Malaysia Barista Champion 2013, Jason Loo. 4th Malaysia Barista Championship 2013

  
Wake up and smell the coffee! Last weekend was the 4th Malaysia Barista Championship 2013 (MBC 2013) on 24 March 2013 at Blackbox, Map @ Publika. 

16 Contestants in MBC 2013

16 baristas from all over the country took part in the contest, displaying their talent in the art and science of specialty coffee. They are the baristas, coffee shop owners, coffee consultants and barista trainers. These included baristas from well-established cafes such as Red Bean Bag, Top Brew, Departure Lounge and Butter+Beans to name a few.

Jason Loo MBC 2013 Champion, Grand Prize Winner

Jason Loo Hsien Yuen was all smiles when he was crowned the Grand Champion at the 4th Malaysia Barista Championship 2013 (MBC). In addition to winning himself a 4D/5N holiday and coffee tour in Melbourne, with access to the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, Loo also received the opportunity to witness the World Barista Championship 2013, which will take place in Melbourne in May 2013, all courtesy of Tourism Victoria.

However, that was not all he won. He also took home a Nuova Simonelli Musica V 1Group coffee machine sponsored by Dankoff Coffee. In recognition for his win, Global Coffee Resources also awarded Loo with an all-expense paid 3D/2N coffee farm tour in the Gayo Highlands.

Bruce Khong 1st Runner Up and Mavindran Gunaseelan  2nd Runner Up 

Taking second place at the competition was Bruce Khong Hing Fat, followed by Mavindran Gunaseelan in the second runner-up spot.

Contestants had 15 minutes to set up their work area and another 15 minutes to make 4 espressos, 4 cappuccino and finally 4 espresso-based non-alcoholic speciality drinks. The drinks were then judged by one Head Judge, two Technical Judges and four Sensory Judges. The competitors were judged on 4 criteria: taste evaluation, beverage presentation, barista technique and personal presentation. The standards were high. Each barista had to produce top-notch beverages and serve them in a professional manner – an art form that takes months of training and dedication to perfect.

Top 3 Winners of MBC 2013 with Sponsors

The 4th Malaysia Barista Championship 2013 was co-organized by Racing Creatures Sdn Bhd and Barista Guild Asia with the support of Malaysia Barista Committee to a crowd of industry leaders, media and the public. The espresso machines provided for the competition were by Dankoff Coffee on behalf of Nuova Simonelli. The Fiorenzato F64E Evo Grinders from Coffex Coffee were also available for competitors although many chose to bring their own machines. Tourism Victoria, Coffex Coffee, Global Coffee Resources, Farmhouse Milk, Dankoff, Monin Syrups, BonCafe and SoyFresh also to set up booths at the competition ground.

Juan Fernandez was also on hand to showcase and educate the public on the varied array of coffee machinery, beans, brewing methods and products available in the market. Various free-to-attend workshops were also held for the public.

The 4th Malaysia Barista Championship was made possible with exclusive partners: PUBLIKA, Tourism Victoria, Global Coffee Resources, Coffex Coffee, Dankoff Coffee, Monin Syrup, Nouva Simonelli, Concept Art and Farmhouse Milk.

For more information about the Malaysia Barista Championship 2013, please go to https://www.facebook.com/MalaysiaBaristaChampionship