Axil is home to the best barista in the world!

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Anthony Douglas from Axil Coffee Roasters has been crowned the 2022 World Barista Champion!

Melbourne barista Anthony Douglas of Axil Coffee Roasters has been crowned the world’s best, taking out

first place at the World Barista Championship at the Melbourne International Coffee Exhibition in September this year (MICE).

The first Aussie to take out first place in seven years, Anthony said of his win: “I feel incredibly proud to be

named this year’s world champion and am honoured to represent Australia, and more specifically Melbourne,

on the world stage. I couldn’t have done it without the unwavering support and commitment of the team at Axil

who have been by my side inspiring me for the past 9 years.”

Competing against 47 world-class competitors from around the globe, Anthony prepared 4 espressos, 4 milk

drinks, and 4 original signature drinks to a panel of judges from around the world, using coffee from El Diviso,

Columbia. An esteemed competition, baristas were judged on taste, technical skills, and presentation with the

top 16 proceeding to the second round and the top 6 making it to the finals.

Over three rounds, Anthony delivered a routine that focused on four key elements: the choice of coffee and

processing, roast and profile, distribution methods and the milk.

For his signature drink, Anthony paired ingredients and techniques to elevate the coffee, including a Colombia

honey for complex sweetness, a lacto-fermented passionfruit to elevate the fruit notes, hibiscus cold brew tea

to add complexity to the red wine tannins and a ‘cryodesiccated’ date syrup to increase texture and intensity in

the drink.

“Working in the coffee industry for the past 12 years has taught me that making great coffee is all about

consistency and pushing the boundaries of what has been done before. I’m ecstatic that I could show that to the

judges and that I got to be surrounded by others as passionate about coffee as I am.”

Anthony’s win firmly cements Australia’s spot on the global coffee stage.