The new rules of the 2017 World Barista Competition (World Barista Championship) are simply stated.

Optional presentation table layout

Like the illustration above, contestants can choose nine different table arrangements. [section 3.2]

But the backstage used in preparation for the game cannot change the arrangement of the tables. [section 5.2]

The size of the espresso table is the same as the previous 1.8L x 0.9W x 0.9H (m) specification, and the table is 2.4L x 0.75W x 1.0H (m) larger than the previous 15cm.

Another important change is the change in the name of the table. The name formerly known as "work table" has been changed to "service table" and has become as big as the explanation table. This change can be understood as the judges' evaluation direction is more focused on service (service) than on technology (technical). Such a change in evaluation criteria can also be reflected in the semi-finals-finals' scoreboard and changes in the structure of the judges.

According to the new rules, there are no technical judges in the semi-finals and finals, only four sensory judges and one judge chief (head judge) participate. WCE explained that the semi-finalists already have extraction and operating skills, so there is no need to evaluate their skills and focus more on their innovation.

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Adjustable extraction temperature of Espresso coffee machine

Another important change is the ability to adjust the extraction temperature of the coffee machine. When using 2017WBC's officially designated coffee machine Victoria Arduino, contestants can set the extraction temperature between 90.5 and 96 ℃. As a result, different extraction formulations will appear in this competition.

The number of people entering the semi-finals was changed from 12 to 16.

With the increase in the number of countries participating in the WBC every year, the scale of the competition needs to be adjusted. In the past, only 12 contestants entered the semi-finals, but from this year, the number will increase to 16 to enter the semi-finals. (one of them is a wild card)

The selection of wild card players will be announced in detail at the Budapest World of Coffee in June this year. The general way to select wild card players is for players from different countries to form a team. After the team competition (Team Barista Championship), a wild card player is selected from the winning team.

A change in the time of the game

Due to the change in table layout, there is a 7-minute table layout time, so the final cleaning time is reduced from 15 minutes to 7 minutes. As a result, the total competition time was reduced from 45 minutes to 44 minutes.

7 minutes: table setting time

15 minutes: preparation time

15 minutes: demo time

7 minutes: finishing / cleaning time