Coffee Masters requires a certain amount of luck to start with. You cannot simply rely on being picked among the competitors. So, as a rule of thumb, a little bit of luck must be involved to a certain extent.
The competition was always seen as a tool to learn, to expand your network, but most importantly, to improve on an individual level and have the experience. As a result of the pandemic, no competitions were happening. Out of the blue, Coffee Masters announced it will be happening and we did not hesitate. The Coffee Masters competition requires you to film a video of your signature drink, and we knew we could deliver this because making cocktails feels very natural to me. I previously worked in some of the best cocktail venues in London!
As this competition is very broad, I thought of how I would utilize all the time I had left after I found out I am competing, up until the event.
I worked in a café at the time, and I would use all the help from friends so I could fill the gaps as soon as possible. Coffee Masters is one of those competitions I looked up to as the Olympic Games of coffee. I knew that only good and credible professionals take part in it. What I liked most about that was the idea of getting to be judged by far more competent people than myself. It was for the sake of them telling me what I need to work on to improve. The possibility of measuring the skills I have, to a skill of real professionals was something I thought of as an advantage. I wanted to be told what I need to improve on to be a better professional than I was yesterday.
In the end, it worked out all right, did it not? However, winning is not and should not be the point of this, or any competition.
I think that the idea of competition should be solely based on the idea of constant improvement. It can be used as a benchmark for all the participants while judges carefully listen to concerns and suggestions on how to improve the competition on a regular basis. That is also something unique about CM and it should be mentioned and highlighted. The organizers and the judges want to hear your feedback on how the competition as a whole rolled out. They seriously want to hear suggestions to make sure it is developing. Just like you and your fellow competitors, whom you are likely seeing next year because although the competition is tiring and demanding, everybody is a winner. Why is that?
If you put 100 hours of training into place, you have invested in yourself. You invested into yourself becoming better before you put those hours in place. Would you do that otherwise? Maybe not. But it is very important to mention that nobody is taking those hours of practicing away from you, and it is you and your surrounding who will benefit from all your hard work. It is a win-win situation regardless of being first or last. <3
Italiano 
English (UK)