What changed in the WBC coffee championship rules?
The SCA released the 2024 WBC coffee championship rules, and the changes are limited but specific. Judges may not act as coaches at the same time, and anyone advising a contestant must declare that conflict before the event and during calibration. Failing to declare it can disqualify the contestant, and no communication between judge and contestant is allowed once competition starts.
The milk section was clarified: any commercially available unflavored milk may be used, including plant or animal milk, and these milks can be mixed as needed. Competition coffee must contain no additives such as flavorings, colorings, spices, aromatic substances, liquids or powders. The update also adjusts how the tactile experience of espresso is evaluated.
SCA recently announced the latest rules and regulations for the 2024 World Barista Championship. Overall, the changes are not extensive, mainly focusing on further clarifying the wording regarding the judging process, conflict of interest declarations, and milk selection, while also adjusting the method for evaluating the tactile experience of espresso. For coffee professionals and enthusiasts who follow the direction of the competition, these detailed changes may directly affect contestants' preparation strategies and judges' enforcement standards. This article will sort through the key points of the rule changes one by one to help readers quickly grasp the key adjustment directions of this year's WBC.
SCA recently officially announced the rules and regulations for the 2024 World Barista Championship, with overall changes being relatively minor. According to SCA's explanation, the focus of this revision is to further clarify the wording regarding the judging mechanism, conflicts of interest, and milk selection, while also updating the tactile experience portion of espresso evaluation.
Regarding judging and conflicts of interest, the rules add wording clarifications: WBC judges may not simultaneously serve as coaches in WBC events. If a registered judge provides guidance or feedback to a contestant in any capacity (whether as head coach, assistant coach, or consultant), they must proactively declare this conflict of interest before the competition and during the calibration stage. Failure to declare it may result in the contestant being disqualified. Once the competition begins or the judge enters the calibration stage, there must be no communication of any kind between the judge and the contestant. If this rule is violated during the event, both the contestant's eligibility and the judge's judging eligibility will be revoked.
Summary of Changes
Coffee is the cumulative product obtained after roasting the seeds of the fruit of plants in the Coffea genus. The coffee beans used in the competition must not contain any additives, including flavorings, colorings, spices, aromatic substances, liquids, powders, etc.
Regarding milk selection, the rules provide clearer explanations:
1. All commercially available unflavored milks may be used, including ordinary plant milks or animal milks.
2. Commercially available milks may be mixed and prepared as required (for example, commercially available milk powder may be used and prepared according to the instructions on the packaging). However, no matter which milk is chosen, it must not contain any additives.
3. Contestants may remove certain components from commercially available milk (for example, through freeze distillation), provided that no ingredients or additives are added during the distillation process.
2024 WBC Sensory Score Sheet (Partial)
In terms of espresso evaluation, the tactile sensation after the coffee leaves the mouth (such as astringency and silky smoothness) will be included in the tactile experience score, separated from the aftertaste score.
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