Young overseas Filipino worker Mark Chan will be the first ever Filipino barista to compete and represent the Philippines in the World Latte Art Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Chan won the right to represent the Philippines in the most esteemed latte art competition in the world when he was declared champion at the 1st Philippine National Art Latte Championship held in Paranaque City, south of Manila,
The Philippine competition used the same criteria used for the championship in Sweden, as sanctioned by the World Coffee Events (WCE). The worldwide recognition paved the way for the Philippine champion to compete in Sweden.
Six baristas competed in the championship, given 10 minutes to create their entry in design pattern, espresso macchiato, and free pour.
Chan who flew back to Manila from Singapore where he works at Common Man Coffee Roasters impressed judges with patterns the likes of Three-Layered Tulips, Inverted Tulips and his Semi-Picasso Swan.
“I’m gonna have to study my score sheets first and see my ‘strengths’ and ‘opportunities’. Make my strong points stronger and capitalize on it, make serious consideration on ‘opportunities’ for improvement,” says Chan in a published interview.
Sonja Bjork Grant, a judge from the World Coffee Events, says she looks forward to the competition especially since this will be the first time that the Philippines will have a representative in the world competition where baristas are judged based on visual attributes, creativity, identical patterns in the pairs, contrast in patterns, and overall performance.
The World Latte Art Championship highlights artistic expression in a competition platform that challenges the barista in an on-demand performance. Around 40 to 45 competitors from all around the world will battle for the title. The competition will be held in June 15-18 this year.
Chan, a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy, is optimistic about the third wave coffee scene in the Philippines saying, “It is getting ready to explode most probably early to mid-2015.”
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