Reg Barber, the man who makes these ‘beans of gold’ was in Newcastle for the 2015 Golden Bean event – escorting them all the way from Canada to the largest roasting competition of its kind in the world. The overall winners in specialty coffee and in chain/franchise coffee will be the lucky ones to take them home. Held at the Newcastle Jockey Club, it was an event to remember – for the sheer number and quality of coffees judged over 3 days. Also for the spectacular Awards Dinner that followed on the last night.
Dozens of coffee professionals turned up to taste over 1,200 entries from roasters all over the country. 10 or so tables with 10 or so judges at each – and I tried to capture them all!
Likewise, about a dozen of Australia’s best baristas volunteered their time to push out the coffees to the judges. As head barista, Tim Adams from Lamkin Lane in Caloundra ensured everything was calibrated and consistent in ‘the engine room’. Here they are all posing with their Reg Barber tampers.
Head judge, Anne Cooper was clearly run off her feet so I didn’t get a photo, but here are her assistants, hard at work deciding on the winners. Once the scoresheets are tallied and collated (and there’s a secret room for that), finalists are put through a more rigorous round of judging to decide who gets a Golden Bean medal or a Reg Barber trophy.
Meanwhile, the rest of us had done our bit and were off to put the finishing touches on our James Bond outfits in preparation for the Awards Night. Everyone went to a lot of trouble to dress up in the red and black James Bond theme.
The Awards Presentation
The awards night that tops off a Golden Bean event, is always a lot of fun and this year with its James Bond theme saw coffee colleagues dressing like you’d never seen them dress before.
A night of celebration and networking ensued, as secret agents and ‘femmes fatales’ sipped cocktails and posed for the ‘paparazzi’ while waiting to take their turn on the red carpet.
The theme inside was complete with chandeliers, a red carpet – and the anticipation of who would take home a prestigious Golden Bean award. Many bronze and silver medals were presented but there’s only one gold in each category.
2015 Golden Bean winners
With the addition of pressed filter, chain store (espresso) and chain store (milk-based) there are 12 categories in the competition now. The winners of gold medals were …
- Espresso – Mahalia Coffee
- Milk-Based – ONA Coffee
- Australia – Zeta’s Coffee
- Organic – Bean Roasters by Cosmorex
- Single Origin – Gridlock Coffee
- Decaf – The Bean Alliance
- Brewover Filter – Manna Beans
- Espro Filter – ONA Coffee
- Franchise/Chain Espresso – The Coffee Club
- Franchise/Chain Milk Based – Tulip Shi Specialty Coffee Roasters
- Home Roaster Espresso – Zed Freeman
- Home Roaster Milk Based – Nikita Kvasov
The winners of the Reg Barber trophies were …
- Overall Winner – Uncle Joe’s Coffee House
- Overall Franchise/Chain winner – ONA Coffee
The Green Bean Zone
A newcomer to Golden Bean this year was The Green Bean Zone – an opportunity for roasters to connect with green bean traders, do some cupping and take away some samples. Starting with a hearty breakfast at the Bombora headquarters, it was also an opportunity to see over 2,000 different coffee products all in one place!
