Taiwan Coffee Prince: Zhang Zhonglun

Zhang Zhonglun, the world master of coffee

Wen, Photography / Su Yuxiu

He was very young and won the championship of the World Coffee Masters in Taiwan at the age of 28; he was very persistent and came into contact with the coffee world at the age of 18, but he always allowed himself to go back to zero and learn again. He is Taiwan's new rising star: coffee Prince Zhang Zhonglun.

When the early morning sun poured into Caffe'4Mano 's store, Zhang Zhonglun was making coffee with all his heart. With his attentive eyes and skillful movements, it was hard to imagine that he was a seventh grader who had been immersed in the coffee field for more than ten years. Zhang Zhonglun shyly handed over a cup of condensed espresso, "would you like to try it?" after drinking it, the word "mellow" appeared in the entrance, an absolute surprise. This is the coffee made by the 2009 world coffee master Taiwan champion.

I don't drink coffee.

At first, 18-year-old Zhang Zhonglun was just looking for a part-time job, so he went to work in the Roadorn Cafe and used an automatic coffee machine to make coffee. Later, he went to work in an Italian restaurant introduced by his brother, and he first came into contact with Italian coffee. After more than two years of work and study, for Zhang Zhonglun at that time, making coffee was equal to machine operation. Moreover, at that time, he did not like coffee.

After graduating from the visual communication department, Zhang Zhonglun had two brushes in his hand, one with a background in design and the other with work experience in a cafe. He chose the latter and went to Guest Xikang to receive strict Japanese-style training. Modesty started from the outfield and the caretaker, until he passed the internal examination and began to train as a "barista." he was unable to make coffee for his guests for nearly a year. At the moment of passing the training, he was "very excited and had a feeling of getting ahead!" and the training over the past two years has also established a lot of good work ideas for Zhang Zhonglun to run a cafe in the future.

When he became a day shift supervisor at the age of 23, he began to doubt himself: "is it true that everyone says you are strong?" Is it the same after walking out of this store? Zhang Zhonglun's heart was a mixture of emptiness and enthusiasm. He began to drink coffee in various cafes. He realized that it was time for him to leave.

A latte that changed Zhang Zhonglun's life.

At this stage, coffee is still a "drink" to Chang Chung-lun, and there is no such thing as good or bad. He, who is more concerned about "pulling flowers" than about taste, does not shy away from saying: "at that time, the degree was not enough. Without taste training, you could not tell the good from the bad. "

Change occurs at the age of 24.

After leaving Ke Xikang, he became the manager of Darren Coffee. He had to personally experiment with all the raw materials and brewing methods. He thought that "coffee tastes the same." until one day, after accidentally brewing a very smooth and delicious latte, he was frightened. It was the first time in his life that he drank "the aroma of coffee and the mellow of milk." it was a very comfortable feeling. He described it as "which second passed very slowly, and countless questions arose in my mind. For the first time, he was anxious to ask his friend if you had the taste of coffee, and for the first time, he realized that the coffee base of "concentrated extraction" had a significant influence on coffee.

The first world coffee champion to be the judge.

At the age of 25, Zhang Zhonglun went to work in the demonstration shop of illy Cafe, put everything back to zero, received formal Italian coffee training, learned from the basics, and understood coffee from a scientific point of view. He was extremely moved and shocked. He said that he used to "stand outside the coffee door" and used to brew coffee based on personal preferences and experience, and through illy's strict taste training. Zhang Zhonglun learned to distinguish each different subtle taste on the tip of his tongue. Drinking 20 or 30 cups of espresso a day is a common exercise. Slowly, the taste of coffee has a different place in his taste buds.

"all cooking skills are based on a good concept of knowledge. "Zhang Zhonglun has a deep understanding.

In 2007, Zhang Zhonglun, who was full of enthusiasm for coffee, was looking for opportunities to improve himself, and with the mentality of learning, he decided to take the examination first. Unexpectedly, he won the test and became the first person to be a judge before a player. After leaving the army, he left illy Coffee. In June 2009, he had no idea of competing, because the competition required huge resources and team assistance, because fate met a coffee bean roaster who was willing to sponsor the formula beans of the competition, and encouraged Zhang Zhonglun to participate in the competition. After a short period of two months of intensive training, Zhang Zhonglun became the dark horse of the competition in September, winning the "World Coffee Masters Taiwan area trials".

15 minutes on the stage and 12 cups of coffee are the profound training that Zhang Zhonglun has accumulated for ten years.

If you love coffee, the best ending is to let more people drink good coffee. Zhang Zhonglun and three other illy baristas decided to start their own business and implement their own ideas. In 2009, they opened a "Caffe'4Mano" in the Taiwan University Mansion business district, hoping that more people who do not drink coffee can start to fall in love with coffee because they drink good coffee.