Project Description

Taiwan
Melody Lu
Single Origin Espresso & Roast

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself:

I was born in Taiwan and grew up in Canada, it was back then in Calgary that I first began my foray into coffee. Eventually I migrated back to the mystical land of Asia, I do a little bit of everything: mainly as a barista, cupper, and consultant.

What are you excited to do while you are in Seoul?:

Have a very Korean-BBQ-and-naengmyeon-filled reunion with all the lovely coffee folks.

Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:

2011 Canadian Cup Tasters Championship – Champion
2014 Taiwan Brewers Cup Championship – 3rd Place
2014 Taiwan Barista Championship – 3rd Place
2016 Taiwan Barista Championship – Champion

Is there anyone you would like to thank or recognize, or who helped you to prepare for the WBC?:

…the list is still growing so I have to save this answer until the very end 😉

How do you see the coffee industry changing in the future?:

I think technology will come to aid even more so and make coffee easily available to people, but it’s still the human touch that makes coffee something that goes beyond a sensory pursuit. So I’d say the traditional role of a barista may evolve along to something with more capacity to concoct, and seeing more interesting takes on the business model of coffeehouses that would allow this to happen sustainably.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:

I will probably be doing something coffee-related, no preconception on what exactly though, because coffee has always taken me to places I have never expected (in a good way!)

What are your interests outside of coffee?:

Reading, watching movies, going out for walks with my dogs, cooking, travelling.

 plodia