On a quest for quality coffee

Some while back Sampo Latvakangas, 16, was wondering why the Finnish coffee served by his grandmother tasted so very bitter. So he embarked on a quest for better coffee – and he will be the youngest finalist at the Barista of the year 2012 competition to be held this weekend.

“I’m not aiming for victory but for a great experience,” Latvakangas states modestly.

Being underage, he cannot officially win the Barista of the year title, because the organisers of the World Championships to be held later in Vienna require a minimum age of 18 for competitors to participate. However, Latvakangas is not too perturbed about this obstacle. He felt that the atmosphere had been pleasantly casual during the semi-final organised at the facilities of the Paulig Institute which aims to develop the Finnish coffee culture.

“Four espressos, four cappuccinos, four personalised drinks. Fifteen minutes,” Latvakangas relates the pace of the competition.

The coffee prepared by the baristas is a far cry from the bitter coffee burned in a pot. The judges will assess the baristas' creations for harmony and balance. The coffee presentations produced under the critical eye of the judges received 70 per cent of the score for flavour and 30 per cent for performance.

“The best thing is to be able to test oneself as a barista,” Latvakangas muses.

Years ago, an Italian friend served a cup of espresso to Latvakangas. It was something completely different from any other coffee he had tasted previously, so now Latvakangas would like to see more quality coffee served in Finland.

The search for the correct coffee roast profile also encourages him to plan for a future in the coffee industry. The upper secondary school student roasts coffee at home, and on Saturdays he works at the café Kaffecentralen in Helsinki.

In the semi-final, the young barista prepared his speciality, a honeyed espresso.

“The sweetness of honey nicely balances any acidic flavour of the coffee,” Latvakangas explains.

Six finalists will be competing for the title Barista of the year at the Kluuvi Shopping Centre on 4 February.