Caffè Vergnano 1882's Barista Challenge names its winners

Source: Caffè Vergnano 1882. From left: third place winner Rudel Rivera, first place winner Joseph Bringcula, and second placer Stephen Wong.

Caffè Vergnano 1882's inaugural Barista Challenge at South Beach saw three out of 16 baristas setting the bar for future competitions.

Source: Caffè Vergnano 1882. The winning latte art from Bringcula.

Competitors were tested on basic skills involving preparation of espresso-based drinks, from the optimal extraction of espresso to the texturing of milk to bring out its flavour.

Clinching the top position at this high-performance latte art competition was Joseph Bringcula from Google Singapore, followed by Stephen Wong from The Coffee Belt who displayed great skill in coffee extraction. Third place went to Rudel Rivera from D’Good Cafe.

"I think it was a breath of fresh air. I like the community to see that these baristas are not just very good milk pourers and latte artists; if given a chance, they will make very good non-alcohol mixologists,“ said Tony Tan, GM of Coffex, one of the sponsors of the event.

Caffè Vergnano, Italy’s oldest family-owned coffee roasters, serves its own coffee at Caffè Vergnano 1882. Caffè Vergnano 1882 does distribute its coffee to the hotels, restaurants and cafes (HORECA) sector, although that is not an emphasis of their business. Baristas can approach them to carry the Caffè Vergnano range of coffees in their cafes.