On September 8th, the 11th Starbucks China Barista Competition reached its peak in the finals. Hou Yilin from Hefei won the title of "Starbucks China Coffee Ambassador", while Lu Yangze from Nanjing was awarded the title of "Starbucks China Selected Coffee Ambassador". The two newly appointed envoys received brown aprons symbolizing the highest level and honor of Starbucks' Chinese baristas. The reporter of Dawan News has learned that Hou Yilin is a native of Guoyang, Bozhou, Anhui Province. He has superb skills in drawing flowers. He can pull out a twelve layer tulip with a big milk vat to push back the tulip, and is praised by his partners as the "inheritor of intangible cultural heritage of the big milk vat".
He spent four years pulling flowers from the third floor to the twelfth floor
Coffee latte art is the art of pouring hot milk that has been finely frothed into concentrated coffee in a precise and controllable manner, and using the color contrast between the milk froth and coffee crema to "draw" patterns on the liquid surface.
Hou Yilin (English name Jerry) has a partner at Starbucks who grants him the title of "Inheritor of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Big Milk Jar". Guests often laugh when they hear this title for the first time, but when they see him pulling out a twelve layered tulip from a large milk tank, their smile often turns into astonishment.
The milk tank has a large diameter, making it difficult to create intricate patterns. But Hou Yilin believes that the difficulty of his companions' flower pulling should not be limited by equipment. He has been sharing flower pulling videos on social media, from leading his apprentices to use the "Thick Series" small green cup flower pulling, to this year's Rose Flower Pulling Challenge, from the third to the sixth layer, to the Double Tree Leaf Swinging Rose and Twelve Layer Rose, all completed in a large milk tank. There's only a difference of nine between three and twelve, "he said with a smile," but I spent four years on these nine levels
Four years ago, Hou Yilin was still a professional game trainer in Shanghai, relying on American coffee to stay alert every day. Until his grandmother said, 'I don't want him to be too far away from home after graduation,' he left Shanghai and returned to Hefei, Anhui, entering Starbucks. In his third month of employment, the store manager pushed him onto the competition stage. That year, he was not even skilled at pulling flowers. The store manager easily pulled out a leaf in front of him, and at that moment, the leaf deeply attracted him.
Hou Yilin began to delve into coffee culture, especially latte art, and gradually became a master. In 2023, Hou Yilin became the regional classic latte art champion (large milk vat). But what truly changed his understanding of Starbucks was his journey to Sumatra, where he personally planted a coffee tree in a foreign land. Although they didn't speak the same language, he felt the emotional bond between the two countries connected by coffee. At that moment, he realized that moral procurement was not an abstract concept in books, but a tangible and silent cultivation in the distance.
Will return to the store to continue promoting coffee culture
The Starbucks China Barista Competition is the pinnacle stage for over 70000 baristas nationwide to compete. This competition has gone through four stages: regional group competition, regional competition, regional competition, and regional competition, covering thousands of stores across the country. Finally, 11 contestants were selected to enter the national finals. Contestants not only need to possess strong professional skills as baristas, but also outstanding communication abilities and a passion for humanistic connections.
This competition is divided into two categories for the first time: the core group and the selection group. The coffee beans, coffee machines, brewing equipment, etc. used by different groups of contestants are highly consistent with the actual operation of core stores and premium stores, in order to examine the real strength accumulated by contestants in daily operations. At the same time, this competition has set up five major projects: blind coffee, latte art, brewing and storytelling, peak challenges, and creative special notes, which comprehensively evaluate professional skills, sensory abilities, innovation abilities, and customer communication abilities from multiple dimensions.
The two final national ambassadors represent the highest service standards of Starbucks core stores and Starbucks premium stores, respectively. We will continue to promote coffee culture in our stores and provide customers with a better coffee experience, "said Hou Yilin.
Da Wan News reporter Xiang Lei
Editor Cui Heng