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Ross O'Brien
Company: Steampunk Coffee
Signature drink: It Takes a Village
What sparked your interest in becoming a barista?
My first cup of specialty coffee was at my local climbing wall. Having expected a bitter long black the juicy cherry and sweet chocolatey flavour enchanted me, I had to find out how coffee could taste like that. After brewing on a V60 at home over the covid lockdowns, I managed to get a barista job at a roastery. Working there opened up the world of coffee to me and I was hooked on trying new origins and varieties. But the most important connection I found was with people I'm the industry. I loved sharing coffee experiences at festivals and beyond.
What's your favourite coffee filter recipe, and why?
Recently I've been loving to brew with the Orea V4. My go-to recipe is with the Fast base and Sibarist Fast Wave Filters. 16g dose. 240g of 90°C water (low ppm). Starting with a 30g pour, a quick swirl and letting it bloom for 35secs. I'd start my second pour in the centre and slowly spiral out to wet the whole bed, continuing these slow circles at about 2-3grams per second until my target of 240g is reached at 1m40s. I'm looking for it to drain by 1m55 then I will taste and add apaxlab minerals to adjust the acidity, body and finish to my liking.
What unique skills or perspective will you bring to the competition?
Latte art is definitely my strongest discipline, but since competing I've tried so hard to improve my other skills to become a more well-rounded barista. I'm not always the most conventional when it comes to espresso recipes and drink ingredients, so I'd really love to show off my style of brewing and hopefully surprise the judges with my creativity!
It Takes a Village by Ross O'Brien:
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