My WBC Winning Routine: Analysis, Tips, Tricks & Stories 

"Always make sure to pack extra glassware" Ok James, I'll make sure to pack extra glassware when I compete for the world barista championships.

this has to be is the single most niche video i've ever watched

This is how I speak serving a Nespresso to my crew.

James: I kept telling them to “enjoy” it but that kind of thing doesn’t work. Also James: The judges didn’t remember much of my performance, only that they “enjoyed” it. 😂

He looked like he was 15 back then yet he still had the same deep voice. The mystery of his aging process truly is something.

I wanna see an anime adaption of the World Barista Championship with James Hoffmann as the protagonist

I- I didn’t even know he used to compete.. I thought he just REALLY liked coffee.. I have even more respect for this guy now!

All the judges really remembered was that they "enjoyed" it... I guess your imprinting worked.

Won't remember the content of this video in a few years, but will definitely remember enjoying it.

Holy crap, that was you! I remember taking a translation test back in 2010. The text was a set of unpublished tasting notes from one of the judges, in Hungarian, to be back-translated into English. I still remember it as one of the most interesting, unusual texts I've ever read (especially as a technical translator with no culinary background). I've been watching your videos for months now, and I just now put two and two together.

My biggest fear in life is having to make James Hoffman a cup of coffee

There are a lot of nuggets of info in this that are applicable to situations outside of barista comps. 1. know the rules and how to bend them 2. know your audience's expectations and how to pleasantly subvert them 3. commonplace themes or ingredients can be creative if used properly 4. people remember how you made them feel more than anything else 5. let your character shine through. People like it when you're unapologetically yourself. 6. word choice can set the mood for your audience and prime them for a better experience 7. things usually don't go the way you plan. Keep calm and roll with the punches. 8. have a plan B. Come with spare parts. 9. Have empathy for your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. 10. too much caffeine makes nervousness worse. 11. If you train with a handicap or under sub optimal conditions, you'll do well on game day.

I find it amazing that so many of James' followers, including myself, had no idea that he was a world barista champion. Despite not knowing this, we have all enjoyed the way James approaches his reviews, recommendations, etc in a consistent manner, trusting him based on his know-how rather than being biased by his paper credentials. This is for me like passing a "blind test" of coffee enjoyment.

"People compete without reading every single rule, and I think that's insane!" Love his proffesionalism and dedication to his trade.

I really *ENJOYED* this

James was on that single estate buzz way before everyone else.. a true barista hipster

A master class in communication, both in the competition, and the commentary. It's never entirely what you say to people, it's the way you make them feel!

"Practice making mistakes" is great advice for any sort of competition.

Mr. Hoffman, I enjoyed this presentation as well as the one I saw in Bern during the 2006 WBC. I was the national champion for Puerto Rico at the time. Thank you for your dedication and inspiration. I saw Jose Arreola in the background. We are with him this weekend in PR for the National CIGS and the National Latte Art Championships.

"The rules have changed ..." Yes, it seems like your antics broke the competition so badly they had to come up with new rules!!! ;-) I loved the story. Thanks!

James: "I used to look ridiculous, the hair the glasses, the lot." Also James: *wears glasses made out of red gummy bears*

It honestly annoys me when people say this is a "hipster" thing. This has been going on for years. People compete in baking and cooking. I dont see how this is different. Theres legit talent that comes into making a good ass cup of coffee.

I don't even drink coffee, how have I watched about ten of this gentleman's videos today?

I thought this would be a silly, but you made it really insightful. And be generous to your ten-years-ago self. He did eventually turn out alright, you know.

Fun fact: blackcurrant was actually banned in the Usa for a long time because apparently it produced a fungus that damaged pine trees, which would be devastating for the logging industry. And still blackcurrant is really uncommon in the us. That’s why in Europe we have blackcurrant flavoured candies and in the USA those same candies would have grape flavour (for example fruittella/starburst). And it’s also why the judges didn’t know what blackcurrant was!

I'd like to see your go-to home routine, i.e. what you make in the morning most of the time.

You can see why he was the world champ. He takes bold risks. He knows the rules. He knows how to bend them. He exudes class and professionalism. It's like every rule change or introduction for the next year's competition was because of him.

10:35 To think that James found (or should I say made?) a loophole which eventually gave way to competitors in the following years. You could almost say James walked so others could run 👏🏼

Why am I watching this? I enjoyed it though.

i think about this video often because it has tremendously impacted how i approach going to work as a barista in specialty coffee. customers aren’t world class coffee judges, but they are the ones responsible for keeping the cafe where i work in business. i have found that the more patient and encouraging that i am, the more i can help someone have an enjoyable experience, even if they don’t necessarily love their drink. the tip about having empathy for your judges, as well as keeping in mind reasonable taste vocabulary, is a big part of how i interact with customers at my job, and it’s really made what was previously just another job to help me with my music career into something worth getting up early in the morning to do

The video that brought me here to this video was the unedited video of your performance. My biggest take away from your presentation was that you seemed to really enjoy serving the judges and informing them of your coffee choices. I love situations like that. I've fallen down a rabbit hole of your channel lately. So much so that I've purchased my first hand grinder and a V60. I've been doing old school pour over for years after moving from French press and I'm enjoying my new morning routine. Thank you, sir.

When I competed for business pitches, I did exactly as you recommend here. I looked for the gray areas in the rules. You're supposed to give your pitch in X minutes and then answer questions for Y minutes, so what I did was I set up exactly the questions I wanted the audience to ask in my Y minutes, so I could then practice those questions and effectively spend the Y minutes to extend my pitch. Not in a way that would violate the spirit of the rules, but in a way that it would give the audience a breather from a fairly intense and loaded business case. Questions are a primer; Which is to say, it piques the interest because the audience now feels a new arc of tension that you can use to grab their attention again. So after you've already told a great pitch, the audience question gives you an opportunity to show off that you know your stuff and that is itself the story that you're trying to sell. So I deliberately left information out of the pitch that I knew I would be asked and then let the audience ask the question so I could answer it in a way that was more entertaining than if I just soullessly read up numbers. I made about 10,000 dollars across two competitions that way. Always read the rules, try to find how to get to the minimum of those rules with the least amount of effort and then use whatever time you have left to lay it on thicker and thicker that you're winning material.

Mr. Hoffman, I think that you have an amazing opportunity to create some great specialty coffee content. These types of videos are unique and very much needed in our industry. Please continue knowing you have my support!

"Anecdote - I did almost kill Heston Blumenthal with and iteration of this drink" Hold up...

Hey the neurolinguistic thing works! Here in France, the waiter always offers the wine with complementary words like "Precious. Full-bodied. Etc." They have even conducted blind taste tests of very expensive wines introduced vulgarly against cheap wines introduced with complementary words, and people always admit that the cheap wine tasted better! The taste is in the brain! Well done!

I feel like over the years James’ appearance adapted to match his voice

Even for people who are not coffee geeks, this is a masterclass in preparation and presentation. The NLP aspect was interesting. I wouldn’t even have picked it up. It’s a great model for how to use language in a competition like this, where you are using your presentation skills as a vehicle to enhance the experience of the product, in this case coffee, that you are presenting.

James you were just as articulate 10 years ago as you are now. A pleasure to listen to you, video after video.

A masterclass in communication, I can watch this over & over.

It's like a proud father watching his son...except it's him! Nice breakdown. Thanks for sharing.

Just want to say I really enjoy this longer content. Thank you!

This is amazing, I’m lost for words on your presentation and overall technique

Thank you for making this video, and taking us a trip down your memory lane at the competition. As an aspiring orchestral conductor, I am humbled - even moved - by the knowledge and insights you shared, for they resonate with my take on what I do with music for people. I really enjoyed your sharing on using descriptors, practise making mistakes (!), and the often misconstrued conception of creativity. Having been introduced to specialty coffee since November 2018, the experience of making, tasting, judging and enjoying the coffee have helped me realise and manage my subconscious fears, insecurities and hesitancy; all of that as a result of one's daily ritual of making Aeropress coffee. I can only imagine how much perseverance, discipline and deep reflection baristas like you have made as you continue to shape your craft. Thank you for taking time to read my comment, and keep making these videos. Take care and all the best! P.S. I've read your World Atlas of Coffee book too - would love to try Yunan coffee someday!

Fascinating James. I’m pretty sure I actually saw this clip originally when it was first aired and it blew me away! Your hair and specs were cool too! Thanks for a great video.

A masterclass, thank you. Many of your points are relevant to any competition (in my case, gliding).

Bravo. Thank you for allowing us to take a peak into the thought process of the competitor.

This was really nice, I remember you winning WBC back in the day very well as I was just getting into coffee back then! Thanks for the the inspiration, back then and now, and the walk-though, very interesting!

I am glade we got to see this! I would have never known you competed like that. It has brought my view of your expertise to a whole new level!

I always really enjoy your analytical thought and insight even more than the actual coffee content on this channel. I am confident with your intellectual talent, you would have been very successful at so many different subjects. Your current success in this industry is not an accident. Lucky for us, you graciously share your passion for coffee. Please continue, and thank you.

Very nice, makes me feel privileged to have been part of this bit of history; the emerging speciality coffee scene/community of London. You have played a huge part in that, thank you.

Since watching you and seeing your championship video and your narration of what you was doing I think it’s good that you have come this far to tell the story of how you got here

Hello James, I just wanted to take a second and say that I really enjoy your channel! I love coffee and and I love the time, care and quality that you put into your videos, keep up the great content!

Amazing performance and that Midlake in the background really takes me back.

Coming back to this as shortly after the 2022 WBC and as I prepare for an interview...this was both entertaining and helpful. Thank you as always, James.

Thanks James. I have watched many of the championship videos now and not understood too much. But this gives me so much more confidence in knowing with some hard work and getting a good coach I could too win one some day!

I’ve learned a lot from this video. Not just about the competition or coffee. But also in our life’s “presentations”. How we can challenge an idea and aim to be better. This is just nice.

I must say: as a linguistics nerd, I am thoroughly impressed with the fact that you are into neurolinguistics.

You are, single-handedly, the best story teller! Your eloquence and accent are as smooth as the espressos you serve. I love this channel!

Very insightful and informative. I, as someone who is completely out of the loop on this competitions, really enjoyed your unpacking of the competition. Also, I really appreciate you commenting on your past mistakes, it does really provide encouragement for everyone struggling with their projects. Any mastery comes from a lot of hard work and mistakes. Thanks for sharing this!

thank u soooo much for making all these videos full of valuable content😭thanks to technology that gives me the opportunity to watch your videos😭😭😭I’m so so sincerely grateful for what u r doing for this industry😭😭I’m just a beginner of the huge coffee culture and I know how professional and famous u r in this industry, but I’m so amazed by your efforts...

Had no idea this world existed. Buying my Breville Barista Touch has opened up a whole new world to me. Best of all it has opened up coffee better than I had been buying at Starbucks for much less money. Who knew coffee could be exciting? Everything about this performance screams intelligence to me. I have no idea how this would actually taste but I am sold just by the simple act of watching this. I watched the original stand alone the other day and was very impressed. The added commentary here just confirms what came through loud and clear by watching the original video.

This is actually a very illuminating video to watch as a college teacher (maths & physics for my sake). The importance of establishing an empathetic connection with your students in order to let the concepts and workflows of your subject "suffuse" into their own mind and imagination can't be overstated. One might think that the logic of maths and the phenomenology of physics would be enough in its own right, but it's the students *perception* of logic and the students *experience* of physical phenomena that counts - which I'm guessing corresponds to the judges experience of what your coffee tasted like. Doesn't matter if you're a teacher, a barista or a magician, you gotta work your audience. 😉

No mocking you James! You have so much to share! I love your videos!

Awesome video. Thanks for the backstories. Happy holidays, James!

Me: Wow that cappuccino looks amazing James: Terrible latte art, terrible depth I know I succ smh Me: :0

"Practice making mistakes." I'm a pro in making mistakes already.

Classic James Hofmann! Watched the original which I enjoyed but this version was so illuminating! Thank you James🙏🙏🙏

20:23 I like that! Applies to a lot of things really, more often than not being able to connect/empathize weighs a lot more than being technical/correct. Been binging on your channel for the past days and i can really feel that from your videos. I really appreciate the way you share your love and passion for coffee🖤 Thank you for this!

Thoroughly enjoyed this presentation. James, I would love to watch some further commentary/reaction videos of other excellent or winning WBC routines by other competitors or from other years.

I often see this video pop up in my recommended list, but never clicked because I assumed it was targeted for barista competitors, and I wouldn't appreciate gaining nothing from a 21min technical video. Just realised how wrong I was. While I'm sure this was very useful for competitors, I loved how the advice was tied back to creativity, being adaptable and giving a good experience to people without them realising it, ideas that are very applicable and significant. As usual, your inspiring perspective made this video a truly enjoyable one :)

James is always so well spoken really enjoy listening to him

Dude.... I've watched this routine about 10 times... each time I catch something new... just an amazing show!

I remember watching the live stream of this performance. You once mentioned how few actual competitions you had competed in up until the world championships. Was it 3? Stephen Morrisey's 2008 routine was so likeable. The music was spot on.

The skills of using the right number of words in communication is certainly a skill we can all learn form.

Thanks so much for sharing! This was so awesome, and congrats so many years later!

Brilliant commentary and self-reflection. This is an incredibly enjoyable watch.

I feel like I learn more about coffee and the person I aspire to be when I watch your videos.

Would say the same for any vocal performance. While being technical is important, the Maya Angelou saying still stands... People might forget the things you said or did, but they will never forget... how you made them feel! Whether a musical performance, cooking competition, painting demo or coffee championship... When all is said & done, what matters more than anything.. is making that emotional connection w/ everything & everyone. Thought it was a very good performance. Well spoken & apparently, very creative, well made drinks too... We would all be overly critical of ourselves, but looks like you had fun, thanks for sharing!! :) Stay safe, be well & ... ENJOY! :)

I've been looking for something new to watch and I think WBC throughout the years is it!

I really enjoyed this. Its nice to see where you come from and what you have done in the past.

This was so eye-opening. I feel like I might take inspiration from this in teaching and storytelling. Until now, I honestly did not think coffee was such a deep or conscious thing

Had to watch this again soon after watching Morgan Eckroth's performance. Interesting how much the setup of the competition has changed and how much more high-production and polished it is today.

James, lovely to give so much. Thank you. I am not competition though just enjoying at home and with friends

Thank you James for revisiting this. I forgot how key this performance and pushing the status quo was.

Why this in my recomendation? im ENJOYED it

I always knew ciggies and coffee went together. I'd like to announce now my signature drink at the next WBC will be a mug of international roast and a winnie blue.

Stumbled onto your channel and got hooked. It was nice and helpful to learn of your extensive background and knowledge base. Nice to know info... 👏👏👏👍

Delighted but hardly surprised to learn about your Blumenthal/Chefsteps connections. This is perhaps the third video of yours I've queued up, and what a perfect introduction to your background and personality. Subscribed :)

Love from Kenya, personally think twas a stellar performance, from how u explained your process, choices and what was in front if the judges, excellent.

I studied gastronomy in college (Mexico) and i've been a cook and chef in different places for the last 2 years. I now see why I like your videos so much. The way you approach and think about coffee. Even though I studied for years to get my Gastronomy degree, i'd say more than half of things I know now were self taught. Mixed in with all of my influences, Blumenthal and Chefsteps have been a great part of how I think about food now. A curious connection.

Hi James, this "going-through" video was really helpful. It offered me a new perspective, a new way of seeing what I'm currently doing. Although at the moment I'm not about to enter in a coffee competition (yet), this video is in fact a great tool. Thank you.

This is so amazing. I saw this video of "the younger" you and was so impressed. So eloquent..! Then I started watching your utube videos and thought the same thing.. I totally did not connect that you were both the same person..! Wow..! U have truly found your calling..!

i love the fact that you subliminally brainwashed them. someone should work in PR.

Thanks James for this video, couldn't agree more on the empathy with the judges

This guy is awesome ... the more I watch JH's videos the more I appreciate the clarity and sheer eloquence ...

I have to say, the best English from a comments section I've ever read on RU-vid. Very enjoyable video and pleasant discussions afterward :) what a delight! Truly.

You statement about using the tasting note "black currant" and the judges not knowing what that was echoes what Morgan from MorganDrinksCoffee experienced this year at the barista championships when she used the tasting note "yuzu" which is a wonderful citrus fruit that... again some of the judges didn't know. She smartly adjusted her tasting notes in later rounds, but I found this a great point you both made for extremely similar reasons.

The Donut coffee makes so much sense when watching this performance.

This was a fascinating video and commentary, thanks James.

Another terrific video James ..... Really enjoyed it . Interesting the points you make about knowing the rules and how to bend them ! Enjoyable 😉😉😉