We spoke to the recently crowned Northern Regions Brewers Cup Champion about her competition and motivations for competing.

Sarah was an attendee at the 2019 ‘Best of Honduras: Late Harvest’ auction this year, participating as a judge in the auction program and exploring various coffee growing regions of Honduras with us. During the trip, Sarah had a lot of questions, especially during the farm visits about the reality of producing coffee and what this meant to producers. We discussed how we handle relationships and how sometimes you need to get to know the producers and their goals in order to create mutually beneficial, win-win scenarios.

During this trip, some members of the group also did a Brewers Cup presentation in Spanish to some coffee producers where, it was explained how coffee flavours can still change after roasting and brewing. We invited four people, Sarah included to brew on stage for them – the producers were blown away by how different the same coffee could taste out of V60, Chemex, and Clever Dripper methods.

Last week, Sarah placed 1st in the Northern Region Brewers Cup championship, meaning she will qualify for the Australian Brewers Cup 2020 (date TBC). However, Sarah did not only compete in the Brewers Cup – she also placed 3rd in the Barista Championship, and roasted her own coffee and the coffee of her colleague, Storme.

As she said on her conclusion of Brewers cup, “…it’s through roasting and brewing she can complete the stories of specialty coffee.’

For her Brewers Cup presentation, Sarah used a coffee from our CM Selections series, the Ethiopia ‘Amber 0311’.

SARAH JIN

What inspires you to compete in coffee competitions?

Coffee is my passion. I think competition improves my skills of being a coffee professional as well as showcases some very unique coffee that I feel connected with.

What was your main focus for your competition this year, and why?

My main focus is “myself” this year. I got inspired by my first origin trip with Project Origin. I want to add value to the coffee chain, and I can do this by perfection my job as roaster and barista.

What is the key message you wanted to convey to the judges through your performance and coffee(s)?

I want to convey to the judges that I understand my role as a roaster and barista. Coffee is a product that going through many hands, and every single part of the chain is equally important.

How did you go about selecting the coffee(s) for your competition?

I personally never had any hard time to select the comp coffee, I always choose the coffee that I feel deeply connect with. I remember this Amber 0311 was my top pick because I can’t get over this coffees because the balance between sweetness and acidity.

How long have you worked with Project Origin-sourced coffees? Why you do choose to use them?

We’ve been working with project origin for over 2 years. We believe that the Project Origin team consistently improves [sic] farming practices, focus on building a sustainable relationship with both the farmers and the roastery. And of course the high quality green!

Do you have any ideas/plans for the national stage that you can share with us?

I don’t have any plans yet. But I want to find a coffee that makes me smile first. Then I am sure I will have some inspiration from the coffee that I choose .

Photo: @ineffably_eloquent