2024 Competition Season FAQ

We know competing in a Regional or National Championship can be daunting – especially if you’re a first-time competitor. To help make the process as straightforward as possible, we’ve compiled a bunch of frequently asked questions below, in relation to all competitions that ASCA runs.

Can’t see the answer you’re looking for, or have a confidential question that you need to ask the Competitions Committee? You can email competitions@aasca.com with the following information and we’ll aim to respond within 48 hours:
Competitor Name:
Contact Details:
Competition Name:
Rule No. in question:
In this question confidential?
Details on question:

Please note that if your question isn’t confidential, we may add the answer to our FAQ’s to ensure they remain as comprehensive as possible.

Registering for a competition

How can I register to compete?
You must first be a valid ASCA member. All competitors must have purchased their own membership, or have a membership assigned to them through their company. You must then use your own account to log into the members only area at the top right of the screen, and click on the Events button. From here, you purchase your nearest regional competition. 

Can I use someone else’s account to register to compete?
No you cannot. You must login with your own details prior to purchasing the competition.

Do I have to live in Australia, or be a citizen, to compete in the competition?
As per WBC rules:
Competitors must hold a valid passport from the country he or she represents or documentation substantiating 24 months of residency, employment or scholastic enrolment, some portion of which must have been within 12 months preceding the qualifying national competition. Competitors may only participate in one country per WBC Competition Year. A WBC Competition Year is defined as the time period between the completion of one year’s WBC Event and the completion of the next year’s WBC Event.

What happens if I cant make my regional competition?
If you can’t attend the regional competition in your state, or your nearest state, you can attend another regional competition, as a prerequisite to ranking in the country, to make it into the top 12 and compete in the ASCA Australian Coffee Championships. However, if you are attending an alternative regional competition, you will not be able to place. The Central Regional Champions (or 2nd Place or 3rd Place winners) must reside in NSW or ACT, the Southern Regional Champions (or 2nd Place or 3rd Place winners) must reside in Tasmania or Victoria, the Western Regional Champions (or 2nd Place or 3rd Place winner) must reside in South Australia or Western Australia, and the Northern Regional Champions (or 2nd Place or 3rd Place winners) must reside in Queensland or NT.

Can I compete in more than one regional competition?
You cannot compete in the same discipline in more than one regional competition. You can compete in more than one regional competition if you are competing in different disciplines, however the same rules still apply as above with regards to winning/placing in regions outside your own.

Can I compete in more than one country?
No you can’t, even in a different competition. WCE have recently clarified their rules and updated this point. Competitors are restricted to one National Body/Chapter for all National Championships in a given competition year. The easiest way to find out which competition year you are in, is by asking which World Coffee Championship (WCC) your NB event is qualifying you for.

How can I compete at Nationals?
To compete in the ASCA Australian Coffee Championships which take place annually at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, you must either win your competition to win automatic entry into the semi or final competitions, or rank in the top 12 baristas for that category in the country to be eligible to compete in Open Heats. Any remaining positions will be granted to competitors based on their national ranking.

Can I attend?

To be advised

 

How many people can I have in my entourage?

To be advised

 

Rules

What rules are we using?
For the 2024 Competition Year we will be using the following rules at Nationals:

Barista – 2024 rules
Latte Art – 2023 rules
Brewers – 2024 rules
Cup tasters – 2024 rules

The rules can be found at the following links. Please note there are some variances off the world rules for ASCA competitions, please see notes below.

http://www.worldbaristachampionship.org/
Please note, changes announced by World Coffee Events regarding multiple station set-ups, options to set espresso machine temperature, and team rules only apply to the world competition. All national bodies must continue to offer standard station set-up and espresso machine configurations.

http://www.worldlatteart.org/rules/
Please note we do not have the art bar at the Regional or National level, but will run a semi-final at National level. We also may use different cups than the official rules, please see Equipment and Sponsored Products. We only use the Final Round rules at every level of our regional and national competitions, which means we now only use the larger size cup.

http://www.worldbrewerscup.org/rules/
Please note we don’t hold compulsory service at the Regional level, however it is held during the semi-finals at National level. The semi-final at a National level will consist of a compulsory round and an open service round – the top six (6) combined scores will progress to the final round. The Final Round at a National level is open service only. The compulsory score from the semi-final will be added to each score from the Final Round to determine the winner.

http://www.worldcuptasters.org/rules-regulations/

https://www.worldcoffeeingoodspirits.org/rules/
We run a Preliminary and Finals round for Coffee in Good Spirits at a National level. There will be no spirit bar.

http://www.worldcoffeeroasting.org/rules/ 
For the Australian Coffee Roasting Championship, we will use the world rules with the following exceptions:

  • 2.1 B – competitors should submit the roasted coffee as a final product in a provided bag of 500 grams
    Change relates to roaster size
  • 2.3 C – A 1kg quantity of green coffee, one from each available option
    Change relates to roaster size and in-availability of a sample roaster
  • 2.3 J – A coffee-roasting machine designed for roasting 500g – 1kg samples will be provided
    Change relates to roaster size and in-availability of a sample roaster  
  • 2.3 K  The roasted coffee submission must weight a minimum of 500g each presented in the packaging supplied
    Change relates to roaster size
  • 2.3 D – “Up to 3.0kg quantity of each green coffee will be provided
    Change relates to roaster size
  • 2.4.1 – Machines on which to do sample roasts
    Change due to availability of Equipment
  • 5.0 A Competitors may be given 45 minutes of practice time on the roasting machines
    Change due to time constraints.
  • 6.1 A – “Up to three (3) kilograms of each green coffee
    Change relates to roaster size

Will there be competitor practice time?
Most regional competitions allow for practice time, typically the day before the competition. You will be emailed your practice time slot one week before.
Please note: competitors may not be practicing on the same station and machine that they’re competing on.  

Do I have to use the provided grinder?
As per WBC rules you must use sponsored equipment provided or your own providing it is the identical model as stipulated in the WBC rules and it is NOT modified in any way. Please see the sponsored equipment section of this FAQ below.

Can I change anything on the grinder?
No you cannot.

Barista Championships - sponsored equipment and product partners

Espresso machine: Barista Attitude – Tempesta 2 group

Grinder: Victoria Arduino MY75 set to 30 degrees C

WCE grinder procedures: download here

Water filtration: Local water filtered through BWT Filters – model N1DS33 ULTRO Twin

Cleaning products: by Cafetto

Filter baskets: Astoria 21g IMS part number 27190001 available from our Supporting equipment partner, CWE

 

Brewers Cup - sponsored equipment and product partners

Hot Water Boiler: TBD

Coffee Grinder: Macap L70D

Scales: By Barista Supplies – Barista Pro Gear

PLEASE NOTE – All water used for all competitions will be local water drawn through BWT N1DS33 ULTRO Twin Filters, Water Filtration Partner.

Latte Art Championship - sponsored equipment and product partners

Espresso machine: Rocket Espresso Doppia

Grinder: Victoria Arduino MY75 set to 30 degrees C

Coffee: Vittoria Coffee Lab Release Blend No. 58

WCE grinder procedures: download here

Water filtration: Local water filtered through BWT Filters – model N1DS33 ULTRO Twin

Cleaning products: by Cafetto

Filter baskets: TBA

Cups: Ancap Torino Caffelatte 320 mL, Ancap Torino Espresso 70 mL

 

Equipment settings

What water are we using?
For competitions, local water is will be filtered through BWT water filters and fitted to all coffee equipment requiring water.

 

How will the espresso machines be set up?

All espresso machines will be calibrated to 130 psi ( 9 bar) 93.4 degrees via a scace and spirit levelled.

All machines will be flow rate tested. All machines will have the shot timers turned off. All machines will be levelled on the competition benches.

Barista Championship competitors can choose their temperature per WBC rules – these temperatures must be communicated to ASCA Stage Managers ahead of time and cannot be adjusted by competitors on-stage.

Terms & Conditions

Are there terms and conditions to compete?
Yes, ASCA has a number of terms and conditions that you agree to when you register to compete. Please click here to view all terms and conditions. It’s important that you read them carefully and understand them to ensure you are eligible to compete.
If you are unsure about any terms and conditions, please email competitions@aasca.com 

Judging

Can I both judge and compete in the competitions?
You can’t judge and compete in the same WCE sanctioned competition anywhere in the world. For example, you can’t judge the Australian Barista competition, and then compete in the barista championship in another state. You also can’t compete in the New Zealand barista championship, if you judged in the Australian one. You can judge and compete in different competitions. i.e. judge the Barista Championship then compete in Cup Tasters.

How do i become a judge?
You must first be a valid ASCA member. All judges must have purchased their own membership, or have a membership assigned to them through their company. You must then use your own account to log into the members only area at the top right of the screen, and click on the Events button. From here, you purchase your nearest regional competition.

Can I choose which event I judge at?
You can choose to judge at any regional event. However, judging at Nationals is invitation only to ensure that our judges are the highest possible standard.

For more information on judging, click here.