Michael Byrne of Muffin Break Robina on the Gold Coast recently took out the national DaVinci Coffee Chain Barista Championship event in Melbourne.
The event saw baristas from chains including Gloria Jeans and Krispy Crme battle it out for the top prize, yet the renowned panel of expert-judges, who were selected by the Australasian Specialty Coffee Association (AASCA), agreed the 23 year-old deserved the top prize.
This comes as no surprise for many, considering Michael has clocked up eight years of coffee-making experience.
The competition is intense to say the least, with contestants required to prepare and serve four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature beverages within 15 minutes.
An elated Michael said he had been training long and hard for the event.
“I began training for this year’s competition the moment I claimed runner-up at last year’s event, so this year’s win tastes very sweet!”
Michael said the support from Foodco, the company’s national coffee consultant, Simon Au-Yeung and top baristas such as Dave Makin, as well as the type of coffee he used played a big part in his win.
“I definitely owe a great deal of gratitude to Simon Au-Yeung and the team at Foodco. Simon and I have put-in a full year of training and research and it is really satisfying to have found a top-quality coffee bean that the judges obviously loved as much as we do!
“I used Single Origin coffee, which has distinct floral and fruity undertones.
“With the medium-light-bodied taste of my Single Origin coffee, combined with the massive support of the Foodco training team and tips and trick from some of the top leaders in coffee, such as Dave Makin, a living legend of the Australian coffee industry… I should have actually expected the win!” he said.
To ensure customers receive great tasting coffee, Muffin Break provides all of its baristas with extensive training, and this quality training formed part of Michael’s prize for winning the 2012 Muffin Break Barista Championships.
Michael has returned to Muffin Break Robina and is now focused on getting ready for the next major national barista competition.