Taiwan coffee masters set for 2015 WCE

2014-11-18

Two champion Taiwan coffee makers were announced Nov. 17 as the country’s representatives at the World Coffee Events Barista and Latte Arts championships in 2015.

Berg Wu and Mark Liao will contest the barista and latte events in the U.S. and Sweden, respectively. Both took top honors at the national championships this month in Taipei City.

“We expect these outstanding coffee makers to build on their sensational performances and bring home the bacon for Taiwan at the WCE championships,” Taiwan Coffee Association Chairwoman Wu Yi-ling said.

According to the chairwoman, two-time national champion Berg Wu impressed the judges by using of fruity and sweet geisha beans, one of the finest of their kind from Panama. “He medium roasted the beans by hand and this was a major factor in his victory,” she said.

Berg Wu saw off stiff competition from the second and third place-getters, 2011 national champion Stanley Chien and 2014 Taiwan Brewers Cup Championship bronze medalist Lu Yi-pei.

Liao’s performance was equally praiseworthy, the chairwoman said, adding that his exceptional artistic sense and skills are second to none. “He overcame relentless pressure to push 2013 national champion Chung Chih-ting into second place and rising star Wen Bing-chun into third.”

While Wu and Liao’s performances augur well for the success of Taiwan at the 2015 WCE championships, the chairwoman cautioned against overconfidence. “There are many excellent coffee makers out there and all we can do is hope our representatives bring their A games on the day and live up to their potential.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=224089&CtNode=413)