Pact Coffee Trainer Laura takes the runner-up spot at one of speciality coffee’s most demanding competitions.
We’re incredibly proud to share some brilliant news: Laura Metcalfe, Pact Coffee Trainer, has finished second in the Specialty Coffee Association’s UK Barista Championship.
For anyone who follows the world of speciality coffee, you’ll know just how big an achievement this is. For everyone else – let us explain why we’re so excited.
What is the UK Barista Championship?
The UK Barista Championship, run by the Specialty Coffee Association, is one of the most demanding competitions in speciality coffee. Every year, more than 50 of the country’s most talented baristas enter. Only six make it to the final.
Each competitor performs a timed routine in front of a panel of judges, preparing espressos, milk drinks, and an original signature beverage.
The judges score everything – taste, technical skill, presentation, and the story behind the coffee. It’s the closest thing coffee has to a world-class sporting event, and every detail counts.
To finish second in a field of that quality is an outstanding achievement.
Who is Laura Metcalfe?
Laura is our Coffee Trainer here at Pact. Day to day, she works with our team and our partner accounts, sharing the knowledge and technique that turn a good cup of coffee into a great one.
Laura has worked for 12 years in coffee and seven years in speciality coffee. She trained in Canada and started training other baristas five years ago.
Three years ago, she began competing in Barista Championships, Brewers Cup, and Cup Tasters UK competition. She has volunteered at the World Barista Championships for the past five years.
Whether she’s training a new barista or showing those more advanced how to create the perfect latte art, Laura’s expertise and enthusiasm run through everything she does.
Her favourite coffee is Oscar Hernandez’s Nogales from Colombia.
