As an avid coffee drinker, Mithilesh Vazalwar always had an interest in the craft behind making that perfect cuppa. In 2015, after taking up a two-day coffee workshop in Melbourne, he gave up his studies in chartered accountancy to pursue this passion full-time.
Seven years later, he will represent Indian coffee makers at the World Coffee Championships, ironically in the city where it all began for him.
The massive event, the preeminent international coffee competition produced annually by World Coffee Events, is slated for 27 to 30 September. Over 100 national champions from around the world will compete for the coveted title of 2022 World Barista Champion.
“Think of the competition like the MasterChef of coffee, it’s complicated and quite technical. I’d say it’s one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,” Mithilesh told Indian Link.
In early August, the Nagpur native took home the top prize at India’s National Barista Championship, the most prestigious award in India’s coffee industry. As the winner, he will represent India at the global championships.
For those curious about what exactly the championship entails, Mithilesh explains that it goes beyond simply making a good cup of coffee.
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“It’s a 15-minute presentation where you make 12 drinks – four espressos, four milk drinks, and four original signature drinks. What you speak, how you present your drinks, how you manage your time to be artistic and engaging, all these things matter,” he elaborated.
“There are four sensory judges who taste the drinks along with a head judge who looks over the entire presentation and tasting. Then there are two technical judges who observe the technical aspects, like your attention to detail, flow, body movements, how you manage the bar.”
Contrary to popular belief, this competition is no easy feat, he stresses.
“In your 15-minute run, there are many aspects to manage, but it’s also about all the effort beforehand, such as the roasting of the beans and calibration of the grinder. Even ancillary things like spotless cups and spoons become important. Any one element missed can ruin your whole routine.”
It’s certainly an exciting and daunting experience, even for someone as experienced as Mithilesh. He’s an established name in the Indian coffee scene as founder & CEO of Corridor Seven Coffee Roasters along with plenty of training under his belt at premier coffee institutes in Melbourne, Delhi, and Chiang Mai.
In 2017, he was the first to represent India at the World AeroPress Champions in South Korea and became India’s first Aeropress Champion. The following year, he was a keynote speaker at the Indian International Coffee Festival.
“I’m really looking forward to World Championships, but I don’t want to think about winning or losing. I want to take it one coffee, one sip at a time,” he shared.
A great deal of excitement for the 34-year-old stems from the opportunity to return to Australia for the competition. Notably, this is the first World Coffee Championships hosted in the Victorian capital since 2013.
“I have a lot to give back to Melbourne. I can never forget the amazing amount of help I got from the people there when I was entering the coffee market and still figuring things out. They answered even my stupidest questions with a lot of patience,” he smiled.
Mithilesh also received his hard-earned Q-Grading certification in Melbourne after a six-day exam. It now allows him, as one of around 7,000 certified Q-Graders in the world, to grade any coffee with a cupping (or tasting) score that is recognised internationally.
He quipped, “It’s a very tough exam, trust me. You have to taste around 600-700 cups of coffee and score it, and your score needs to be close to the instructor. It’s a test to measure your sensory abilities. I had to prepare for two years!”
Having witnessed India’s coffee scene burgeon in the last few years, he’s optimistic about what lies ahead.
“The coffee culture in India is certainly picking up. In the next 4-5 years, I think we’ll see a massive boom in this market,” he observed. “We have the producers, roasters, consumers, and it’s also picking up in India’s tier II cities.”
But ask him what he thinks makes a great cup of coffee, and he grins: “ultimately, the coffee you love is the best coffee.”
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