Taiwan’s Jacky Yu-chuan Lai beat more than 30 competitors to take first place at the World Coffee Roasting Championship June 12 in Rimini, Italy.
“The outcome of a roasting competition depends on the roaster’s ability to choose beans and control the temperature,” Taipei City-based Taiwan Coffee Association said. “This ensures the flavor and aroma of the coffee are at their best.”
Lai’s victory is the best-ever performance for Taiwan at the June 10-12 event. The 35-year-old expert has been roasting coffee for 13 years, and operates three coffeehouses in Hsinchu and Kaohsiung cities.
Separately, Wei Ju-ying won fifth place at the World Brewers Cup—the first time a competitor from Taiwan took part in this World Coffee Events contests. A similarly impressive performance was turned in by compatriot Berg Tse-lin Wu, who made it to the semifinals of the World Barista Championship.
2014 is shaping up as a big year for Taiwan coffee experts in the World Coffee Events, the so-called Olympic Games for the international coffee community. In seven contests to date, competitors from Taiwan have claimed two championships, with Li Pang-yu winning the first at the World Cup Tasters Championship May 18 in Melbourne, Australia. (VS-JSM)
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