With the help of Geisha in the forest, Sakurako passed the first stage of the competition with ease, and luckily got a ticket to the semi-finals, and when the first day of competition was over, almost all of the contestants, whether it was the contestants who came to participate in the World Barista Championship or the merchants who made a profit by running the coffee business, knew that Sakurano had a magical new variety of coffee beans in her hands. A miracle coffee that hasn't yet made its name at the Esmeralda Special Auction.

Geisha is a bean species that was first discovered in the jungles of Ethiopia, and its English spelling is Geisha, which is the same spelling as the Japanese geisha. When the coffee was brought from the jungles of Ethiopia to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya, it didn't attract the attention of the specialty coffee industry at first. From Ethiopia, to Kenya, to Tanzania, Uganda and Costa Rica, this humble coffee variety never had a chance to show its talents, until it was introduced to Panama in the '60s after nearly half a century of exile, and Geisha finally got the chance to prove its mettle, beating the victorious forces Bourbon, Kadulla, Kaduai, For three consecutive years, the company won the first prize in the Panama National Treasure Bean Cupping Competition, setting the industry's highest auction price of $130 per pound. Today, Geisha has become the undisputed king of the international specialty coffee industry.

And now, Sakura-no-Sakura, who holds a new coffee variety that has never been seen before, seems to be replicating this legend. Although coffee plantations in Central and South American countries seem to be in the limelight in today's international specialty coffee world, if you trace back to the roots, almost all coffee in the world is born in the jungles of Ethiopia, so ...... The more senior industry insiders are, the more they dare not underestimate the Geisha in the forest in Sakurako's hands, and everyone is curious, what kind of taste is the coffee that makes the judges linger?

However, at this time, Sakurako had no time to care about the turmoil outside the game, because ...... She is now thinking about how to cope with the more difficult matches ahead. The reason why Sakurako has this concern is mainly because there have been major changes in the rules of this year's competition. Contestants can instruct judges on how to drink their own coffee, a rule change that is too variable. After all...... A few years before the competition, almost all of the contestants did not spend their minds on the change in the taste of the coffee one second before and one second after.

"I'm so sorry to bother everyone to come and try coffee for me so late!"

"Don't mind, Sakurako-san, as long as I can help you win the game, I'm willing to sit here and drink the coffee you brewed all the time tonight......"

"No...... That would seriously damage the health of the body, so ...... You don't need to drink all the coffee, just taste it and tell me how you feel. ”

"Understood!"

When everyone was done to help Sakurako, everyone began to sit around the table and began to wait to try Sakurako's coffee.

After a moment's hesitation, Sakurako first took out the frozen coffee powder from the refrigerator and then began his own experiment, only to see Sakurako skillfully operate the steam coffee machine on the operating table, and then use the steam handle next to him to mix milk foam for milk. It wasn't until the final latte art work was completed that several cups of milk coffee were presented in front of everyone.

Now every ten seconds, please taste the coffee in your hand and tell me what is the difference, okay?

The coffee is made with milk at about 50 degrees, so there is no problem in drinking it directly. Lin Xiuyi first took a big sip, and then slowly experienced the silky and smooth taste of milk coffee. The sweetness of the milk neutralizes the bitterness and acidity of the coffee, so that the floral and fruity aromas hidden behind the bitterness can be more abundantly expressed.

"It's really delicious, and most of the time after you eat it, you can experience the mellow and sweet taste of milk, but ...... It's a bit like the feeling of drinking flower and fruit tea again. ”

……

After hearing Akemi's praise, Sakurako did not show a satisfied look, on the contrary, she continued to ask about the shortcomings and shortcomings of her coffee.

"I think the taste of milk is too strong, so the taste of coffee is not too prominent!"

……

When Lin Xiuyi thought about it for a while, he immediately gave his opinion.

"Huh, but...... Isn't the low-concentration extracted espresso and the high proportion of milk the mainstream of milk coffee this year? Today, even the emcee on the stage said that the reason why most people like milk coffee is actually because of the natural sweetness of milk and the fascinating taste. If the strength or proportion of the coffee is too high, won't it taste too bitter?"

Miko on the side retorted to Lin Xiuyi with some puzzlement, although her understanding of coffee is not as good as Lin Xiuyi, but she has just watched a world-class coffee competition, and she still knows a lot about some of this year's popular trends.

……

Sakurako couldn't help but hesitate a little after listening to Lin Shuichi's opinion, as Miko said, a small amount of low-extract Espresso is definitely the preference of the contestants in this year's competition to make milk coffee. Using a large amount of highly extracted espresso to make milk coffee risks losing the natural sweetness of milk. And this ...... It is the difficult choice that the contestants face when making milk coffee.

"Mr. Hayashi, do you think that using Espresso with a high extraction rate and reducing the amount of milk used will really be effective?"

After thinking about it for a long time, Sakurako couldn't help but ask for Lin Xiuyi's opinion with some melancholy.

"I just think that even if you choose milk coffee, you still want to drink the taste of coffee in the end, and although there are many people in today's competition who limit the ratio of coffee to milk to 1:4 or less, I don't think Geisha in the forest may have such concerns. Undoubtedly, Sakurako's coffee has a richer taste experience than other coffees. Whether it's dry or wet, I've never seen a coffee with such a rich taste expressiveness!"

Hearing Lin Xiuyi's encouragement, Sakurako once again picked up the handle of the coffee machine, and then got busy. Lin Xiuyi sat there silently, continuing to taste the cup of coffee that had not been finished just now.

"Actually...... I'm a little curious, what would it taste like if I used Geisha in the Forest to make iced milk coffee?"

"Ice milk coffee, isn't it...... Do you mean something like Hong Kong-style iced milk tea?"