Erna Tosberg — Do we need Barista Competitions?

The second speaker at CoLab: Prague, held on May 22nd, is no stranger to our audience: Erna Tosberg participated at our inaugural Barista Camp in Greece as knowledgable AST and all-round great connector. As a barista and trainer working at roestbar and at the associated training school Kaffeschule, both in Münster, Erna has slowly but surely spread coffee excellence in Germany.  

Her fun-loving personality and approachable attitude make her a beloved guest at events and we're excited Tamper Tantrum brought her back to the BGE audience. In her talk she challenges us to dare ask ourselves this challenging question: 'Do we need barista competitions?' Based on her experience as WBC semifinalist in 2014 and as barista and trainer, she walks us through the pros and cons about barista competitions and presents an insight into different paths to the truth: from reforming current competition formats, to learning from other industries (e.g. bartending), and how artificial competition situations pose a platform for development. Watch her talk to find out Erna's answers, and don't hesitate to share your own thoughts in the comments below!