19.05.07

After Antwerpen…

Posted in @ the Cauldron at 12:08 pm by The Coffee Alchemist

    It was no doubt a most eye-opening
    experience! What a thrill, to have cupped
    alongside some of the world’s best cuppers
    - from coffee-growing origins to green
    bean suppliers in coffee-buying countries.
    Congratulations to Anette Moldvaer
    from Mercanta in England whose
    performance was nothing short of stellar.

    It was unnerving to be in the first set
    of cuppers to go up on stage (actually
    I was in the No.1 slot - a slot I never got much joy in any competition) and not have the slightest idea where the bar is at in terms of time. I did very well registering 7 correct cups (out of 8 ), though a fraction faster time may have secured me a spot on the semi-finals.

As I sat down to watch the rest of the cuppers, I was in awe. Alf Kramer, who designed the competition and presided over the proceedings, mentioned the 3 skills at play: natural skills, concentration skills, and skills developed by experience. There was great depth of skill displayed by the cuppers in the semi-finals. They may have cupped only 24 coffees in one round, but you get a sense of the thousands of coffees that have passed through their spoons.

I return to Sydney rearing to sharpen further the skills and insights I have developed. How much further, I am only too thrilled to imagine.

All these just make coffee an even bigger universe to marvel at.

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