25th January 2015 marks the day which the 5th Malaysia Barista Champion was born. The barista battle to represent Malaysia, for the first time, in the World Barista Championship was definitely intense to watch. This competition was held 3 days from 23rd to 25th at ChinWoo Stadium in Kuala Lumpur which was organized by Malaysian Specialty Coffee Association (MSCA) and Barista Guild Asia (BGA). The stadium was filled with anxiety and excitement as top 6 contestants fought their way through from the first round. Competing baristas were to complete a three-course presentation – four espressos, four cappuccinos and four signature drinks within 15 minutes.The competition started off with Ms. Mel Lau from Departure Lounge who used Panama Lerida Estate beans for her presentation. Then Jason Loo, the defending champion from 2013 from The Red Bean Bag, swept off the stage with Panama mixed Gesha and Typica variety beans. Yaw Tzong from Coffee Concepts Company showcased with Ethiopian Dumerso. Keith Koay from VCR selected a specific roaster from London for his presentation. Then, Sam Tan from Coffee Stain gracefully presented her skills with Costa Rica Las Lajas. The competition ended with Ang Bo Ling from Three Little Birds using his coffee to present a memorable signature drink - a mixture of Chrysanthemum ice balls with a dash of espresso and fresh brewed black tea.
The competition proved nothing else but the heart and soul from any point of circumference in the coffee industry circle. These baristas handpicked their roasters and beans to suit their coffee philosophy and experience. Countless time and days of practice to sharpen and calibrate their technical skills. Baristas then carefully arranged their presentation, from the coffee booklet for the juries, to the cup they grace their coffee in, to the beans they chose, just to highlight what they have learned. Then it was only a battle of philosophies among the baristas. The details these baristas poured into their presentation, displayed their passion and their skills to extract the best out of coffee and their experience within 15 minutes. It all numbed down to the most intense relationship and experience in a cup of coffee. After the 15th minute, their fate relied on the juries, with Joe Hsu as the head jury for MBC 2015.
In between the competition, booths were set up to grace the audience's mind. Perhaps the most notable booth was Brew Bar which featured a number of specialty coffee with different methods (like V60, Aeropress and Chemex etc) by invited parties, such as BEAM specialty, Thirdwave, Spacebar coffee, Seraph Awaken, The Brew Orchestra, The Roast Things and Pulp By Papa Palheta etc. The list was a mixture of old and new faces in the Malaysia coffee scene. The audience were able to drink specialty coffee from these independent roasters and cafes at the Brew Bar.Coffee products, beans and tools can be found there. A series of Kalita products caught many people's eyes for its colorful features. The booth which displayed Slayer, Mahlkonig EK43 and La Cimbali espresso machine had caused congested human traffic as the audience was able to learn the features of these machines. Many people left with a KeepCup since it was on sale!
Occasionally, Shaun Liew, the MC would occasionally stir our attention to notify the commencement for each round. Roasters, entrepreneurs, baristas, family and friends of competitors, former champions and current champions from other competitions were in the stadium with their support for the competition. Moments of joys and anxiety made these historical moments in ChinWoo Stadium. 
These moments were overwhelming emotions to celebrate these competing baristas effort for the love of this intense relationship in a cup of coffee - this love truly transcends at any point in the coffee circle.Supportive coffee workers and lovers welcomed the first ever champion to compete internationally. Congratulations to Jason Loo from The Red Bean Bag! He will represent as Malaysia Barista Champion in World Barista Championship, which will be held in Seattle this year.
