NZ's next top barista?
Following Matt Ross' road to the champs
This audio commentary of the article has been pulled together by NotebookLM - a Google AI product.
It’s used this article as a basis for an incredible conversation that sounds like a real discussion between two people - but it’s all AI. So they’ve used their learning to expand on some stuff that I haven’t. It’s pretty wild
As it’s AI, they mucked up one detail - they say this is Matt’s 3rd champs, and exclaim ‘third time’s a charm’ - but this is Matt’s 4th champs.
That aside, this is a fun way to get into this article and hear more about Matt and the NZ Barista Champs. I’ll continue to explore tools like this to help make The Magic Roast as accessible to as many people as I can.
NZ's next top barista?
This week15 baristas will gather in Wellington to see who can pull the tastiest shots and be crowned the greatest in the land. Yes, that’s right - the NZ Barista Champs is back.
Standing tall among the best at this year’s champs will be Matt Ross, owner and chief barista of Mt Zion Coffee in Tauranga.
Over the last few months I’ve been luckily enough to see how Matt’s preparation has gone, and get an insight to some of the keys to barista champs success.
Key #1: Skill and talent
Matt has been a barista for the best part of a decade, learning his trade at the legendary Coffee Lab, in Auckland.
He moved down to Tauranga in 2016 and honed his skills at Excelso Coffee Roasters, which has a reputation of pumping out quality baristas.
It was at Excelso Coffee that Matt first got the competition bug. 2024 will be his forth champs. He first competed at the 2018 NZ Barista Champs, and followed that up with a 4th place at the 2019 champs.
Matt jumped from one Tauranga coffee institution to another, spending a bit of time at Folk Coffee Roasters, before he opened his own spot up in 2021.
He’s clearly a student of the finer arts of coffee, and is an incredible barista. These coffee skills are on show each and every time he pulls a shot.
Key #2: The coffee
You don’t have to have a special coffee to win the champs - but it helps.
Through his existing relationship with Grey Roasting Co in Hamilton, Matt has been able to source an incredible competition coffee.
The coffee is a [redacted] from [redacted]. It tastes amazing, and is also ‘super clean’ - meaning that if extracted well, the flavors are very distinct.
This is a critical component of the competition, as the barista has to explain to the judges what they’re tasting. And the easier that is to do, the more points they’ll nab.
Key #3: The team
The barista champs is serious business and having a good team is important. Matt has been fortunate enough to have some incredible coaching experience to hand.
Supporting Matt is Dove Chen, owner and roaster at Grey Roasting Co, two-time NZ Barista Champion and NZ Cup Taster Champion.
Also on the coaching team is Sam Low, NZ Barista Champ, Latte Art Champ and 2022 MasterChef NZ winner.
The coaches play an important role. They help fine tune the routine, provide some hints on the approach to the coffee, and share some highly useful experience from previous competitions.
This experience has helped to shape Matt’s signature drink.
Following advice from his coaches, Matt tailored his signature drink so it would appeal more to a New Zealand pallet - the pallet that the judges will have at the champs.
Why was this important? Because what may work on the world stage might not work in the unique New Zealand context. It’s like a game of 3D-chess, trying to get into the minds (and mouths) of the judges to make sure the high scores will be coming.
Key #4: The routine
Competitors get 15 minutes to brew an espresso shot, a milky coffee, and a signature drink (a coffee ‘cocktail’ of sorts).
Story telling is a big part of presentation, and along side technical coffee brewing skills, this part of the competition is worth mega points.
Each of the beverages that Matt will serve will link through to the theme in some way. This thread will tie everything together and take the judges on a multi sensory journey that will tickle the taste buds as much as the imagination.
Having something you’re passionate about is a big help when it comes to crafting this part of the competition. Matt’s routine is centered around the theme of ‘fatherhood’, something that is clearly close to his heart, having a toddler AND a new born in the house.
Key #5: The cups - yeah, cups.
Everything matters in the barista champs - even the cups.
Matt shared this nugget of knowledge that melted my brain - the colour of the cup can help to emphasize different flavour notes.
If you tell someone they should be able to taste chocolate or milo in the coffee, they’ll be more likely to taste that in a darker colour cup than in a lighter coloured cup. Same if you’re looking for an ice cream or vanilla sort of flavour - serving it in a lighter coloured cup will help you find those notes.
This might only be subtle, but when success depends on not only the barista’s ability to sense and articulate these tasting notes, but on the judge’s ability to also find these flavours and award points for it, it’s a great kink of the brain to exploit.
The use of such presentation clues to help get an edge is one example of the skill and experience that Matt is bringing to the competition.
[Read more about presentation clues here].
What does this all mean for the home barista?
It’s great that the coffee industry gets a chance to nerd out and get all fancy, but can home baristas take anything away from what goes on here?
Yeah, absolutely. And there are a few things I’m already using in my home brewing set up that I have learnt from Matt’s competition prep.
The best nugget is about the timing of an espresso shot.
The generally accepted ‘standard time’ for espresso shots is about 30 seconds - listen to any James Hoffmann video and it’ll all be about getting that 30 second shot.
I was shocked to see that Matt’s shots were running considerably faster. So I inquired and Matt said:
“The timing of the shot is the lowest priority. I focus more on weight-in and weight-out, and don’t take much stock on the timing. It’s about the taste. Timing is important, but compared to the other factors, less so.”
It all goes down on 5 and 6 October
The barista champs get underway on Saturday 5 October.
The champs aren’t being live streamed, due to music licensing issues (copyright and all that jazz on the interwebs), but you can keep an eye on what is going on at the NZSCA instagram page.
Matt will have a crew sharing what they can over on the Mt Zion insta page. Give Matt a follow - do it now, and you’ll get to say that you were a fan before he was the NZ Barista Champ.
Good luck to Matt - you’ll smash it.
Sooooo pumped! Thank you for a thoughtful article on our industry and the legends who brew 🩷🩷🩷