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The 2024 Australian Specialty Coffee Association National Coffee Championships have wrapped for another year, crowning two back-to-back champions, one returning champion, and two new titleholders, including one that’s been 11 years in the making.
For the second year running, Jack Simpson of Axil Coffee won the ASCA Australian Barista Championship.
Read more about Jack’s winning routine.
Also winning the same title for a second-year running is Thomas Hutchins of Code Black Coffee, claiming the ASCA Australian Brewers Cup Championship.
Hany Ezzat of Ona Coffee placed runner-up, and Julijan Marcovic of Zest Coffee placed third in the national event, with the finals concluding on 23 February at The Wool Mill in Melbourne.
“Winning is a wonderful surprise but my personal goal is to just keep getting better. I had much room for improvement last year, particularly in the compulsory round. Thankfully, that hard work paid off this year,” Thomas says.
“While I’m satisfied with what I said and brewed to the best of my ability, I still think I have room for improvement. [A time of] 9:59 minutes on the clock was also a bit too close for comfort so I’ll be focusing on refining and controlling my pace in high stress environment.”
Discover Thomas’ national winning brew recipe.
Victor Vu of Ona Coffee claimed the title of ASCA Australian Latte Art Champion since his victory in the 2020 competition.
“I really didn’t expect to win because I made a mistake in the final round. But I think my performance and designs impressed the judges. I was very lucky,” Victor says.
Ming Wan of Ona Coffee placed second and Georgia Ellis of Runyeh Coffee placed third.
Discover Victor’s winning latte art patterns.
One of the most emotional wins of this year’s competition season was Frankie Shi from Infinity Coffee Roasters, winning his first ASCA Australian Cup Tasters Championship, 11 years after his first attempt.
“I feel unbelievable,” he says. “I’ve put in a lot of effort and time into this, and in the end I was able to just do my best.”
Simwu Nam of Take Two Bagels finished second, while Ohkyung Kwon took home third place.
Frankie and Simwu correctly guessed all eight sets in the final, with Frankie finishing in the faster time of 4:29 seconds.
“I thought the final was a lot harder than the semi-finals,” Frankie says. “Sets three and seven had me really worried.”
Read about Frankie’s journey to the winning podium.
In the Australian Roasting Championship, Mitchell Lee from Ona Coffee won, with Danny Cao from Toby’s Estate finishing second, and Harry Lin taking home third place.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Mitchell says. “I still don’t feel like I actually won it.”
Competitors were made to test their skills over several rounds of coffee grading, cup quality grading, and profile development.
Mitchell says his strategy was to place the final product was the upmost priority.
“I spend more time sorting the beans and ensuring uniform bean size than on roasting,” he says. “This way, I feel like I’m able to produce the best tasting coffee.”
Read more about Mitchell’s winning cup tasters strategy.
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