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VANCOUVER BARISTA WINS CANADIAN BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 24th, 2008 Write a Comment  Print This Post

Now the rest of Canada knows what caffeine addicts in Vancouver have known all along – Sammy is #1! This week, Caffè Artigiano’s Sammy Piccolo won the Canadian Barista Championships held in Montreal at the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show. Sammy is the General Manager of Caffè Artigiano’s Burnaby location who will go on to represent Canada at the next World Barista Championship planned for April 16-19, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. Sammy is a four time Canadian Barista Champion, placing an unprecedented 2nd, 3rd and 2nd at the 2004, 2005 and 2006 World Barista Championships (three consecutive top 3 finishes).

After taking two years off competing to focus on his role at Caffè Artigiano and opening the Burnaby café, Sammy missed the challenge and thrill of professional competitions. After weeks of rigorous practice, Sammy delivered a polished routine and represented Vancouver with confidence and great passion.

Each competitor must prepare and serve 12 separate espresso beverages: 4 espresso, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 “signature” drinks of their own creation, and present them to a distinguished panel of judges. Competitors have only fifteen minutes to prepare all twelve drinks and are judged on station cleanliness, taste, beverage presentation, technical skills and overall judges impression. The judges especially loved Sammy’s well balanced signature drink made with a winning combination of espresso, pear puree, rhubarb compote and blueberry cream.

In his acceptance speech, Sammy thanked his team for all the support he received, including his wife and Andrea, his brothers Vince and Michael Piccolo from 49th Parallel Roasters – and especially his coaches Kyle Straw and Michael Yung (the reigning Canadian Barista Champion).

Caffè Artigiano opened in Vancouver, BC in December 1999 with the vision of an Italian-style coffee house and bistro that offered superior coffee, excellent food and a lively yet comfortable atmosphere. They make a point of serving only the best quality coffee, including Cup of Excellence winners from coffee origin countries all over the world. At the flagship Hornby Street location, these CoE coffees are prepared on the revolutionary Clover machine.