2017 World of Coffee in Budapest

On hearing that World of Coffee would be in Budapest this year, it was a definite that we’d be heading to Europe again. My last trip to Budapest was in the 80’s when Eastern Europe wasn’t long out of Communist control. I remember it being a beautiful city back then and was keen to see what it was like 30 years on – and what the coffee scene was like too.

This marvellous city hosted 5 of the 7 world coffee championships in 2017 – the Brewers Cup, Cezve/Ibrik, Latte Art, Cup Tasters and Coffee In Good Spirits Championships. The Barista Championship was in Seoul, Korea and the Roasting Championships in Guangzhou, China

The Australian champions for 2017 across Budapest, Seoul and Guangzho in 2017 were …

Hugh Kelly (Barista)
Sam Corra (Brewers Cup)
Dongsu Shin (Latte Art)
Yama Kim (Cup Taster)
Jack Allisey (Roaster).

Sam Corra from Ona Coffee

We were there to see Sam Corra compete in the Brewers Cup – along with his family, his many Ona Coffee supporters and others, including coffee scientist Monika Fekete. Head roaster at Ona Coffee, Sam came in second with a fine performance in his first world championship event. Australia was proud! And I was too, as his Mum had bought him a Barista Bible when he was just starting out in coffee way back in 2010.

The trade show

Again we chose a spot in ‘The Village’ for our stand and lucked out with a position opposite Francesco Sanapo’s Ditta Artigianale from Italy and adjacent to The Coffee Collective from Copenhagen and Hacienda Esmeralda from Panama. Needless to say, we had an extraordinary supply of coffee on hand to keep us going for the 3 days. And interesting people to spend time with too!

As well as the usual cutting edge machine technology and endless delicious beans to taste, a few show features captured our attention.

One highlight was A Touch of Excellence, an initiative to test the quality of coffees made using super-automatic espresso machines. Five machines from Faema, Franke, Nuovo Simonelli, Thermoplan and Eversys were calibrated and Cup of Excellence coffees roasted by April Coffee Roasters in Denmark were used to make espressos. Visitors including some of the top coffee professionals from around the world were invited to give their opinion. With the likes of Gwilym Davies, Fritz Storm and Andrew Tolley involved, it was a true test of quality. Seemingly, they loved what they tasted. The aim is to make good espresso available to home baristas. offices and the like.

On a frivolous note … Having seen the coffee sock stand, I intended to go back and grab a pair for Paul when I had my wallet, but in the hustle and bustle of packing up, I forgot. So I’ve been busy googling them as Paul would love these to go with his collection of coffee ties. Everyone who drinks coffee should be wearing them! They’re colourful, clever – and oh so coffee.

Social highlights

The social events were particularly impressive, perhaps because of their locations. The opening party was a cruise on the gorgeous Danube. On sunset, the historic buildings lining the banks lit up one by one to reveal a spectacular view as we networked our way into the night.

The welcome reception at the ornate New York Café, featuring the typical architecture of some of Budapest’s grand old buildings, certainly provided some ‘wow factor’. It was a cocktails and canapés affair and an opportunity to catch up with coffee friends from far and wide.

Women in coffee events

Who doesn’t love Ethiopian coffee? At World of Coffee in Budapest you could try 28 different ones! The cupping was conducted by women from the Ethiopian Women in Coffee Association and was sponsored by She Trades, an organisation designed to provide opportunities for women to learn about business and how to connect with buyers. With Andrew Hetzel as host, it was a fabulous initiative.

Sponsored by Julius Meinl, a large coffee roaster from Vienna, proceeds from the IWCA reception at Intercontinental Hotel Budapest went towards the work of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance. Women from all corners of the globe were there. It was especially nice to catch up with Annemarie Tiemes and Ellie Hudson from separate continents together. Both have been enormously supportive of our work over the years.

And lastly, the Kick Ass Ladies breakfast hosted by Marta and Alexandra Dalton from Coffee Bird. Started as a support network in London, this informal gathering of like-minded women is also held wherever the Coffee Bird goes – and Budapest was no exception.

Sightseeing with Reg

When the events were done and dusted and everyone else had gone home, we went sightseeing with our friend Reg Barber around the hilly castle and museum precinct. His pedometer indicated that, by lunchtime we’d walked 13 kilometers and climbed 25 flights of steps! In search of the oldest cafe in Budapest, we eventually found it, but that will be featured in a subsequent post on the traditional cafes of Budapest.

2017 world champions

While we were particularly proud of fellow Australian, Sam Corra placing second in the Brewer’s Cup, we also congratulate the world champions for 2017 who were …