Leapfrog Public Relations Agency

Jonathan Sharp, owner of the Kilimanjaro Coffee House in Edinburgh, has won the Scottish Heat of the SCAE UK Barista Championship.  The Heat was held on Tuesday 26th January, at the Centre of Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow.

Jonathan, a finalist in last year’s competition, impressed the judges with his cappuccinos made with his single origin coffee from Gerbicho Rogicha in Sidamo Ethiopia. The espresso melted into the rich milk of the cappuccino giving it a slight marmalade flavour.

He emphasised this flavour when constructing his Signature Drink which also drew the highest marks of the day from the judges. The drink was made with orange peel, cream and chocolate along with his espresso.

Andrew Tucker, managing director of espresso machine sponsors SanRemo said: “The Glasgow event had a great atmosphere and showed just how well the standard of Baristas is rising seriously in Scotland, as across the UK.  Some of the cappuccinos and signature drinks produced were of a fantastic standard and it was really exciting to see some new faces to the competition showing serious promise for the future.  The Barista feedback on the machines was, as last year, very encouraging for us at SanRemo, with a unanimous endorsement of the stability of our TCS system and the user friendliness of the machines as a whole.  All in all a great start to this year’s circuit and run up to the World Barista Championship in June.”

Runner up was Megan Barker from Artisan Roast, also in Edinburgh. Megan took the top score for her espresso which she roast herself in the café.  The blend was a mixture of a Brazilian Yellow Bourbon with Sumatra Mandheling. Her Signature drink was a macchiato style drink adding lime zest to her espresso, picking out the citrus notes of the Brazilian coffee, with white chocolate to emphasize the rich body of the Sumatran beans.

Third place went to Ryan McHugh of the Grind House in Edinburgh.

Jonathan Sharp, owner of the Kilimanjaro Coffee House in Edinburgh

For more information on San Remo and the UK Barista Championships go to www.sanremouk.com