'Love What You Do': A Barista's Journey To The New Zealand Barista Championship – CoffeeTalk

Tauranga barista Matt Ross, owner of Mt Zion Coffee, is preparing to compete in the Aotearoa Barista Champs, where he will present three coffees: a short black, a white coffee, and a signature drink. Ross, originally from Auckland, joined the industry 10 years ago after landing a job at Coffee Lab. He was trained by a latte art champion and discovered the competition side of the coffee industry.

Ross takes his coffee black and drinks a lot of filter coffee, but enjoys all coffee. He competed in last year’s Aotearoa Barista Champs, placing fifth. He learned from mistakes and tweaked things to avoid making the same mistakes this year.

The competition requires baristas to present three coffees: a short black, a white coffee, and a signature drink. Entry scores are scored by technical and sensory judges. Ross’s signature drink is a cold beverage using high-quality geisha coffee, chrysanthemum flowers, rose cold brew, and cacao nibs for depth and earthiness.

The competition winner will represent New Zealand at next year’s World Barista Championship at the World of Coffee Panama event. Ross believes that “loving what you do” is the key to being a good barista, as it stems into everything else because they care about making their palate better. His top tip for home baristas is to put extra time into their brew, focusing on extraction and timings to produce a better product.

Read More @ NZ Herald