08
Oct
Harrogate barista to represent UK at World Barista Championship
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A Harrogate barista is set to represent the UK at the industry’s world championships.
Will Woodhouse-Banks, who works as an innovation developer at Taylors of Harrogate, was victorious at the UK Barista Championships in July.
Following Will’s success at the national finals, which was held over two days at the Tate Modern in London, the local barista landed a spot at the World Barista Championships.
The competition, which will be held in Milan later this month, sees baristas from across the globe create four espressos, four milk-based drinks and four signature coffees within a 15-minute period – all with the hope of being crowned the world champion.
Competitors are judged on taste, cleanliness, creativity, technicality and presentation.
The top 15 baristas, along with a “wild-card winner”, will go through to the semi-finals. The top six will then advance to the final.
Will, 36, who has previously placed second and third at the national championships, said:
It’s been a really intense process training for these championships but I’m super excited to represent everything we’ve worked on and everything we stand for at Taylors on the world stage.
My theme was all about the importance of trust in relationships in the world of coffee. I talked about the trust in relationships with coffee producers that we at Taylors have worked with for many years and what it means to us.
Hannah Eatough, head of coffee buying at Taylors of Harrogate, added:
We’re all so proud of Will – who is undoubtedly a coffee legend! Will’s win is testament to the hard work, dedication and passion for coffee, and we’re excited to see Will on the world stage.
The World Barista Championship will be held at HostMilano from October 17 to 21.
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