In the past two years, while competing regionally and nationally, I have begun to wonder what really drives the success of a competitor in terms of preparation and capability. Many people spend countless hours prepping for competition with hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars invested in competitions, and many walk away empty handed, which is expected of most any competitive arena. However, I want to know what puts people at the podium, trophy in hand.
I will acknowledge upfront that I realize that not all who compete are of the same skill level, both in terms of understanding their coffees enough to pick excellent coffees for espresso and in their actual ability to prepare that coffee well. I will also acknowledge that it is easy for me to question what I am about to, given my privilege in terms of resource for preparation.
The real question behind all this is simple: Is competition truly fair in that some have many resources for preparation and others do not?
Some work for roasters; some do not. Some have access to competition equipment for practice; some do not. Some have extensive training programs with quality control experts and past champions on hand while others do not.
I mean no disrespect to any of the amazing competitors I have seen in the past two years and I revere many of the companies that pour resources into their employees' training development.
Yet, the question remains: will we ever see a champion competitor who does not come from a large roaster or notable cafe again?
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