After the success of the 2017 Australian Roasting Championship , 2018 will see the competition expand to more competitor spots and include the whole nation. In the new format, the competition is staged across two gruelling comps to reveal Australia’s Roasting Champion!
There are 30 spots up for grabs in the first competition: the Roasting Championship Feeder Competition to be held across January. For the first time, competitors will be able to roast in the comfort of their own roastery, submitting two coffees, one provided by Condesa Co-Lab, for a panel of esteemed industry judges to then cup and analyse. Comp entries open December 18 and close January 8 (or when sold out). This comp will whittle down the pack to the #ASCATop12 who will then go on to compete in the Australian Roasting Championship at MICE in March 2018.
At the Australian Roasting Championship, the top 12 competitors will hit the big stage roasting on 2.5kg Diedrich roasters, provided by AMC, in the big top at MICE2018. The intense, 3-day competition will push the competitors to the top of their roasting game!
With the help of our amazing sponsors, Condesa Co-Lab, AMC and Castaway, we will reveal the finest roasters in the country and send only the best to worlds!!
Australian Roasting Championship Feeder Competition Summary
The feeder competition is open to all eligible competitors as per the WCRC rules and regulations. There is capacity for a maximum of 30 competitors in this stage.
The competition is divided into 3 steps:
Pre-Competition: Competitors will be provided with 3kg of green coffee – the compulsory coffee. They may test this coffee however they feel appropriate in the lab and with the equipment of their choosing.
Production Roasting: Competitors will, using the equipment of their choosing produce a roast of the compulsory roast. They will also produce a roast of a coffee of their choosing, the Open coffee, to submit for evaluation. Competitors should submit the roasting plans for their intended roasts and give a brief description of what outcome they wished to achieve in the roasts. Competitors will submit 500g of their final roast of both their entries for evaluation.
Production Roast Evaluation: All submitted coffees are cupped ‘double-blind’ by judges. The submitted Compulsory and Open coffee may be evaluated in different time.
Total scores are based on the Production Roast Evaluation results, and roasting plan scores of coffee.
Australian Roasting Championship Summary
The Australian Roasting Championship tests the skills of the top 12 competitors of the feeder competition. From this #ASCATop12, a National Champion will be determined to compete at the World Coffee Roasting Championships.
Where at all possible the WCRC rules will be adhered to. Please note that there will likely be some minor adjustments to follow.
The competition is divided into four steps:
Pre-Competition: Competitors are given samples of each of the coffees to be used a week in advance of the competition date. They may roast and test these samples however they feel appropriate in the lab and with the equipment of their choosing. Competitors arrive at the venue the day prior to the competition start to complete competitor briefing
Pre-Roasting: Competitors are given time to familiarise themselves with the lab equipment and roasting machines. Competitors are given thirty (30) minutes to evaluate the provided green coffee for moisture, density, screen size, and defect count. Competitors should submit the green evaluation sheet of Single Origin coffee when the green evaluation time is finished.
Production Roasting: Competitors should submit the roasting plan(s) for their intended roast of Single Origin and Blend coffee at the designated time before their production roasting time start. Competitors are given thirty (30) minutes to roast their Single Origin coffee and one (1) hour to roast their Blend coffee. Before each of the production roasting times have elapsed, competitors should submit the roasted coffee as a final product in a provided bag of 1.5 kilograms.
Production Roast Evaluation: All submitted coffees are cupped ‘double-blind’ by judges. The submitted Single Origin and Blend coffee may be evaluated in different time. A separate Production cupping section for competitors may be provided for their reference.
Total scores are based on the Production Roast Evaluation results, Single Origin green evaluation, and roasting plan scores of Single Origin and Blend coffee category.