"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the ...... of this year's World Barista Championship – Semi-Finals"

The next morning, when the game came as scheduled, Sakurako was waiting for the next match in the contestants' area with trepidation. After yesterday's round of battle, only 12 players from the world's 50 regions certified by the World Coffee Association have a chance to enter the next level of competition, and six of the 12 players who have reached the semi-finals will enter the finals after today's competition. Once in the finals, all competitors will have the opportunity to win a trophy certified by the World Coffee Association. However, for every barista who enters this stage of the competition, only winning the Barista of the Year competition is the best proof of their ability.

Now, Sakurako is about to fight for the six spots in the finals, and once she qualifies, it will be a cause for celebration for both Sakurako herself and Sakurano Sakurato Cafe. This is because no Japanese player has ever finished in the top six in the competition, and no one in Asia has won the title of International Barista Championship so far.

"Below...... We welcome the finalists to the finals, and the first one to step into the arena is the most mysterious coffee to date – the barista of Geisha in the forest, Sakurako Sakurai from Tokyo!"

With a not-so-enthusiastic applause in the venue, Sakurako stood in place and saluted to the front of the venue, and then walked into the arena with a smile on her face. For such a tournament, because it is held in an Asian country, there are not many spectators other than coffee workers. But...... If this event is placed in Europe and the United States, where coffee consumption is more developed, it will definitely be an eye-catching competition. Coffee, one of the world's top three beverages, has developed into a pivotal industry in today's era. So much so that in some countries, coffee is still considered the lifeblood of the country's economy. And in this industry chain, the most valuable is the specialty coffee. Therefore, once you win the World Barista Championship, it means that Sakura-no-Sato's coffee is one of the best coffees in the world.

……

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's game is divided into two parts, first the contestants have to prepare four cups of milk coffee for the four judges on the field, and then four cups of creative coffee. While the referee is drinking, the contestants can instruct and explain their coffee......"

After hearing the emcee on the field remind the players of the new rules again, Sakurako nodded silently in her heart, and then, when the game was announced, she devoted herself to making coffee.

Before making milk coffee, you first need to make a cup of pure taste Espresso, as a coffee without any other ingredients, Espresso can be said to be the drink that tests the quality of the coffee itself and the barista's roasting skills. After some thought last night, Sakurako chose to grind the espresso again, so that the particles of the coffee powder can be more delicate, so that the contact area with the hot water can be increased during the extraction process.

After skillfully grinding, plucking, and pressing, Sakurako placed the handle on the coffee machine, and then deliberately extended the extraction time in order to get more aromatic substances from the coffee.

By the time Sakurako finished making the espresso, the grinding and extraction time was more complicated than that of the other players, so there were already players on the field who started to complete their own works. At this time, Sakura is still unhurriedly adjusting the temperature and delicacy of the milk in order to prepare for the final latte art session.

"Okay, now only Sakurako Takuri from Japan has not finished her work, and just now we noticed that Ms. Sakurai seems to have re-ground the coffee. Does he want to accentuate the presence of coffee in milk coffee? Oh...... It's really puzzling!"

When Sakurako unhurriedly left a white cherry blossom pattern in each cup of coffee with her skillful and dexterous hands, the referees on the field couldn't wait to see the cup of milk coffee made from Geisha in the forest.

"Everyone, please wait a moment, if you can, I would like to ask you to taste this cup of coffee in front of you in two steps, first please taste the first sip, wait thirty seconds, please taste the next part!"

Hearing that Sakurako actually began to guide the referees on the steps of drinking coffee, the camera on the field immediately showed Sakurako's side, and then, the sound of the microphone worn on Sakurako's collar was also cut into the venue.

"If my guess is correct, the first thing you'll taste is the sweet aroma of this cereal, which is similar to baked oatmeal, which is mainly reflected in the aroma of caramel after the coffee has been roasted. Thirty seconds later, you'll taste aromas similar to ripe pomegranates......"

Under Sakurako's guidance, several judges first picked up the coffee cup and carefully tasted the taste of the first sip of coffee, indeed as Sakurako said, this cup of coffee tasted at first taste, there was a cereal aroma similar to roasted oatmeal, and this aroma tasted particularly good with milk. So when everyone had tried the deducted coffee, everyone put down the coffee cup in their hands, and then waited earnestly for the taste after thirty seconds.

"Alright, now you can taste the next taste!"

At Sakurako's prompt again, the referees on the field raised the coffee cup in front of them again and then tasted it seriously. At this time, I don't know how many people in the whole arena are paying attention to the situation on Sakurako's side, and everyone is curious whether the milk coffee made by Sakurako is really as magical as she said.

"Next, because the coffee has cooled a little bit and everyone has already experienced the sweetness of the milk, the fruity aroma is easier to notice, and I am reminded of the time when I first came into contact with Geisha in the woods, when a few of my friends tasted the Espresso made by Geisha in the woods, and they all said different fruit aromas. This was actually very confusing to me, and it wasn't until I bought the land there and built an ecological coffee garden that I realized that even two adjacent trees have different fruity and floral aromas......"

Hearing Sakurako's explanation, several referees present all nodded their heads in unison, and the magic of a cup of milk coffee was beyond their imagination. It is no exaggeration to say that being able to drink this cup of coffee may be the proudest thing for everyone this year.