ONE News (New Zealand)


WATCH the video (1:56) The country's top baristas have converged on Christchurch to find out just who is the champion of caffeination.

On Saturday there was coffee and Swiss cheese, coffee with passionfruit syrup, blueberries and pink peppercorns.

It seems coffee is all about the art of perfection as eight baristas fought to be judged the country's supremo coffee-maker.

"Each year the signature drinks get a little more interesting and crucially each year the signature drinks get a bit more balanced. So rather than being a gimick, which is how they might have stated out, they are now really nicely balanced and carefully crafted drinks," says Chris Dillon, president of New Zealand Coffee Roasters' Association.

The competition is a race against the clock, with 15 minutes to prepare four espressos, four cappuccinos and the four specialty drinks.

This is while two technical judges pour over the workspace and four sensory judges drink what been poured.

And the top barista is Carl Sara, who came out of retirement to win the regionals.

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The three-time New Zealand champion has put in hours of practice, his special blend from Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvatore, Himalaya.

"It's like rugby game - you come of and you're all charged and your ready to go and then you have to pace yourself. There are some great baristas here the best in the country so we don't know until those names are read out at the end of the day," says Sara.