One of the greatest joys in our specialty coffee journey is representing our country at the World Brewers Cup Championship! How did we get there, what's important, and what was our biggest takeaway?
Let's start a little from the beginning. I'm Aistė - founder of Coffee Spells, and before Coffee Spells, I climbed the marketing career ladder for almost 10 years. I certainly never imagined that I would one day represent Lithuania at the World Brewers Cup Championship. I'll be honest – I didn't even think so a couple of months ago :)
So, in August 2023, I received a message from Janina, a coffee brewing coach from Poland, saying she wanted to be my coach, and that I should participate in the Lithuanian Brewers Cup Championship. I didn't plan to participate, I didn't want to, but I got swept up in it and took 2nd place in the Lithuanian Brewers Cup Championship! So, we all calmed down – I wouldn't be going to Chicago. However, 5 weeks before the championship, the first-place winner withdrew, and of course, I seized this opportunity and agreed. I agreed, even though I knew that 5 weeks to prepare was very, very little.
The 5 weeks flew by, during which Janina and I took turns traveling between Lithuania and Poland to prepare. Many people from other countries also helped us via Zoom. We managed to gather a large support team, to whom I am incredibly grateful. However, the biggest preparation took place during the last week, which we spent in Chicago.
Of course, we didn't go without adventures, which certainly had a significant impact on our preparation, caused unnecessary stress, and added extra tasks – my luggage didn't arrive. I'm glad that on the last evening I decided to pack all my equipment into my carry-on at the expense of clothes, but I took out my coffee grinder, and my coach carried all the coffee. And my coach's luggage, which contained a lot of extra equipment and green coffee beans (which we had to roast in Chicago) got lost and only arrived on Saturday. I should remind you, the performance was on Friday!
What did I "take away" the most from my time in Chicago? The experience, the acquaintances from all over the world - from Poland to Singapore. Many people agreed to dedicate their time and helped us find solutions for the missing luggage - they brought us minerals for water, lent us a grinder, lent us a kettle, gave us green coffee beans, and dedicated time to roast them. Many people came to our place, for whom I performed, and they dedicated time for advice to make the performance as perfect as possible.
I am very grateful and happy that I could experience this!
Before participating, I said it would be the first and last time, BUT you never know, anything could happen :D
The full performance video is here, but unfortunately, the first 30 seconds are missing.
