EL Union Coffee’s Silvester Dan Sibal Samonte will officially represent the Philippines at the 2016 World Barista Championships from June 22 to 25 in Dublin, Ireland, after recently besting five of the country’s top-brass baristas in the final round of the 2016 National Barista Championship at the Newport Mall Atrium in Resorts World Manila.
The six contenders showcased their 12 best concoctions, each coming up with their own takes on four espressos, four milk beverages and four original espresso-based signature drinks. And to add even more pressure, the finalists only had 15 minutes to prepare all their entries. A panel of four sensory judges, two technical judges and one head judge had the unenviable task of determining the best of the best.
Samonte emerged victorious with his washed process Fat Geisha coffee throughout his barista routine. For his espresso entry, Samonte asked the panel of sensory judges to search for notes of passion fruit, grape, apple and mango; and notes of banana caramel coupled with nut chocolate finish for his milk concoction. For the signature drink category, Samonte added his espresso beverage to a mixture of honey tea, jasmine and orange cascara to produce a coffee drink that tasted like pink grapefruit juice. Samonte’s beverages demonstrated the versatility of his chosen single origin specialty coffee from Finca Nuguo, Colubre, Panama.
“To be a champion, a barista must demonstrate strong technical skills, craftsmanship, excellent communication, as well as great customer service skills and devotion for coffee,” said Lauro Fioretti, head judge to the 2016 Philippine National Barista Championship and international representative from World Coffee Events, official organizers of the World Barista Championship.
“Silvester Dan Sibal Samonte prepared and served high-quality coffee beverages during the course of his performance and has exhibited professionalism, creativity and passion,” noted Leo de Leon, president and general manager of Allegro Beverage Corp., the official organizer of the 2016 Philippine National Barista Championship. “Silvester is a world-class talent and is a worthy representative of the country. Rest assured that Allegro Beverage Corp. and the local barista industry will support him fully as he journeys the road to the World Barista Championship,” de Leon added.
The powerhouse of 2016 Philippine National Barista Championship finalists in the order of their official rankings are:
1. Silvester Dan Sibal Samonte (El Union Coffee, La Union)
2. Aldrin Lumaban (Yardstick, Makati City)
3. Adhler Miko Simangan (Edsa Beverage Design Studio, Mandaluyong City)
4. Angelo Benedict Abordo (Jack Meets Kaldi Specialty Coffee, Tarlac)
5. Ernest Martin (Coffee Empire, Quezon City)
6. Sir Roland Rubin (Yardstick, Makati City)
Resorts World Manila is the Exclusive Diamond Sponsor of the 2016 Philippine National Barista Championship. Other event partners include Fly Ace Corp., Origin Coffee Network and DaVinci Gourmet Syrups & Sauces (Industry Mover and Shaker Partners); UCC Ueshima Philippine Corp. and CWS Philippines Inc. (Industry Connector Partners). Official equipment and product sponsors include Victoria Arduino, Nuova Simonelli, Mahlköenig, Jolly Cow, Urnex, Everpure and Lotus Biscoff.
Samonte will officially represent the Philippines at the 2016 World Barista Championship—the preeminent international coffee competition.