Community is important for our team at Acaia. Every year, as part of our community support, we sponsor a range of local & international industry events and barista competitors. We offer barista sponsorships to support and encourage a more diverse lineup of competitors. There are many obstacles for competing baristas on both the national and international levels. We hope the program will help them on their journey and achieve their goals on a more equal world stage.
Please introduce yourself.
I'm João Toti, a Brazilian living in Portugal for about two and a half years. I've been a coffee nerd for almost 5 years, but I only started working with coffee less than a year ago. I divide my time between being the financial manager of a coffee roasting company called Sargento Martinho (my background is in accounting and finance) and as a brewer at a coffee shop in a co-working space. It's a store called Cru Creative Hub - which only has filter coffee.
In 2022, my girlfriend told me, "Hey, I signed up to watch a Brewing Championship at a coffee fair." She and I both signed up to participate. It was an amateur championship with baristas and coffee lovers, and I won second place. That motivated me to participate in more competitions. The following year, there was the same championship, but in a bigger venue. I was the champion. I started to think that maybe I had a knack for it. I also participated in a brewing championship in Madrid, Spain, this year and came in second place.
After that, I participated in a competition called Hario Games at the World of Coffee in Copenhagen, Denmark, and I was also the champion. Since the first event, I have dreamed of participating in a national Brewers championship. I discovered that this year, there would be the first official championship in Portugal, and I thought, "Finally!" (while terrified). I still remember watching Garam representing Brazil in the Brewers World Cup final in 2023 and thinking: I hope one day to compete in a Brewers' World competition, too.
How was your experience during the competition? Did you have a theme to your routine? How did you build it?
The experience during the competition was incredible. I chose my theme, "hospitality", and started working on my presentation before I decided on my coffee. I crafted the introduction, conclusion, and takeaway to showcase a coffee I had yet to choose. To create my performance, I tested recipes and brew methods to use in compulsory. I also made three coffees simultaneously.
What are your thoughts after competing? Will you compete again and will it be in the same competition?
After the competition, I realized how tiring this routine is. At the same time, how incredible it is. Participating in a coffee competition allows me to connect with the entire coffee community. I hope to compete again next year in the Brewers Cup in Portugal and, who knows, at some point in the Brewers Cup in Brazil. Competing in these competitions is my dream and my great passion. In the future, I will also participate in the Cup Tasters and Coffee in Good Spirits.
How did you use your sponsored Acaia products?
I used my 3 Acaia Pearl White scales to guide me throughout the entire process, from training to the day of the competition. Their accuracy and speed helped me achieve consistency in my three extractions. In addition, I used the Acaia dosing cup to store my pre-measured and preground coffee before starting my routine. That helped during my performance.
What's coming up next in your journey with coffee?
I have two goals: to participate in the Brewers Cup next year and progress to the World Championship. In addition, I am starting my pop-up project and coffee brewing workshops. I want to bring incredible beans and experiences to coffee shops and partner spaces. I serve filtered coffees so that people feel like judges in a championship. I take the same care in choosing every detail - from the paper filters to the mineralization of the water.
Please give us insight into what made you pick your coffee and how the dial-in process was.
Finding my coffee was the hardest part. I was looking for a fruity and floral coffee with a bright acidity, but I did not want it fermented. I always read that when we find our coffee to compete with, we feel an instant match - but that wasn't happening. I even told a friend: "I feel sad cupping a table full of amazing geshas," because I didn't connect with them.
When I felt the connection, I thought I had found my coffee, but I couldn't use it for logistical reasons, which frustrated me. Until Fátima, a friend and Head Roaster at 7G Roaster, and my fiancée Bianca, who works with her, told me: "We bought a competition coffee; it's incredible. Try it and; if you like it, we can roast it for you to use in the competition". And when I tasted it, I felt that connection. It was a fruity, floral, and refreshing Colombian Bourbon Sidra with several layers of complexity.
What was the general theme of your performance: cups, glasses, napkins, color scheme, etc?
The theme of my presentation was hospitality. Hospitality made me fall in love with coffee when I visited coffee shops and didn't understand anything about the beans, but I felt so welcomed that I wanted to return. That's why I tried to make the judges feel welcome, with every detail thought out to improve the experience. In addition, I served my coffee in a 2-way cup with two colors to create a different experience. One side was designed for enjoying hot coffee and the other side of the cup was for enjoying the coffee when it was cooler.
Thanks for the interview, João!
Find João's personal page here: @joaoptoti and thier popup coffee project here: @capybarascoffee.