Filipina is Barista of the Year finalist in London
A Filipino barista has been recognized as one of the most skilled coffee makers in the Middle East Asia region after becoming one of the three winners of Costa Coffee’s Barista of the Year MEA Final 2018.
Gwyneth Gabay showed off her flair and passion for coffee by creating a full range of handcrafted coffee-based drinks, including the Flat White and her own specialty drink to wow the judges and win the final. She will now be flown to London to compete in the prestigious Champion of Champion Finals in January 2018, in a bid to be crowned the best Costa Coffee Barista in the world.
The 24-year-old barista from Cagayan, who has worked at Costa for the past year, not only demonstrated her coffee-making skills by hand-crafting a variety of coffees to Costa brand standards but she also created her own drink: the Ice Shaken Cafe Rosa. Inspired by the flower festival in Baguio, where she studied, Gwyneth created an espresso-based drink with complementing rose and cinnamon flavors.
“We have over 3,000 baristas in the Middle East Asia region, working across more than 525 stores, so for Gwyneth to be crowned in the top three in Middle East Asia is a huge achievement and something she should feel incredibly proud of,” said Clair Preston-Beer, Costa Coffee managing director of the Middle East Asia region. “Her passion for coffee craft and love of the Costa Coffee brand is clear. I can’t wait to be joining Gwyneth in London, England, the home of Costa Coffee, to see if she can be named the best Costa Coffee barista in the world.”
The Champion of Champions final will be held at The Roastery in London this month, marking the 12th anniversary of the competition. If Gwyneth is crowned champion she will win a 10-day trip for two with spending money to a country of her choice with a Costa connection, in addition to worldwide praise from Costa employees around the globe.