Chen Le, the champion of 2017 World Coffee Cup Test Competition

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World Cup champion Juan Gabriel Cespedes lost his third challenge in Budapest over the past two years, but who was it that shook his dominance this time? There is no doubt that this year's new contestants are eager and strong.

The new champion who defeated the Great God of the Cup is Chen Le from Hong Kong Craft Coffee Roasters. BlackWaterIssue interviewed him to hear about his race preparation and race story.

Q) Please tell us about the coffee provided by the contest.

Chan) Coffee tastes very good. Roasting is intermediate between light and medium, and most coffees taste clean, terroir, and easy to taste in origin and processing. This means that the Helper extraction is excellent.

Q) What is the temperature of the cup?

Chan) Just right. The first cup test didn't feel too hot at the beginning.

Q) How do I prepare for the World Series?

Chan) Start preparing six months in advance. Use 4 coffee brewers to prepare a combination of 4 cups at a time. Mix all the cups as in the competition, making a total of 8 combinations. Roasting ranges from medium to dark. To increase the difficulty, I often practice with Latin American washed coffee with a weaker personality, and sometimes with coffee from different origins. Each exercise was completed in less than 6 minutes.

Q) How does each round of coffee taste?

Chan) The roast and strength of the coffee served in each round are similar. In the first round, the origin and treatment of coffee are different, and it is easier to detect differences. Some coffees are Latin American sun coffee with a red wine flavor, some are East African sun and wash coffee with a floral flavor, and some are Asian coffee with a heavy feel.

However, in the final, 2-3 combinations of cups do not differ significantly, taste almost the same. Flavor intensity is weak, without clear floral and fruity notes.

Q) You answered all the cups correctly. What's the secret?

Chan) This challenge is my third. I was runner-up at the Hong Kong Cup Test in 2013 and 2015. That's the kind of experience I needed to get where I am. And the help of my partner Kwai Wai Ho(winner of the 2016 Hong Kong Cup Test) was indispensable. His experience helped me choose the right coffee, timing and rhythm for practice.

In all competitions, I test each cup at least twice, hot and cold. When coffee is hot, it mainly depends on its flavor, and when it is cold, it depends on balance and Body. Different temperature cups in the same cup helped me taste more accurately. When faced with a difficult glass, I slurped with my eyes closed to focus my mind on the taste.

Q) What is your next goal?

Chan) I'm a baker at Craft Coffee Roasters. I think the key ingredient for the perfect cup of coffee is the green beans. Green beans are affected by climate, harvesting, treatment, etc. So I'm willing to take the time to find better coffee and go to auctions. They also want to learn from farmers and experts. So I'm happy that the winner's reward is to be able to go on Ally Coffee's origin tour and visit Brazil next month.

Q) People who are grateful

Chan) I am grateful to my friends and relatives who supported me in participating in this competition. The members of Craft Coffee Roasters also helped me a lot. My girlfriend Kylie was also on hand in Budapest to help me focus on the competition. I would also like to express my gratitude to my first coffee teacher, Mr Chuo from Taiwan.