put me under pressure with time, but I am glad I did it. Being professional to me is knowing what was wrong and then actually fixing it. It’s something I use in my training courses and I stand by.
The judges gave some pretty constructive feedback and I also had some really great scores on the technical side, but in the end losing 37 points would always be a heavy blow on the world stage.
Aside from WBC and my set I had some really cool chats and solidified relationships with people that I hope to work with more closely going forward.
One thing that I saw and really hope we can do back here in SA is to succeed in is to compete and do it well, but remain cool people. Backstage at WBC I have experienced so much professionalism, but also how people are human and open to assist anyone. In the end this is free, so be cool.
Thank you to everyone who extended their coolness to me in one way or another. I am humbled by your support."
Stevo and his team at Urban Brew have just relocated to a beautiful new cafe and training space in Bloemfontein and we wish them all the success!
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