Competition

World Latte Art Championship Rules

Rules and Score Sheets for download (ZIP file) … coming soon.

Article 1

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

All National Championships shall be coordinated and carried out according to the World Championship rules detailed in this document.

The standard competition format is comprised of having four (4) workstations on stage and one (1) competitor performing at the same time. Two judges teams will be on stage, one team judging at the same time.

Given a limited number participants and/or resources, the National Coordinator may choose to have one (1) competitor perform at any given time with one (1) set of judges accordingly.
Given a limited number participants and/or resources, the National Coordinator may choose to have one (1), two (2) or three (3) workstations on stage.

Article 2

STAGE

The stage shall be equipped with four (4) workstations.

Each workstation shall be equipped with the following equipment: one (1) professional espresso machine, one (1) professional coffee grinder, one (1) knock box and one (1) tamper.

Points may be deducted for extra presentations (e.g. workstation décor such as tablecloths, flowers, etc.) as the main focus of this competition is on the beverages themselves. Only such presentation items directly associated with the beverages (e.g. glasses, garnishes, saucers, trays, etc.) shall be required.

The stage shall be equipped with two judges’ tables: one (1) per performing barista.

Article 3

FORMAT (changed from last year !!)

The following format shall be adopted for competition Semi-finals:

There shall be one (1) competitor performing at the same time.
There shall be two (2) teams of judges scoring, one per performing barista. When the 1st competitor has finished competing, he will start cleaning for 8minutes and the 1st team of judges will calibrate for those 8 minutes. Th e 2nd competitor will start competing and the 2nd team of judges will start judging. After the 2nd competitor has finished competing, the first team of judges will present the scores for the first competitor and as soon as they have given out scores the 3rd competitor will start competing, and the 1s team of judges starts judging him. And so on.
The competitor can choose his/her own music to use while competing.
Headset microphones shall be provided to competitors. Participants are encouraged to address the judges at the judges’ table to facilitate good service.
The Master of Ceremonies (MC) shall facilitate the competition and shall explain to the audience what each participant is preparing – the competitor can also explain the patterns by himself.

The following format shall be adopted for competition Finals:

The six (6) top performing baristas shall participate in the competition Final.
All finalists shall enter the competition with an equal score of zero (0).
There shall be one (1) competitor performing at any given time.
There shall be one (1) team of judges scoring the performing barista.
Competitor finalists shall perform in reverse order.
The barista with the highest score shall remain on stage until he/she is defeated by a higher-scoring competitor.
Each participant may personalize the music played during his/her performance.
Headset microphones shall be provided to finalists. Consequently, each participant shall be able to address the audience and explain what he/she is preparing. Participants are encouraged to address the judges at the judges’ table to facilitate good service.

Article 4

COMPETITION TASKS

Each competitor shall have a maximum of eight (8) minutes to prepare and serve to the judges table: two (2) identical “free pour” Cappuccinos or Lattes, two (2) identical “free pour” Espresso-Macchiato and two (2) identical warm milk and coffee based beverages of choice (Designer Beverages).

The two (2) identical “free pour” Cappuccinos or Lattes shall be served in designated cups using coffee and milk as the only ingredients and an espresso machine and grinder and as the only tools.

The two (2) identical “free pour” Espresso-Macchiato shall be served in designated cups using coffee and milk as the only ingredients and an espresso machine and grinder and as the only tools.

In addition to the standards of preparation detailed in clause 4.2 and clause 4.3, the two (2) identical warm milk and coffee based beverages of choice (Designer Beverages) shall be prepared using any tool for etching if desired. Decoration ingredients may be applied to the SURFACE of the beverage ONLY (any ingredients added throughout the drink shall result in points deducted from the sensory/technical score sheet).

Moving or shaking the cup while pouring the milk shall be permitted.

The competitor shall serve the three (3) pairs of beverages to the judges at the judges’ table separately, but in any order.

All patterns must be announced by each competitor in advance. Points shall be awarded for the patterns in the two drinks of a pair presented being identical, as well as being identical to the picture presented. To clarify this,

It is necessary that each competitor present a photograph for each drink and pattern to the judges and to the MC prior to beginning their performance (beauty shots are not necessary).
Only properly printed photographs shall be accepted, otherwise points shall be deducted. Photographs shall clearly depict the patterns to be produced (PHOTOGRAPHS ON CAMERAS OR MOBILE PHONES SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED).

Article 5

INGREDIENTS

Coffee: each competitor is free to use the coffee of his/her choice.

Milk: each competitor is free to use the milk of his/her choice. Although, the competition organizers shall provide a range of the most common milks available, each competitor is free to use his/her own milk, if he/she prefers to do so.

Other ingredients: any edible decorative ingredient may be used for the surface only of the designer beverage; otherwise coffee and milk shall be the only ingredients allowed.

Article 6

CUPS

Cups for the Cappuccino/Latte and Espresso-Macchiato shall be provided by the competition organizers.

The Cappuccino/Latte cup shall be a TULIP SHAPE 220-250 ml. ACF cup. The inner surface at the top of the cup shall be 90 mm. (A picture of the approved cup and contact details to order them shall be posted as soon as the design is confirmed).

The Espresso-Macchiato cup shall be a TULIP SHAPE 80-90 ml. ACF cup. The inner surface at the top of the cup shall be 60 mm. (A picture of the approved cup and contact details to order them shall be posted as soon as the design is confirmed).

The designer beverage may be served in any cup or glass with no surface limitations.

The cups can be obtained through:

Debora Tallarico, Export Sales Manager:
debora.tallarico@acf.it
espresso and latte/cappuccino cups (in white color, as required by SCAE) model 506 and 606 ready to send to the competitors and without any logo.

Special prices are
espresso item 506: 12.60euro/6 cups and saucer
milk item 606: 18.40euro/6 cups and saucer

Article 7

PERSONNEL & JUDGES

Stage Manager: One (1) Stage Manager shall be responsible for the coordination and management of the stage.

Barista Coordinator: One (1) Barista Coordinator shall be identified as the contact person for all competing baristas. The Barista Coordinator shall organize the trolley traffic onto and off of the stage, make certain that all the baristas are prepared for their presentation, etc.

Timers: Two (2) Timers shall be responsible for set up times and cleaning times.

Runners: Two (2) Runners shall be responsible to clean the tables as soon as the judges have completed judging.

Master of Ceremonies: One (1) MC shall facilitate the competition and shall explain to the audience what each competitor is preparing.

Scorekeepers/Technical People: Two (2) Scorekeepers/Technical People shall be responsible for displaying all score information once communicated to the participant and audience by the team of judges.

Judges: The team of judges shall be comprised of one (1) Head Judge, two (2) Visual Judges and two (2) Sensory/Technical Judges:

Head Judge: The Head Judge shall make certain that all participants and judges follow the competition rules as detailed in this document.
Visual Judges: The Visual Judges shall be responsible for judging the visual impression of the beverages.
Sensory/Technical Judges. The Sensory/Technical Judges shall be responsible for judging the taste/technical impression of the beverages.

Article 8

SCORING

Each judge shall provide a score from one (1) to ten (10) expressing their individual opinion of the beverages served according to the scoring criteria in Article 10.

The two (2) sensory/technical judges’ scores shall be averaged and announced as a single score out of ten (10) points. Hence the final score will be out of thirty (30), with a possible twenty (20) points for visual appearance and a possible ten (10) points for taste. Great latte art is the main focus of this competition.

Scoring for each competitor shall be displayed publicly and immediately after judging is completed.

In the case of a tie, the competitor with the most detailed points shall win. The winner shall be considered as the barista with the highest score.

Article 9

TIME

The clock shall start when signalled by the competitor.

The clock shall stop when the final beverage has been placed in front of the final judge.

Each competitor shall be allowed eight (8) minutes to prepare his/her workstation; this includes testing the espresso machine and grinder (although competitors may utilize their own grinders if desired), as well as preparing all ingredients and tools needed for the competition. No coffee or milk preparation shall be done in advance.

Each competitor shall have eight (8) minutes to prepare the six (6) beverages. This includes the preparation of any added decorative element(s) for the surface of the Designer Beverage.

Each competitor shall have eight (8) minutes to clean his/her workstation.

A time penalty of a half of a point (-0.5) shall be applied for each ten 10 seconds in overtime. It shall be the responsibility of the Head Judge to subtract the penalty from the competitor’s overall score, if applicable. Any competitor going overtime by two (2) minutes or more shall be disqualified.

ARTICLE 10

JUDGING CRITERIA

The Visual Judges’ scores shall be based on the following criteria:

For all three (3) sets of beverages:
Two (2) patterns and presented picture, identical (0 if no picture presented)
Contrast between ingredients
Harmony, size and position among patterns within cups
Creativity of the pattern
Successfully achieved level of difficulty (only those difficult patterns which are successfully executed shall score a maximum ten (10/10) points, while the successful execution of those more simple patterns - such as a heart - shall be given a lower maximum score.)
Overall appealing look
Professional performance (service skills, confidence, flair)
Hospitality skills

The Sensory/Technical Judges’ scores shall be based on the following criteria:
For all three (3) sets of beverages:
Pleasant drinking temperature
Quality of the coffee distinctly tasted in the drink
Balance / body / mouth feel of the drink
Texture of the milk (silky, smooth, no big bubbles)
Workspace organised and clean at start
Drinks prepared professionally (use of grinder, well extracted espresso, milk techniques, machine cleanliness)
Professional performance (service skills, confidence, flair)
Hospitality skills
General hygiene throughout presentation