Strictly Coffee Roasters Dunedin barista Tufele Tavite is one of only two South Island baristas, and 11 nationwide, who will be cranking in the Aotearoa Barista Championships on Saturday in Upper Hutt, Wellington.
It will be the first time Mr Tavite has competed in the championships.
"I’m really nervous and really excited.
"There’s a lot of moving parts for this."
Judges will grade each brew for presentation, accuracy, taste and tidiness.
"You have to make sure your preparation for each coffee is exactly the same and you lose points if there’s a little bit of variance between the two.
"It really is a fine art."
"As soon as I found out, I thought I couldn’t let my friend down. So I turned up to the interview and the rest is history."
It is the community feel of being a barista that keeps him coming back.
"I guess I just really like hospitality, being able to have a place and space to accommodate people — kind of like the intro of TV show Cheers: Sometimes you want to go to the place where everybody knows your name."
Brewing a good cup of coffee could also be therapeutic for both the barista and consumer, he said.
"Just being part of a community is great. It’s hard not to appreciate good coffee."
Prizes at the championships go to first, second and third places, as well as a separate "People’s Champion" category.
