Insomnia Barista Competition 2011: First Semi Final

December 01, 2011

The first Semi-final of the annual Insomnia Barista Competition 2011 took place (3^rd edition) yesterday, Wednesday November 30. We’re delighted to present to you our first four contestants: Monyka (Insomnia Abbey St), Rafal (Insomnia @Eurospar Kilmainham), Karolina (Insomnia Rathmines) and Kamila (Insomnia St. Stephen’s Green).

Monyka

Left: The moment Monyka began her presentation Brazilian samba filled the room. She decided to start with her signature drink which reflected the essence of her home country. She even showed us some basic samba moves – impressive!
Middle: Monyka’s homemade sweets surely earned her some extra ‘brownie points’ with the audience, what about the judges?
Right: Our judging panel focussing on Monika’s cappuccino; is it Insomnia’s heaven in a cup?

Rafal

Left: Rafal was possibly our most excited contestant. He even found the time to pose in between coffee shots!
Middle: Rafal’s espresso lined up and ready to go.
Right: Rafal’s signature drink (based on honey & nuts) was inspired by his fiancé. Apparently she’s sweet as honey.

Karolina

Left: Meet Karolina, she’s setting up the grinder to get that perfect espresso.
Middle left: Did she get it right? It looks pretty great to us but we’ll let the judges decide.
Middle right: Karolina’s signature drink was inspired by her childhood memories of Polish ‘kogel mogel’ (a traditional dessert based on raw eggs).
Right: The final result reminded us of a coffee based crème brulee.

Kamila

Left: Kamila is all ready to go, water jug in hand to make sure the judges get that coffee taste right!
Middle: Correctly tamped coffee is one of the secrets to the perfect cup of espresso. Here’s Kamila in action.
Right: Kamila’s signature drink was inspired by far-flung Hawaii. Everything from her drink to decorations included real coconuts. It left us dreaming of holidays.

The Insomnia Barista Competition 2011 is sponsored by Alpro Soya.