Coffee shops are everywhere in South Korea,...
and finally the country's coffee brewing is
starting to gain global recognition.
Last month, a local barista stood atop the
global stage for the first time, being crowned
the top barista in the world.
Our Won Jung-hwan traveled to Busan to find
out the secret of her success.
The young lady with a passionate smile is
Jeon Joo-yeon,… the winner of the 2019 World
Barista Championship.
She came first out of 2-thousand-5-hundred
contenders from over 50 countries in Boston
last month,… becoming not only the first
South Korean to win the prestigious award,
but also the second women to win the title.
Her dedication to coffee making began around
ten years ago, but even then, she dreamed
of being the best in the world.
"At that time, people saw baristas as part-timers
rather than a professional job.
But when I saw the previous WBC videos,...
I realized that such career could also be
respected by many people.
Ever since then, I dreamed of standing on
the world stage.
At the previous edition of the World Barista
Championship in Amsterdam, Jeon finished in
14th place.
But when she entered this year, she tried
a slightly different approach, trying to show
coffee's magnetism by delivering her presentation
with geniune passion, sitting on the table
addressing the judges like they had gone out
for a casual cup of coffee together.
"The presentation contained a lot of scientific
terms which were unfamiliar to many people.
So in order to get closer to everyone, I came
up with the idea of creating a much more friendly
atmosphere when presenting my coffee."
For her winning routine, Jeon chose to focus
on how carbohydrates affect the flavor balance
experienced when drinking coffee.
And to smoothly explain all of these scientific
terms to judges in English,... she traveled
to the UK for 3 months.
"No one can be perfect in English in two or
three months.
But since I am representing my country on
the world stage, I wanted to at least get
rid of the fear of speaking English to others."
For Jeon, coffee is energy.
Not just from because it's full of caffeine,...
but also because she heard numerous times
from her customers how refreshed and recharged
they felt after drinking her coffee.
Becoming the barista world champion wasn't
luck or magic.
It was Jeon's positive energy towards the
judges and crowds, which she has been practicing
in Korea's southern city of Busan since 2009.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News, Busan.
