Interview with Tiff Bhagwandin, Coffee & Roasting Manager at Pilot Coffee Roasters
Coffee competitions aren't just for professionals. They’re accessible to anyone willing to train their palate and connect with the broader coffee community. Tiff Bhagwandin, the Coffee & Roasting Manager at Pilot Coffee Roasters, has competed at the Cup Tasters Competition and served as a juror for the Cup of Excellence. Here, she breaks down what competitions are really like, how to prepare, and why they're worth trying.
What is the Cup Tasters Competition? What's the experience like?
The Cup Tasters competition is a national competition where participants taste eight groups of triangulations of brewed coffee. A triangulation has two cups of coffee which are exactly the same, and one cup which is different. You have eight minutes to decide which cup in each group is the odd one out. The experience can be very nerve-wracking and tense—you only have eight minutes to decide, and it's usually completed in silence. But it's incredibly rewarding when you choose the right cup.
What are the benefits of competitions in coffee?
My favourite part of coffee competitions is connecting with other people in the coffee world. There are so many backgrounds in the industry, and even if you just go to spectate, you'll learn countless new things about coffee. There are endless people to meet, all of whom are very welcoming and eager to share recipes, new coffees, cafes, tips and tricks about brewing, or just looking for a cafe-hopping buddy.
How do you prepare for a competition?
For Cup Tasters, the best advice is to cup as often as you can. I cup daily as part of my job, but if you're a coffee enthusiast with a different day job, make it a point to triangulate at least twice a week or more if you can. The only way to train your palate for competition is to just taste coffee over and over again.
What was it like being on the jury of the Cup of Excellence?
It was a truly incredible experience. I've participated for three years and have gained invaluable knowledge. Over the course of three days, you can easily cup over 100 cups of coffee. It's intense and tiring, but also rewarding and one of a kind.
One of the best parts of participating in Cup of Excellence is meeting coffee professionals from coffee growing origins. They have a way of understanding of coffee that us, way up here in Canada, will never have. If you ever get a chance to speak to a coffee professional at origin, don't pass it up.
Any tips for people who might want to compete?
My advice is to just keep tasting. Go to your local coffee events, talk to your baristas, ask questions at your local roasteries. We love answering questions in the industry, so never be shy. One of my favourite parts of my job is sharing knowledge and educating people about coffee before it's been brewed.
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