The champions have been found! Emi Fukahori is the new Swiss Brewers Cup champion. Mathieu Theiss is the Barista Master 2018. Gijtipong Gap Thansubutr is and remains the king of latte artists. Three passionate coffee professionals have thus crowned their achievements of the past weeks with gold. Congratulations from the heart!
It was an exciting championship that we were able to experience from March 7 to 9 at Zurich's Kaufleuten. Many new faces, extraordinary coffees, interesting presentations and some premieres. The whole event took place as part of Coffee Fridays at Zurich's Kaufleuten.
Barista Ranking
1. Mathieu Theiss – Mame, with coffee roasted by Coffee Collective
2. Felix Hohlmann – Kaffeemacher:innen
3. Melanie Milos – Henauer Kaffee
4. Flavio Lissandrello – Birchbach
5. Kevin Mohler – Delica, with coffee roasted by inthenameof
6. Dominik Stracar – Vertical Coffee Roasters
Latte Art Ranking
1. Gap Thangsubutr, Gappuccino
2. "Suki" Hiu Yueng Ma, Salon Zurich, Team Coffee Lab
3. Madia Sabirova, Cafe Grande, Team Henauer Kaffee
4. Philippe Gobat, Dali Latte Gob_art
5. Tania Fisler, Cafe Grande, Team Coffee Lab
6. Sai Rong, Yumi SA
Brewers Cup Ranking
1. Emi Fukahori – Mame, with coffee roasted by Coffee Collective
2. Benjamin Hohlmann – Kaffeemacher:innen
3. Antonio Cardoso – Adcubum AG, coffee roasted by Henauer Kaffee
4. Michal Otte – Kafischmitte
5. André Huber – Kialoa, coffee roasted by Ditta Artigianale
6. Benjamin Schütz – Cafemanufaktur Solothurn
Many Premieres and Remarkable Moments
- For the very first time, Cafemanufaktur Solothurn participated in the coffee championships. And Benjamin Schütz didn't just participate, he also roasted the coffee himself. He made it to the finals and achieved a very impressive 6th place.
- The Coffee Lab has developed into an outstanding latte art training venue. The master Milo Kamil shares his knowledge there today. His students were represented in the finals multiple times. Suki came in second despite having over 40 seconds of overtime. We look forward to exciting years in latte art with such strong talents.
- As of this year, Firma Vassalli AG is the machine sponsor of the championship. With the Faema E71, they present their new flagship. Like every participant in championships, the Vassalli crew was as nervous as the premiere went. We can only say: top! You did an amazing job and we look forward to the coming years with you and your team.
- Nina Rimpl also celebrated a premiere. The barista champion of 2014 advanced from being an international WBC judge to becoming the main organizer of the championship. And she did an excellent job. There's talk that her shoes need new soles after the kilometers of the past few days, but the championship was "on time" and Nina created a wonderful championship platform for the jury, participants and spectators from behind the scenes. Thank you very much!
- André Eiermann also celebrated another premiere, as the designated media representative on the board organized top coverage of the championships. A big thank you to him as well as all the volunteer helpers and the Kaufleuten team for their efforts over the past days.
- Our emcees also absolutely rocked it. Dani Hofstetter and Martin Egger moderated the championship for three days and created a wonderful thread throughout the event. Heartfelt thanks!
