3, 2, 1….Hands up! After 20 stress-filled minutes, Nicolas Schweitzer, AP Senior Lecturer, could breathe a sigh of relief as he had just competed in the Vergnano World Cup, a barista competition. On the line was a chance to represent Switzerland at the world championships in Turin. Held at the Accademia Vergnano, which is imbedded in EHL’s flagship campus in Lausanne, the event was an opportunity for Nicolas to both hone his skills and bolster his pedagogical skills. Competing as a barista put him in his students’ shoes: having to execute complicated tasks for demanding clients while being evaluated by a seasoned professional.
Two inspectors hovered around the baristas with clipboards, scrutinizing every move. Two other judges evaluated the olfactory aspects of each cup of coffee. “I got a little confused, it took longer than expected and I panicked a bit with my grinder,” the first-time competitor conceded. Cameras filmed candidates’ every move so the audience in the room could get a closer look at what was happening behind the bar.
The four baristas has 10 minutes to set up and prepare their workstation, choose the blend and adjust the coffee grinder. After that, they had to prepare two perfectly-extracted espressos, two cappuccinos with randomly-assigned latte art, two 2 identical espresso-based alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, and ace a blind taste test…in just 12 minutes. One of the judges was his colleague Roberto Bertinetti who is in the running to become Switzerland’s top barista. For the Italian, who is also a Lecturer in the School of Practical Arts, the aim is “to raise awareness among students that being a barista is a serious job and you need skills. There is a give and take between our students and industry.” Indeed, EHL’s DNA, which combines academics and close industry ties, is a perfect reflection of the event.
Putting himself on the line allows Nicolas to experience the stress and nervousness that his students often feel at EHL’s outlets, particularly the coffee corner and Accademia Vergnano where everything is manual. “Through this competition, I had to work on my precision, the rigor, eliminating all movements that are not useful in preparing coffee,” the Alsatian native said. “I try to give my students the tools they need to manage stressful situations.” EHL students, he concluded, “don’t necessarily need to make perfect cappuccinos with latté art all day long but they need to appreciate the talent and skills needed to have a successful café or coffee bar in their hotel, restaurant or their company’s cafeteria. They need to be able to tell a good espresso from a mediocre one.” In fact, all of EHL’s AP students learn to brew a perfect espresso at either the Coffee Corner or the Accademia Vergnano outlet. The pedagogical spillovers of barista competitions enrich his classes. “Honing my technique helps me identify where students might also get tripped up,” Nicolas added. Moreover, barista experience can also be useful during the AP internship.
Indeed, Nicolas organizes a cappuccino challenge with his students at the end of each day. They have two minutes and thirty seconds to extract an espresso, use the steam attachment to make a firm milk foam, and pour it steadily over the espresso. They even have to measure the temperature of the milk! This attention to detail stays with students long after their preparatory year and long after they graduate from EHL.
For Bertinetti, “coffee deserves its place in today’s world”. It forms an integral part of our culture. It is perhaps a hotel’s most important amenity, if for no other reason than it marks the start of many customers’ day.
Sustainability is also important at EHL. Two of the four participants chose Vergnano’s Women in Coffee roast blend, which endeavors to empower women throughout the supply chain. Nicolas’s signature coffee cocktail, which impressed the judges, was a zero-waste pina colada with a shot of coffee and a vanilla-infused pineapple syrup. In a nod to sustainability, he lightly baked the leftover pineapple into a crispy tile. The result was a layered drink with plenty of visual drama: a lovely textured coconut milk base with the homemade syrup, dark espresso slowly sinking through it, and golden decorations framing the glass.
When the results were finally announced, the big, genuine smile that spontaneously flashed across Nicolas’s face after hearing he had placed third reflected both satisfaction and relief…as if he had passed—albeit not with the best grade in the class—a very difficult exam.
Nicolas was bested by seasoned veteran Mauricio Boi, who operates Universe Coffee a hub for all things coffee in Geneva, and Francesca Künzle who founded Caffè Yolo in Lucerne. Boi will represent Switzerland at the Vergnano World Cup in Turin. Also a first-time competitor, Bon Nguyen, a restaurateur in Zurich, rounded out the field. Prizes included a barista tool kit, which Nicolas will undoubtedly put to good use as he continues his journey as a lecturer and barista specialist.