Brodie Taylor found his passion for coffee after buying a box of specialty beans in Edinburgh several years ago – now, he’s about to take part in the nation’s fiercest barista competition.
On the weekend of Saturday June 7, Brodie will have 10 minutes to impress judges at The UK Barista Championship heat in Glasgow.
To do this, he must create six perfect coffees while also engaging his audience with a presentation about his personal and professional development.
Key to Brodie’s development was securing a position at EH9, a speciality coffee shop with two outlets in Dundee.
“Joining a café where everyone agrees that you should take care with coffee and put effort into making it was really important for me,” Brodie says.
“Joining a community like that was intoxicating.”
An opportunity to share his passion
If Brodie wins his heat, he’ll go through to the national finals. Beyond that? The world championship.
But the 23-year-old isn’t getting ahead of himself.
“Compared to some of my competitors, I am remarkably new to specialty coffee,” he says.
Although young, there is not doubt that Brodie is extremely passionate. Before moving to Dundee, he used to get a bus from his hometown of Kirriemuir to start at EH9 by 7am.
That passion is even more evident when he talks about the coffee he’ll be brewing at the championship.
“I wanted a coffee that reflected my personal taste and the things that drew me into coffee over these years,” he says.
“It’s bright, fruity, a little bit tropical. It’s really peach forward, very juicy and a little bit floral. I’m really excited to share it with people.”
Cocktail-inspired coffees
The highlight of Brodie’s 10-minute stint on stage will likely involve his signature drink.
“My signature drink is based on a gin basil smash,” Brodie says. “It’s a cocktail that my mum makes a lot during the summer months.”
Brodie will make it by combining his peach-forward espresso with basil, lemon juice, blueberry syrup and walnut oil.
He describes the drink as containing all the flavours of a traditional Italian salad.
“I’m really happy with how bright and summery it tastes,” Brodie says.
In terms of the milk drinks he’ll serve, Brodie says: “I think it’ll be a much shorter milk drink than those made by my competitors.
“There’s a delicate florality to my coffee which I am keen not to lose.”
He sounds incredibly well prepared. When I say this, Brodie smiles.
“The routine and the three different coffees represent my transition from a guy who likes coffee to who I am now.
“I guess we’ll soon found out whether that’s a good barista or not!”
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