11 Nov 2014

DBC2015 Finalists: Who is Ka-Tjun Hau?

The Dutch Barista Championships 2015 finals. Six baristas will compete against each other, each of them hoping they will be good enough to go on to the World Barista Championships in Seattle.

The pre rounds are just behind us and we have seen some amazing runs. Even more amazing is that we have so many new comers in the finals this year. So who are our finalists? We can read about where they work, what coffee they used and what their signature drink was, but what are their thoughts on coffee and coffee quality in general?

What do they love to drink? Do they brew coffee at home? Where do they still want to go? Read it down below.

Ka-Tjun Hau

works at: Coffeecompany Oosterdok Amsterdam
coffee used: Natural Konga Sedie, Yirgacheffe Ethiopia
roasted by: Coffeecompany Zeeburgerpad

signature drink: pineapple-coconut water and Yuzu fruit juice



What is the best coffee you had this year?
A coffee I had at Five Elephants in Berlin. I believe it was a coffee from El Salvador.

Is caffeine caffeine, or do you skip coffee when you know it will probably be bad?
I would skip it and order something else. I don't need to drink coffee every day.

What is the worst coffee you have ever had?
I have never actually drunk it, but I hate aeroplane coffee. The smell alone of bad coffee during a flight.....

If you can only choose one variable, whether it be origin, water, fresh grind, roast or something else, which one would you choose?
Do you believe this is the most important variable when brewing coffee?
Origin. Serving coffee from different origins and showing people how delightful a specific coffee can be. Just by letting them taste something new and special. Getting them there is one of my biggest ambitions working in specialty coffee.

If people ask you what they should buy for making coffee at home, what advice do you give them?
Chemex! It looks funny and you can use it as a vase or water carafe if you don't like it as a coffee brewer.

How do you brew coffee at home?
Honestly, I don't...

If you walk into a coffee bar that you have not been to before and you want to assess the level of quality, what do you look for?
What do you order?
I look for a good and challenging experience. I would start by ordering a filter coffee and after that an espresso. The order is important, thinking about your taste buds.
If you try these two coffees you will have tasted their most served drinks; the black coffee and the base for their milk based coffees.

What is your favourite brew method?
V60? Not sure. I do love to drink coffee out of the coffee server or jug. Especially when the cup smells dirty...like old milk.

When travelling what do you bring to fill your coffee needs?
I don't bring coffee or a brewing method with me. I only bring coffee tips of where to go from fellow coffee friends.

Where coffee related to you still want to go to?
I would like to go on an origin trip to Ethiopia.

So, finally two questions about the DBC 2015 finals. Why do you think you placed? What contributed to your success?
We paid a lot of attention on practising the routine and the technical part during training. I think this really paid off. After all, practise makes perfect. Right?

What are you looking forward to the most now you placed for the finals?
Progression. Improvement. And last but definitely not least, having fun with my team.

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Photo by Pim Rinkes
Want to see more photos by Pim? Check the SCAE Nederland Facebook album.

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