Barista Kyle Straw To Compete in the 2010 World Barista Championships

Caffè Artigiano’s Kyle Straw will represent Canada in the 2010 World Barista Championships (WBC), held in London, England from June 23-26. A professional barista, Straw is the General Manager of Caffè Artigiano’s Hornby Street location.

On October 15th, 2009, Straw won the seventh annual Canadian Barista Championships, held in Vancouver at the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show. The panel especially loved Kyle’s signature drink, which drew inspiration from a Black Forest cake. Made with a winning combination of espresso from the Koke Cooperative in Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Kyle’s signature drink wowed the judges with its great balance of flavours and elegant presentation.

Straw’s achievement carried on the legacy of his Caffè Artigiano patriots who have won every Canadian title since the competition began in 2003. Caffè Artigiano is the only caffe in the World to have competed in the World Championships more than 4 times; in fact this is their 7th year in a row to participate in the coveted competition.

Straw is honoured and excited to compete with seasoned baristas on the international level in a world-class city. In preparation for his shining moment, Straw has been training every day, working with Chef Scott Jaeger from the Pear Tree to develop his signature drink. While Straw can’t reveal too much about his concoction, he does divulge that it has been created to compliment the special espresso roast—one of the sweetest he has ever tasted—that he’s currently developing with 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters’ Vince Piccolo, with assistance from his team at Caffè Artigiano (Phil Hong, Todd Pollock and Willie Mounzer).

Celebrating its 11th year, the event welcomes gifted baristas from over 50 countries who compete for the annual title of World Barista Champion during the SCAE event. Enthusiasts from across the globe take in the ultimate espresso experience watching live and via an internet live webcast.

Each competitor must prepare and serve 12 separate espresso beverages including the classic espresso and cappuccino, as well as four “signature” drinks of their own creation, and present them all to a distinguished panel of judges. Competitors have only fifteen minutes to prepare all twelve drinks and are judged on station cleanliness, taste, beverage presentation, technical skills and overall judge’s impression.

For more details about the competition, visit www.worldbaristachampionship.com

About Caffè Artigiano
Caffè Artigiano opened in Vancouver, BC in December 1999 with the vision of an Italian-style coffee house and bistro that offered superior coffee, excellent food and a lively yet comfortable atmosphere. Today, Caffè Artigiano continues to shine as North America’s premiere coffee house. Taking great pride in the training and skills of its professional baristas, Artigiano is proud to be the home of several champion baristas who ensure that each cup of coffee served is poured to perfection. For more information please visit:

www.caffeartigiano.com