KZN performs well during national coffee-making competition
|Published
Durban — Howick barista Thandoluhle Mnyandu was recently placed second in the South African April Brewers Cup coffee-brewing competition. KwaZulu-Natal did well, securing all top three spots.
Mnyandu said that he felt immensely proud of this achievement and shared that whenever he is on stage, he feels he is representing more than his local area.
Originally from Hillcrest, he said that his interest began in 2021 when he became fascinated by the entire value chain and the best entry point into the industry seemed to be as a barista.
“I did a barista course at Lineage in Hillcrest and then worked at Velvet in Kloof where my passion evolved. The move to Bluebird Coffee Roastery has allowed me to grow in both coffee and the understanding of the coffee business,” he said.
Mnyandu is the Bluebird Coffee Roastery wholesale manager and head of education. He said he now is in charge of the company’s wholesale network.
Mnyandu’s recipe:
- 13g of coarse ground (on a Mahlkonig EK43) coffee
- 180g of purified water from our roastery
- Mnyandu started with an 80g bloom (all circular pour) at 93 degrees, followed by 100g of water at 88 degrees (all centre pour).
- Total brew time 3 min 30 seconds
In addition to coffee, Mnyandu said he enjoys football, following the NBA (basketball) and running. Additionally, he said he is always up for a good thrifting session.
“My main focus is actually the Barista Championship, so I will definitely be entering again this year. The April Brewers Cup was a chance to warm up for the upcoming season. I competed in last year’s SA Barista Champs and came 6th. I look forward to another competition season of learning and competing with all the other incredible SA competition baristas,” Mnyandu said.
The South African April Brewers Cup competition took place during Creative Coffee Week, which celebrated South Africa’s top coffee connoisseurs and provided an opportunity to discuss the latest trends and blends.
“Creative Coffee Week was a massive success in terms of getting the coffee community together to brainstorm the way forward and the future of the South African coffee industry,” said Iain Evans, Creative Coffee Week event organiser.
He added that they were delighted with how everything went and cannot wait for next year.
During the week, there were multiple coffee cuppings (tastings) and workshops that catered to coffee business owners and coffee consumers alike. From sensory rooms to equipment demonstrations and access to international coffee professionals, Creative Coffee Week was a coffee enthusiast’s dream.
This was followed by two mornings of lectures led by South African coffee professionals sharing their insights into the industry. The line-up of talks included:
- The Challenges of Sourcing Coffee at The Southern Tip of Africa by Jorge Alberto (Origin Coffee Roasters), Dario Scilipoti (Bluebird Coffee Roastery) Adele de Villiers (Zuka Green) and Warren Fenner (RMB)
- Leveraging Big Business Strategies for Speciality Coffee Success by Miranda Caldwell (The Coffee MBA)
- What Do Cafe Customers Want: The Psychology of Choosing Your Local Caffeine Dealer by Salman Khan
- From the Ground Up: A Case Study in Yemen by Andrew Nicholson
- Building a Brand by Patrik Rolf
- Door-to-Door Delivery in Coffee by Ryan Solomon (The Barn Owl Coffee), Johann Peek (Beverage Seal) and Lizl Hindeberger (Vida e Caffe)
- Sustainability and How it Protects the Future of Coffee by Wilmie Cronje
- Rainforest Alliance 2023 Goals by Marla Naidoo (Rainforest Alliance)
- How to Make Sustainability in Coffee Easier by Wilmie Cronje, Marla Naidoo, Daniel Pretorius (4WKs Coffee) and Chris Hall-Jones (Lizzard)
- A workshop on exploring espresso sensorily and The Future of Training in Coffee by Lani Snyman, Andre Blignaut, Samantha Naidoo, and Miranda Caldwell.
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News