The Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) is excited to introduce a new coffee ranking system #ascatop12 that will be introduced for the 2018 competition year.
Following on from each regional competition, final scores will be used to rank all competitors, with the top 12 from across all regional competitions posted on the ASCA web site. Each regional winner will still be given automatic entry into the nationals, however spaces for the National open heats will be given as a priority to competitors depending on their national ranking.
“This is an exciting move for the Australian specialty coffee industry, giving competitors additional coverage and recognition for high performance,” says Ross Quail, World Coffee Events representative for Australia. “This will also ensure that the national stage continues to host the best talent in the country.”
The move will see the number of open heats position cut from the current 18 positions down to just eight, allowing the Brewers Cup, Latte Art, Cup Tasting, and Barista Championships events to all be hosted on the main stage. This will also free up more floor space for the Australian Coffee Roasting Championship.
“We have been overwhelmed by the interest in Australian competitions,” says ASCA President Brent Williams. “For the sustainability of these competitions at the national level, we need to look at how we focus our resources to ensure we continue to put on truly world-class events, and provide an environment deserving of competitors who put so much time and energy into these competitions.”
Any baristas interested in seeing if they can make it into the top 12 should keep a lookout for regional competition dates, which will be announced on Friday 9 June. Competitions will be held across states from September to December 2017, for the 2018 competition year.
Expressions of interest are now open for any businesses interested in hosting regional competitions, see details HERE.