The Coffee masters

By Alemayehu Seife Selassie

Screened down from 42 registered baristas the best coffee makers of Addis had been announced last Saturday at the Hilton Hotel Addis Ababa. Representing Ethiopia to the World Barista Competition that will be held in Japan in four months’ time Mifta Sultan from Lime Tree has been chosen as the Best Barista of the year. Kokeb Kasahun from Hilton Hotel has been chosen as the second place winner and Gashaw Tadesse from Red Bean came in third in this first of its kind competition.

Mifta, 25, has been a barista for the past five years working at Le Notre and Lime Tree restaurant/café.
Specializing on Hot Chocolate, caramel macchiato, espresso, coffee, and tea, this winner testifies that he used to make three types of coffees even before the training for the competition.
Taking advantage of those years’ of experience, Mifta was able to finish the cappuccino and espresso presentation in only nine minutes having an extra three minutes on his hands. And he states, “The milk had to be boiled and put off the machine in 25 seconds. If you cannot make that in that time, then the espresso is ruined.”
Despite the confidence of being the best however, Mifta states that there were times where he was worried that he may not get the best place. “The competition was getting hard when we got to the 12 semifinalists.”

One thing this winner took from the show as a real benefit is the skills. “The way we made cappuccino is entirely different from the way they show us how to. We used to make nice cappuccinos with coconut. But the way they showed us was with just an espresso and foamed milk. The way you make the foam has got its own style. You make it look like a flower; make it take the shape of a heart and so on.”

As a first place winner Mifta was awarded 300 USD. And additional 3,000 Birr [~350 USD] has been awarded to him by Terara Coffee and Ranchelio barista machine, the sponsors of the show. Mifta was also awarded with materials that would be ideal for coffee making. “But he has submitted the materials for the place he works [Lime Tree]. “This is the place I grew up in, a place which taught me how to make things better”, he explains on his reasons.
Currently Mifta is planning on taking some English lessons for his trip.

“In the future, I want to open up a café/restaurant of my own and help my kind of people”.
The 23 year old waitress Kokeb Kasahun from Hilton Hotel that exercises on barista techniques is the lucky 2nd place winner. “When I have orders, I sometimes fix coffees. But I am a waitress by profession. I learned coffee making here at the Hilton”, she said.
According to the young coffee master, the hotel has given training for all the waiters and all know how to make coffee with the machine. “I was simply sent there because some one recommended me saying that I made good coffee. I was just a representative for all of us as we all make coffee here”.

Kokeb states that she used to make five types of coffee and cappuccinos and the coffees they make were unique. But she has found her training a worthwhile experience and now she is confident that she can make exceptional cappuccinos.
The Barista competition started with grinding the coffee and adjusting the machines, and the actual coffee making. And for many observant the time simply never sounds enough. “There were many procedures but the time is enough”, she explains.
Having lost with only 0.5 point, Kokeb said she did not feel bad with the result but she was expecting to win first place.

For this second place winner there is more to the show than just baristas. “Coffee is the economic backbone of the country, there is a lot we have to do to promote it”, she said.
The originally set price for the second place winner was 200 USD but added with the sponsors’ two thousand birr cash prize she has walked away with more that the original deal.
Kokeb also has set her dreams towards opening her own coffee shop some day. “Who knows, maybe I may call it Kokeb Coffee Shop”, she teasingly remarked.
One thing this young coffee maker states confidently is that she will take part in next year’s barista competition. “The whole experience of the competition in this show has been great. I now perceive coffee in another level. And I have found the respect they give to coffee inspirational”. All 42 of us [the competitors] have shared some new concepts from this experience. And I plan to share this experience with my colleagues as well”, she states.

Starting at Kaliti ‘Genet Recreational Center’, Gashaw Tadesse has been working as barista for seven years. But he was giving up on the endeavor to gain some respect from the profession until the first of its kind barista competition kicked off. “Barista is considered as a job that is left for veterans. But this show has proved to the society how much respect there is in the art of coffee making”, Gashaw explains.

Starting out with the regular five types of hot drinks Safee [pure milk], macchiato, coffee, tea and sprice [tea with coffee] Gashaw states that he can make 15 types of macchiato alone.” Working at a place where the coffee menu states the place the coffee was gathered from, Gashaw stated that he has learned that there is more than just one way to make a coffee.
“When we heat the milk we are going to use it. If it stays and there is no one to order it quick, we dispose of it. One squeeze of coffee from the machine is enough for two macchiato but if there is only one order at that instant, we don’t warm the coffee we dispose it and the owner of this café ,Walid , taught us to be that much careful about the quality”, Gashaw expressed his gratitude.

Among the parts which were difficult for this barista, one was the speech that was included in the 12 minutes presentation. And as Kokeb he also stated that he was expecting to be the 1st place winner. “I am happy with the result I have gotten. But I was aiming to land in the first position. When I got to the top five finalists, I was getting more confidence and I thought I was going to win.”

Cheered by fans however, Gashaw stated that he has no intentions to let his training go to waist. In addition to the 100 USD, Gashaw was also awarded 2000 Birr from the sponsors.
“This time it was the first and there were only 42 contestants. But by this time next year, there would be ten folds of that number. And the competition will be harder. So I have already started preparing for that.”

The contestants of the show and the winners has not met after wards but both the second and third place winners said that they would like to share their techniques to the 1st place winner and wish him good luck on his trip abroad.
The winner of the competition on his part said that the competition in Japan is going to be featuring the best from all over the world and it is going to be tough. But he is going to give it his best shot.

February 23, 2007