Meet the judges who know how to combine coffee and good spirits.
Judge #1 in Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown, Woohyung Lee @camper_coffee
Woo is coming to you from Camper Coffee in Auckland to judge at our CIGS and compete at the Barista Championship on the weekend. If that’s not the epitome of being in the coffee industry, we don’t know what is!
His day job involves making and drinking coffee, he loves to drink cocktails and claims to never get drunk 🤔
He’s bringing the candy, the beanie and the experience of being a two time Aeropress Competition winner to the judges table.
Comprising of a slug of whiskey, seasoned and sweetened, and full of suave simplicity, if Woohyung Lee was a cocktail, he’d be an Old Fashioned.
Judge #2 in the Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown is Dave Tobeck @davidsonofbruce
His day job sees him as the technical manager for La Marzocco @lamarzocconz
Is Dave judgmental? Well, he’s honest, he’s to the point, and has no interest in hiding his feelings, positive or negative. So, he’s the perfect coffee cocktail judge, and Malcolm is sadly unavailable after that rather unfortunate incident at the last CIGS Throwdown.
Dave as a cocktail is a Lion Red – classic, no frills, a bit shit, and you know full well what you’re getting or do you… Swipe left to see the Lion Red we think he’s talking about!
Meet Judge #3 in the Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown, Chelsea Godinet @chelseagodinet
Chelsea’s day job is her night job as the Restaurant Manager at Shepherd Restaurant.
You’ll find Chelsea in the shadows working and after hours she likes to skulk to Wellington hot spot Puffin for more than a few wines and cocktails with pals.
Having worked in bars, cafes and restaurants for almost half her life, if you haven’t been looked after by Chelsea, have you even been out in Wellington?
She’s a Leo on the Virgo cusp which pretty much means she’s equal parts egotistical and critical, perfect coffee cocktail judging requirements. She can smell bullshit from a mile away, also a perquisite for being a judge.
As a cocktail, Chelsea is a negroni as she pretends to be classy but underneath it all, she is really just boozy and bitter.
Judge #4 in the Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown is Josie Parden @josie_mosey who’s day job is Marketing and Branding at La Marzocco NZ. @lamarzocconz are the generous sponsors of the espresso machine the competitors will be using 🙌
When not working, Josie can be found saying yes to new adventures.
She’s a seasoned cocktail drinker and we’ve adopted her from New Orleans where Peychaud, famous for his bitters, made the very first cocktail.She’s an ex-bartender and can smell things from long distances. You could say that she was born for this…
If Josie was a cocktail, she’d be The Blood and Sand – strong like Scotch, but with a dash of sweet. She’s the perfect mix of kiwi and American, coffee and cocktail to us.
Meet Judge #5 in the Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown, Crocky Hargreaves @crockyscoldbrew
His side hustle is selling nitro cold brew on a bike. His other job is as a Beer Dealer for sponsor Garage Project @garageproject We love a good #brewbikerbeerdealer.
Crocky is a Certified Beer Cicerone, and he has a sticker and certificate to prove it. He’s the eighth best Barista in the Lower South Island (2011-2014), which is a claim unsubstantiated by us despite our credentials in hosting barista competitions and he’s an uncertified Cold Brew Cicerone but is aiming to win this accolade as soon as it’s invented.
Another judge who’s a Negroni (classic but cool), we’re excited to have Crocky bring the achingly hip to the judging panel.
Judge #6 in the Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown is Joe Slater.
His day job sees him commuting from the Wairarapa to don his Soda Baron / Managing Director hat at Six Barrel Soda Co. @sixbarrelsodaco, and more recently the new Cameo Café Syrups @cameocafesyrups (launching soon!)
As our official syrup sponsor for this event and having competed in a few cocktail competitions in Australia and the UK, we reckon Joe can judge.
Aside from being a mixologist, Joe loves river swims, sourdough, and side hustles. His perfect weekend is at Castlepoint with a thermos of coffee, maybe with a drop of Cameo Café Syrups Caramel.
All judges, such as Joe, are required to tick the following boxes: resting frowny face, highly sceptical, and have big opinions. It’s three “yes’s” from us.
As a cocktail, Joe is Sazerac – neat, sweet and boozy. Sounds like a dream carbonic coffee cocktail combination.
Judge #7 in the Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown is Casey Deane @daseykeane
He judged and sponsored at the CIGS last year. He also provided the best judgy photo of all time. Please welcome back the General Manager of Atomic Coffee Roasters @atomiccoffeeroasters
With his casual disregard for the truth, a penchant for making snap decisions and a shock win at the in house Atomic Cup Tasters competition, we know Casey has the skills and expertise required to find the tasty. He has the added bonus of being able to see auras too. We like a snap judgy decision, so we decided to go with this portrait from the last throwdown.
As a cocktail, Casey is, and has, The Last Word – a little sour, a little sweet, a little pungent. “I hated it less than I thought I would” (Karin Stanley, International Cocktail Judge).
Event: Coffee in Good Spirits Throwdown 2020
Location: Prefab Hall, 14 Jessie Street, Wellington
Date: Thursday 3 September 2020 5.30 pm – 9.30 pm
Entry: Free for spectators, competitors enter NOW!
The Coffee In Good Spirits encourages you to join two worlds together to create tasty alcoholic-based coffee beverages. Acme will be hosting a Foosball Tournament for those who like team games!
Entry closes August 24 so grab your cocktail shaker and ticket now to win $1000. This is a limited ticket event for competitors to encourage responsible cocktail drinking. First in first served, so get your ticket to compete now!
Thanks to our sponsors: Acme, La Marzocco, AMC Roastery Supply, Cameo Coffee Syrups and The Garage Project.
RULES:
With a limited number of competitors, there will be three knockout rounds comprising of warm, cold and ultimate espresso martini final round. You select your coffee and spirits for use on the night. Competitors will need to bring with them all they need to create their cocktails, two cocktails will be made in each round. There will be a fixed 20 second time limit to describe your drink to the judges.
Competitors may compete in two’s or three at the same time.
You select your coffee and spirits for use on the night. Competitors will need to bring with them all they need to create their cocktails, two cocktails will be made in each round.
The warm and cold drink has the elective choice of espresso, filter or any brew method of choice with a minimum 30ml in each drink.
Use any method, complexity, and recipe. A time limit applies: 10 (ten) mins total from set up to serving.
Judged loosely on three sections: tastiness/nerdiness/fire and flair. The winning overall drink impression of ‘which one is the best?’
• First round: Competitors create a WARM Cocktail (filter or espresso)
• Second round: Competitors create a COLD Cocktail (filter or espresso)
• Final Round: Espresso Martini (espresso only). Competitors battle it out for the $1000 cash prize.
EQUIPMENT:
Stations: on each is one LM Mini espresso machine, one E65s Mahlkonig grinder, access to one EK43 grinder, one kettle, one ice bucket. A tray will be available backstage for each competitor prior to the performance.
Bring your own glassware, muddlers, mixers, stainless steel straws and costumes.
JUDGES:
There will be taste judges per round and a head judge if required. If there are any clashes in which beverage tastes the best, the head judge will have the final taste. The Head judge will also assess the amount of coffee in each beverage.
If you’d like to volunteer: fill this form in>
COMPETITORS
We are looking forward to celebrating the amazing year of 2020 with this fun event before the NZ Barista Championship.
Thanks again to our sponsors: Acme, La Marzocco, AMC Roastery Supply, Cameo Coffee Syrups and Garage Project.