6th February 2007
Wadebridge Café is officially home to the best coffee in the South West.
A Wadebridge café is now officially the home of the best espresso and cappuccino in the South West.
Hugo Hercod, barista and co-owner of Relish Food & Drink, beat off competitors from throughout the South West to win the regional qualifying heat of the UK Barista Championships, held at St Austell Brewery on Tuesday 6th February.
Hugo, 37, will now go on to compete in the national final of the UK Barista Championship 2007 at the International Food Exhibition in London on Sunday 18th March.
“Hugo’s performance today was technically sound, with good presentation to the judges,” said Tom Sobey of Origin Coffee, who hosted the South West heats for the third year running.
“The judges are looking for product knowledge and an ability to deliver the drinks in a consistent way, and Hugo demonstrated both of these qualities admirably. I was also really pleased with Hugo’s latté art - he was the only performer in the South West to pour his coffees in this way and it was really good to see that.”
Having reached the national final in 2006, Hugo was the favourite to win the south-west heat, but to actually deliver the result on the day was both a challenging experience, and a considerable relief.
“Last year I wasn’t a practising barista and entering the competition was a complete punt, but I managed to get through to the national finals,” said Hugo. “Now, at Relish, I am making up to 1000 coffees a week so I think that gave me a real advantage this time around.
“The competition is getting bigger every year, and our customers at Relish are becoming much more educated about the world of specialist coffee. Two years ago the event was just this odd bunch of coffee freaks, but now people are getting used to the term barista, relating exclusively to coffee, being someone who makes coffee for a living.”
Each barista has 15 minutes to prepare four identical espressos, four identical cappuccinos and four identical speciality drinks of their own design. The speciality drinks must be espresso-based and contain no alcohol.
Judges award points based upon a large number of criteria. Taste and texture are vitally important - to achieve top marks a coffee must have a harmonious balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness, and should be full bodied, round and smooth.
Points are also awarded for presentation, professional dedication, attention to detail, and the general speed and efficiency with which the barista conducts their preparations.
Hugo is now hoping to improve on the eighth place he achieved in the 2006 national final when he competes at the International Food Exhibition in March.
There is plenty at stake - as well as the prestige of being acclaimed as the best barista in the country, the winner of the national final also receives a fully paid and supported trip to represent the UK in the World Barista Championship final, which this year will be held in Tokyo from 31st July to 2nd August 2007.
The South West has a growing reputation for quality in the coffee world. Last year the South West qualifying heat was the most heavily subscribed of the seven regional heats, and also the highest-scoring region.
Hugo used the same coffee beans and cocoa in the competition that they serve every day in Relish. Supplied by Origin Coffee, the coffee beans are organic and Fair Trade, while the cocoa is Fair Trade. The vanilla pods used in Hugo’s speciality drink were Steenberg’s organic from Uganda.
Hugo also used a unique organic milk from Cornish producer Roskilly’s. Produced specifically for coffee houses, the semi-skimmed and homogenised milk comes from a herd of 80 Jersey and Guernsey cows which have been certified organic since 1995.
Says Hugo: “At Relish our customers notice the coffee tastes better because I spent six months just learning how to make it, and we realise that all the ingredients that go into a cup of coffee have to be the very best. We’re really coming out of the dark ages of coffee, and I want Relish to be known as the best coffee shop in Cornwall, simply because we really care about making and serving consistently good coffee.”
ENDS
Notes For Editors
Relish Food & Drink opened in December 2006 following a £75,000 refurbishment of the Foundry Court premises, which includes a 40 seat café and courtyard, and separate grocer with a well-stocked delicatessen counter.
Relish Food & Drink aim to be as environmentally sensitive as possible. Wherever possible, the packaging used is bio-degradable/compostable and in some instances made from recycled products. Only environmentally friendly chemicals are used for cleaning, while heating and lighting systems are as energy efficient as possible.
The Relish logo, a fern, is a representation of latté art: the mark of a quality cup of coffee. Barista and co-proprietor Hugo Hercod, a finalist in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 UK Barista Championships, is among the top five coffee-makers in the country. He also competed as part of the UK team in the European Team Coffee Challenge, held in Moscow in October 2007. Says Hugo: “If you are drinking a cup of coffee which the barista has taken the trouble to make look nice, then you know it’s going to be good.”
Relish Food & Drink, Foundry Court, Wadebridge. Telephone: 01208 814214.
Winter opening hours (until Easter): 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Media Contact - PR on behalf of Relish Food & Drink.
For more information and images contact: Jim Michell at Barefoot Media.
Telephone: +44 (0)1208 895089 Email: jim@barefootmedia.co.uk |
