Copious tears of happiness were shed this Sunday evening when Yuko Inoue was announced winner of Coffee Masters NYC, 2016.
Having flown half way around the world to represent London’s Timberyard, the pressure on Yuko to take home the crown must have been immense — especially having gotten so close (Yuko was runner-up) in the London edition of the competition back in April. Nevertheless, the girl did good, refusing to let the intensity of the competition get to her — even with Onyx Coffee Lab’s Dylan Siemens persistently hot on her tail. The end result? Staggeringly close, with Yuko earning 67 points and Dylan 64.5.
Huge, huge, huge congratulations to Yuku, Dylan, and all of the other competitors. And massive thank you’s to our sponsors: The Good Roast by The Roasting Party, Sanremo Coffee Machines, Espresso Parts, Pacific Foods, Pentair, Battenkill Valley Creamery, Curtis, Bonavita and Mahlkonig.
Applications for the next competition — which will be held at The London Coffee Festival 6-9 April, 2017 — are now open. Click here for more details.
In the meantime, here are some photos of all the action…