A Melbourne Barista Has Been Named Australia's Coffee-Making Champion of 2022

In news that'll come as little surprise given Melbourne's status as Australia's coffee heartland — and its predilection for complete coffee snobbery, too — a barista from the Victorian capital has taken out top honours at the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) National Coffee Championships. Anthony Douglas of Axil Coffee Roasters has nabbed the title of Australia's National Barista Champion for 2022.

Douglas beat out scores of other Aussie hopefuls in the annual competition, which was held at North Melbourne's Meat Market last month. His winning offering on the day consisted of an espresso, a milk-based coffee and his own coffee-based signature drink — a concoction featuring pomegranate and feijoa syrup, a juniper reduction, barhee dates and honey. Your morning latte's got nothing on that bad boy.

Anthony Douglas

The newly crowned coffee king will now go on to represent Australia at the World Barista Championship, which is happening at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 27–30. It's been seven years since Australia last claimed glory in the international competition, when Ona Coffee's Sasa Sestic was named World Barista Champion in 2015.

Douglas has been in the coffee industry for 12 years, and names two-time National Barista Champion Dave Makin as his boss and mentor.

Catch the World Barista Championship at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 27–30. Axil has a swag of cafe locations across Melbourne — find your local by jumping to the website.

Top Image: Fahmi Fakhrudin via Unsplash