Barista Guild member Sam Low from Atomic coffee Roasters in Auckland came third in the NZ Latte Art Championship last year and also competed in the Huhtamaki NZ Barista Championship over the weekend. He answers our quick Q&A
What is your earliest coffee related experience?
The
Earliest
memory
of
coffee
would’ve
probably
be
back
when
I
was
about
7
or
8
years
old
living
in
Fiji,
my
Parents
would
always
go
to
this
fancy
(In
Fiji
it
was
considered
fancy)
café
and
order
ice
coffee,
I
would
always
take
a
sip
and
frown
because
it
was
bitter,
even
though
I
know
it
was
bitter
I
would
always
go
back
and
take
small
sips
like
I
was
addicted
but
never
liked
it.
When / why did you first get working in coffee?
When
I
was
in
high
school
I
took
the
catering
and
hospitality
class
in
form
7
where
we
touched
base
on
how
espresso
production
worked
and
how
coffee
was
produced,
we
then
had
to
learn
more
about
it
through
MIT
in
Otara.
It
was
here
where
I
did
my
first
barista
competition
judged
by
David
Huang,
ever
since
then
I’ve
always
tried
to
enter
as
many
barista
competitions
as
I
can,
though
not
at
NZBC
standards.
After
High
school
I
got
into
a
Food
&
Beverage
apprenticeship
at
Sky city
and
it
was
here
where
I
made
coffee
commercially
and
haven’t
stopped
since.
What led you to becoming a barista?
After
the
apprenticeship
at
Sky city
I
left
with
a
huge
curiosity
on
how
to
excel
and
further
my
knowledge
in
coffee
as
this
subject
was
the
briefest
during
my
apprenticeship.
The
last
place
I
worked
at
during
my
apprenticeship
was
at
The
Depot
by
Al
Brown
as
a
Barista
but
I
really
wanted
to
know
where
and
how
do
these
amazing
little
brown
beans
get
into
the
Hopper,
so
I
left
and
started
working
in
a
coffee
roaster
getting
me
closer
to
the
source.
What is the best part of your job?
When
you
take
a
passion
and
turn
it
into
a
career,
it
doesn’t
feel
like
a
job.
The
best
part
would
honestly
be
even
if
one
customer
has
learnt
something
or
if
you
have
sparked
someone’s
curiosity
for
coffee
it
makes
you
feel
like
whatever
you’ve
done
so
far
in
your
career
matters
and
is
appreciated
by
at
least
one
person,
proud
is
what
you
feel.
And
also
the
unlimited
supply
free
COFFEE!!!!
Talk us through a typical work day
Wake
up
through
several
alarms
and
snooze
buttons,
drive
and
eat
breaky
on
my
way
to
work,
set
up
shop
and
prime
the
coffee
machine
at
6.30am.
When
all
is
behaving
and
extracting
right
everybody
in
the
building
gets
a
coffee
before
the
doors
open
for
the
public.
After
hours
of
extraction,
latte
art,
grinder
adjustments,
and
lots
of
small
talk
we
close
and
clean
up
at
3pm,
where
you
see
all
the
staff
fight
for
the
leftover
sandwiches
that
didn’t
sell
that
day…
(One
of
the
highlights
of
my
day)
What are your roles outside of making coffee?
Question
doesn’t
apply
to
me….
However
I
do
sometimes
give
back
to
people
who
have
helped
me
get
to
where
I
am
today,
whether
it
be
going
back
to
my
high
school
and
help
out
with
coffee
or
hospitality
classes
or
even
help
prep
people
for
junior
barista
competitions.
Letting
people
know
what’s
happening
in
the
world
of
coffee
pretty
much.
What is your favourite brew method and/or coffee origin and why?
Favourite
brew
method
has
to
be
the
good
old
espresso
because
of
how
many
variables
and
the
number
of
things
that
can
affect
your
exactions,
when
there
is
a
problem
with
an
extraction
finding
a
resolution
is
sooooooo
rewarding!
Asking
what
your
favourite
origin
is,
is
like
asking
whats
your
favourite
food….
Sometimes
you
feel
like
a
good
old
hamburger
and
sometimes
you
might
feel
like
lobster
served
with
truffle
sauce…
(might).
It
all
depends.
Tulip or rosetta?
Tulip!
Like
the
cup
its
served
it
:D
What would be your dream ‘coffee experience’?
Work
around
the
world
with
nothing
but
the
knowledge
of
coffee…
Work
in
different
countries
and
learn
more
about
this
underrated
profession,
survive
by
working
in
coffee
and
survive
to
work
in
coffee.
:P
…
sooo
cheesy
Do you have a ‘coffee crush’ (person you most respect in the business)?
Anyone
and
Everyone
that
has
ever
taught
me
anything
about
this
fascinating
industry
is
my
“coffee
crush”
whether
it
be
my
high
school
teacher
or
workmates
to
the
people
off
YouTube
that
taught
me
latte
art,
I
thank
you
Why are you entering the Barista Champs this year?
In
all
honesty
at
first
it
was
because
my
manager
at
work
told
me
that
I’m
doing
it
and
it
has
been
paid
for,
this
led
to
me
panicking
and
thinking
about
how
I’m
not
good
enough
to
compete
or
experienced
enough.
Soon
after
I
started
to
tal k
to
other
barista’s
that
are
competing
as
well,
this
is
when
I
realized
that
it
wasn’t
about
the
competition
but
about
people
that
share
the
same
interest
and
passion
in
one
place
for
that
moment
being
proud
and
being
respected
for
something
that
we
put
our
time
and
dedication
into.
And
the
free
flight
down
to
Welly
of
course
haha…