The Road to the World Barista Championships: Pinar Aktepe

The Turkish Barista Champion, and World Barista Championship competitor, Pinar Aktepe, answers our questions ahead of the competition at World of Coffee in Amsterdam. You can follow her journey on Instagram: @pinarmisirdal

The WBC competition will take place at the Amsterdam World of Coffee on 21st to 23rd June this year.

When did you fall in love with coffee?

It was almost six year ago. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with coffee when I started to work in the coffee shop.

What was your first coffee job?

Actually, I just watched for several days, I helped the team as a cleaner then, one day, they said “why don’t you do coffee for us” and I started to train myself everyday.

If you didn’t work in coffee, what would you do?

Graphic designer.

What exceptional coffee will you be using in the WBCs in Amsterdam? Tell us about the coffee and what it tastes like.

I will use an Ethiopian from the Geisha Village. It’s extremely sweet with flavour notes of bergamot, jasmine, and peach.

Who would you most like to make coffee for and why?

I would like to make coffee for anyone who is interested to talk about coffee all morning.

Who would play you in the story of your life?

Hmm. Zoe Saldana.

If you opened a café today, what would be on your first day playlist?

Thievery Corporation.

What’s your favourite way to make coffee?

Espresso and V60.

What are you most excited about in coffee?

Actually, I’m excited about too many things but, most importantly for me, the feeling that you can always learn more and you can always make better coffee.