September 06, 2017 - The Dubai International Coffee & Tea Festival (DICTF), the Middle East’s only exhibition dedicated to coffee and tea, is raising the stakes this year by featuring the new and exciting Dubai International Coffee Championships with winners getting a chance to take home part of the prize pool of USD 25,000, the largest in the history of barista competitions across the world.

The Coffee Championships will include the Dubai International Barista Championship and the Dubai International Brewers Championship, each featuring professional baristas from UAE and around the world. The Coffee professionals will compete against each other in a test of skills, imagination, and creativity while preparing a series of beverages onstage. An equal number of local and international competitors will be featured in the two championships, which will be consecutively held to allow baristas to participate in both competitions.

The newly introduced contests are taking place for the first time alongside DICTF at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre in December. This year the world’s most rewarding coffee competition has also opened its doors to international contenders to raise the level of global appreciation for baristas and provide relevant learning and networking opportunities for all the participants.  

Anselm Godinho, Managing Director of International Conferences and Exhibitions, DICTF’s organizer, said: “DICTF has been instrumental in raising awareness of Specialty Coffee in the region. We aim to support this exponential business growth with a relative and crucial focus on the coffee as a profession. These Championships will provide local and international baristas with an experience of a lifetime. We are not only building the level of confidence in the barista community by bringing the profession to the fore, but we are also providing competitors with a platform where their ingenuity, hard work, and persistence will be highlighted and rewarded.” 

“For 2017, we raised the stakes by increasing the prize money and offering considerable opportunities for business and professional growth. We are confident that this year’s edition will be one of the most exciting in the event’s history, judging from the new features lined up and the overwhelming number of participants who have signed up already for the DICTF and the Championships,” Godinho added.  

Running from December 14 to 16, 2017, DICTF offers UAE-based baristas a global opportunity to take the center stage with their international counterparts and benefit from knowledge sharing and exchange of expertise and experiences that come from rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s best and reputed baristas. Owners of local cafes will also have a chance to mingle with top baristas for possible collaborations and partnerships, while a number of companies can sponsor barista performances and benefit from post-event brand endorsements.

Certified Professional Coffee Championship judges from around the world will form part of the judging panel. They will evaluate the performances on the basis of the taste of the served beverages, cleanliness, creativity, technical skill, and overall presentation.