5 Edmonton baristas compete in national competition being held in town
Eighteen competitors from across Canada are gathering in Edmonton for the 2025 Canadian Barista Championships, including five hometown heroes hoping to claim the top prize.
The event is being hosted by the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery at the Oliver Exchange Building on 120 Street and 102 Avenue.
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Kristin Panylyk de Lopez, one of the co-founders of the coffee shop, told CTV News Edmonton how the baristas will be competing for the best brews.
'(Each barista will) have a 15-minute set. Within this set, they have to do a performance and tell a story with a theme,' Panylyk de Lopez said on Thursday.
'They have to (prepare) four espresso drinks, four milk-based drinks … and a signature drink. Think of it almost as a mocktail, but it has to include the coffee that you've used in your competition,' she added.
As each barista makes their demanding list of drinks using coffee they've sourced themselves, and they will be explaining their rationale behind their theme to a panel of 10 judges who will take note of every move and every word spoken during the barista's process.
The judges will grade each barista based on ingredients, taste, technique and how well their theme fits with the final products.
Josh Hocklin, the competition's coordinator, said the reason the competition has so many judges is due to its original goal.
'It's a competition that's been around for 25 years, and it's grown and built,' said Hocklin.
'The original vision of the competition was to find an ambassador who could represent the barista profession to the world, and they want to make sure that they possess the skills to present the technical skills, the knowledge of coffee, as well as the sensory knowledge to know how to communicate a sensory experience to people.
In past competitions, Edmonton has placed as high as second but never won the top prize.
One competitor from Calgary said a lot goes into preparing for the championships.
'I've been doing around three rounds a day for two weeks leading up to the competition,' said Kitty Chan, co-owner of Sought and Found Coffee in Calgary.
'From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. my kids will be there at the shop. They will be doing their own thing and they'll be waiting for mommy to finish practice 'talking to air.''
The winner of the event will be crowned on Sunday. They will go on to represent their country in Milan, Italy in October at the World Barista Championship.
For more information on the event, visit the Specialty Coffee Association's website.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
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