Enda Johnston of Kali Coffee Bar in Salthill has been crowned champion of the Irish Brewers Cup and will represent Ireland at the International Brewers Cup in Greece next month.
The Irish Brewers Cup took place over the weekend in the Galway City Distillery, where fourteen competitors went head-to-head in three rounds of brewing to find the best to find the best filter coffee brewer in the country.
The first round challenged the competitors to work with a coffee they had never brewed before, creating a recipe and routine from scratch.
Enda delivered his ten-minute presentation to the panel of world renowned judges with ease.
The second and final rounds were the pièce de résistance: competitors showcased their chosen coffee and accompanying presentations, which they had been working on for months.
All 14 brewers from across Ireland had just ten minutes to show the very best of their technical coffee knowledge, honed palate and hospitality skill.
Enda chose a coffee near to his heart, creating a blend between two varieties from Manhattan Coffee Roasters in Rotterdam.
Both coffees came from Finca El Paraiso in Colombia and were grown by farmer Diego Bermudez.
Enda’s theme was accessibility, and he showed this by blending two coffees, to showcase the amazing possibilities of what blending can bring to the specialty coffee industry.
Making high-priced coffees more accessible to café patrons and ensuring that farmers get more income for their hard work they do.
The Kali team — co-owner, Laura Kelly, and barista, Lana Gormley — said that they were delighted with the win.
“Seeing all the long hours, hard work and love for this industry paid off is amazing. I’m so proud of Enda,” said Laura.
“When they announced the winner as the, ‘the local hero Enda’ it made it even more special!”
Kali Coffee Bar is a speciality coffee bar located on Salthill’s main street.
Owned by two coffee lovers, Enda and Laura, they focus on showcasing high quality Irish and European roasters that put the emphasis on building relationships with the farmers, paying fair prices, and focusing on quality.
Next up, Enda he will represent Ireland in the International Brewers Cup, taking place at World of Coffee in Athens from June 22 to 24.
