Australia’s best barista crowned

“We know Australians love their coffee and we realised that more and more were interested in enjoying an almond milk coffee – we launched the Almond Breeze Breezey Masters this year to show our support for the coffee industry and highlight the world-class barista talent we have in the country.”

Will Priestly from Pilgrim Coffee café in Hobart has been crowned as the Grand Breezey Master and Australia’s best barista at the Grand Final of the Almond Breeze Breezey Masters in Sydney.

The final smackdown took place at the Espresso Room café in Circular Quay which saw eight state finalists handpicked from a pool of over 130 entrants go head-to-head to craft the most creative and intricate latte art.

The best baristas from each state had 10 minutes to present six cups of latte art using their own coffee beans and Almond Breeze Barista Blend, and win the grand prize of an all-inclusive trip to the USA, valued at $10,000.

“It’s an honour to be the first every Breezey Grand Master. I’m looking forward to heading to the US next year. It’s great to see how Almond Breeze is supporting baristas and working with us to help the industry deliver the best results,” Priestly said.

The runner-up from the night was Andy Tseng from Pixel Café in Perth.

The other six state finalists were:

  • Julian Mou, Harriet Expresso Bar in the Northern Territory
  • Raihaan Esat, Di Bella Coffee in Queensland
  • Joshua Rivers, C.R.E.A.M in South Australia
  • Samuel Taylor, Soul Origin in NSW
  • Sengmany Sanoubane, Espresso Room in Canberra
  • Aaron Dongsu Shin, Shortblack café in Victoria

Roger Ringwood, Country Director for Almond Breeze Australia & New Zealand said, “Congratulations to Will on his hard work – he has a real passion, dedication and flair for coffee which we saw last night.”

Head Judges Mr Tony Macri from Coffee Brothers and Mr Frankie Shi from Tulip Shi were part of the night, assessing each cup on presentation and taste.

“We know Australians love their coffee and we realised that more and more were interested in enjoying an almond milk coffee – we launched the Almond Breeze Breezey Masters this year to show our support for the coffee industry and highlight the world-class barista talent we have in the country,” Ringwood added.

The coffee industry in Australia is now worth $4.3 billion according to IBIS Research and one in two Australians won’t return to a café if they are served a bad coffee.

Inside Small Business