Sheffield Barista wins place in world finals and has sights set on Costa Coffee crown

Evangelene wowed the judges with her flare, skill and passion over two days of intense competition, to be crowned one of five UK finalists.

Evangelene will now compete against baristas from all over the world with a hope of taking the coveted title of Costa Coffee Barista of the Year 2019.

Now in its 13th year, the annual Barista of the Year competition showcases baristas from all over the world, offering them a platform to showcase the knowledge, expertise and talent, which makes them the best in the world.

The world finals will take place at the iconic Troxy Centre in the heart of London on 18 July 2019 and will see Evangelene compete against other baristas in a series of coffee-based challenges to be crowned ‘champion of champions’.

The 26-year-old, who lives in Sheffield and has worked for Costa Coffee for Five years said: “It was an intense two days, but I’m thrilled to be through to the world finals. When you enter competitions like this you realise being a barista isn’t just a job but can be a career. With competitors jetting in from as far as Asia, the talent and standards will be high. But I’m ready to put in the practice and show my skills are good enough on the day to take the title.”

Finalists will be competing head-to-head with a latte art competition as well as an espresso race, where finalists compete to pour the most ‘perfect’ espressos in two minutes. Competitors must also showcase their creativity by inventing and preparing their own ‘signature drink’ for the judges.

“The Barista of the Year competition is an opportunity to see the best of the best in action,” said Costa Coffee’s Master of Coffee, Gennaro Pelliccia. “It’s a tough competition to judge as every year I’m impressed by the levels of skill and passion that are shown by the finalists to create beautiful, hand-crafted coffee to such an exceptional standard. We wish Evangelene and all our finalists the best of luck for the competition.”

Gennaro will be joined on the judging panel this year by Head of Global Coffee Innovation at Costa Coffee, Deb Caldow, and special guest judge, Bake Off star, Selasi Gbormittah - who knows a thing or two about perfecting a recipe under pressure.

To find out more information about the Barista of the Year competition or to apply for a barista role at Costa Coffee head to https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/our-people/barista-of-the-year/