Qingzhen hosts inaugural coffee skills competition

Winners pose for a group photo at the competition's award ceremony. [Photo/colorful Guizhou network]

The first Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area (Qingzhen) Coffee Skills Competition was held on Sept 28 at Guizhou Vocational College of Culture and Tourism. Over 100 coffee professionals and students gathered to showcase their expertise and passion for the craft.

Under the guidance of the Guiyang Municipal People's Government, the competition featured two main modules: skills and tasting. The skills contest focused on espresso and milk-based coffee, with professional baristas from over 20 companies competing alongside students from 10 local coffee programs.

The tasting contest drew more than 80 students from Qingzhen Vocational Education City and Guiyang Vocational and Technical College, testing their precision in aroma, flavor, and sensory evaluation.

The skills contest in progress. [Photo/colorful Guizhou network]

Yang Jiahui, a student participant from the Hotel Management Department of Guizhou Vocational College of Culture and Tourism, said, "I trained until 11 pm every day for this contest. Seeing so many young people loving coffee strengthens my commitment to the industry."

Judges evaluated each cup on aroma, taste, flavor, and presentation, providing not only scores but also constructive feedback to help contestants translate their competition experience into skills.

In the tasting area, participants carefully analyzed each cup's acidity, sweetness, bitterness, richness, and aroma, demonstrating exceptional precision and dedication to coffee quality.

Outside the competition, many local coffee businesses set up tasting zones to showcase hand-brewed, cold-brewed, and specialty coffees. Visitors savored the drinks while engaging with vendors about coffee culture.

The Guiyang and Gui'an coffee market has flourished in recent years, with over 3,000 coffee shops driving a strong demand for skilled professionals. Qingzhen, with its excellent industrial ecosystem, has become one of six experimental coffee-growing sites in the region.