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Permalink Reply by Ronnie P. on May 26, 2010 at 7:17am

Do you know what kind of espresso you're going to use? What does it taste like? I'm planning on starting with the bean and making a drink that augments/compliments it. Check this out for instance - http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2358494

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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on May 26, 2010 at 1:30pm

Quite simply - if you're looking to win the competition then start by trying to understand what your competition is doing. If they're simply using bottled syrups, big drinks, blended stuff and whatnot, then you don't need to get too creative. If the scene is pretty advanced and hardcore, then you need to step up your game.

Look for flavors that compliment each other - or contrast each other. One of biggest problems of competition is that you're dealing with rules that are unevenly applied, judges who may not know the rules, judges who interpret the rules in various ways, judges who are unknowledgeable and unskilled, judges who know nothing about cuisine (and sometimes not too much about coffee) and judges who think that simply making what is essentially a fruit-flavored americano as "original and inspiring" - in other words, you're generally screwed in competition.

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