We proceed our interview with the just lately topped World Espresso in Good Spirits Champion.

BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Pictures courtesy of Georgius Audrey Teja

After Georgius Audrey Teja received the 2025 Indonesia World Espresso in Good Spirits Championship, he received critical. 

The espresso competitor—who goes by Odi and works at So So Good Espresso Firm and Omakafé in Jakarta, Indonesia—spent six months shaping his efficiency for the World Espresso in Good Spirits Championship (WCIGS)‚ together with many nights spent on the apply facility. The onerous work paid off for Odi, who received the occasion in Geneva, Switzerland, final month, and is the 2025 World Espresso in Good Spirits Champion. 

Learn the primary a part of our chat with Odi right here. Within the conclusion of our interview in the present day, we discuss apply, crafting drinks for the world stage, and Odi’s new function as a espresso and cocktail ambassador.

This interview has been flippantly edited for size and readability.

Barista Journal On-line: I learn that you simply pushed your self very onerous for this competitors. Are you able to discuss your apply routine and the way you ready for World CIGS? 

Odi: My method to WCIGS 2025 was a bit completely different than some other apply routine I’ve ever executed. I wrote down what I discovered from the nationwide spherical and tried to apply that to the WCIGS 2025. I went to completely different individuals to assist me by the competitors: a therapist to assist me put together mentally; a public talking coach that helped me to be a superb public speaker and presenter; and so many individuals in our workforce that helped me in their very own distinctive manner, together with varied coaches and judges for his or her suggestions.

Practising for competitors in our ecosystem doesn’t imply I can simply apply with out doing any each day job; that is extra like an extracurricular, and a facility that was given to us by Mikael. So I nonetheless had to work roughly 9-5, then apply outdoors of my working hours on the Frequent Grounds roastery, each day after work and on the weekend. Even me and (2025 Indonesia Brewers Cup Champion) Bayu Prawiro usually slept on the roastery to make it simpler for us to coach with out having to commute from our place to the coaching place, since our houses are fairly distant. I cut up my time between apply on the roastery and constructing the cocktails at Omakafé, as a result of that’s the place our lab is. 

I spent round six months from profitable the nationals to Could 2025 to construct all of the ideas, drinks, and workflow. Then in June, I simply wanted to do any high-quality adjustment as soon as the sponsored spirit was introduced.

About your routine: You talked about on Instagram that you simply wished to carry a bit of Indonesia with you to the competitors. Are you able to describe how you probably did that by your theme?

I at all times wished to carry Indonesia to the world stage, and WCIGS 2025 was my probability. When deciding what to current on the world stage, my thoughts revolved round: “What ought to I carry to the desk?” Then immediately, on a random day in January, my thoughts recalled Mikael explaining to me about Omakafé’s emblem, which represents two espresso beans and a bit of root. The basis in Omakafé’s emblem reveals {that a} root doesn’t simply take from the encompassing, but in addition offers again in one other type to maintain the ecosystem. I additionally realized that “roots” have a deeper which means, with varied interpretations. They can symbolize origin, elements, and absorbing inspiration from others. This may be the spine of the entire drinks that I offered at WCIGS 2025.

Which drinks did you then concoct to go along with that theme?

My sizzling designer drink was impressed by a conventional medicinal beverage from Java island in Indonesia referred to as jamu, a childhood reminiscence of mine. It represents my origin, Indonesia, and the root as an ingredient. Certainly one of my favourite jamu drinks is kunyit asem, or tamarind turmeric, a basic jamu with turmeric, tamarind, and palm sugar. It’s candy, herby, and spicy, with a tanginess from the tamarind. Then, I made a decision to make use of espresso from Bali Kintamani in Indonesia, which elevated your entire story and taste on the similar time.

My chilly designer drink was impressed by the basis of neo-classical espresso cocktails, the espresso martini, which was invented by Dick Bradsell responding to a man saying, “Wake me up, mess me up.” This time, I used to be utilizing a espresso from Finca Las Flores, a Java varietal that was named after the Java island in Indonesia. Then as the basis factor, I made a torch ginger and licorice root cordial, which performs a giant function within the complexity and deep herb notes. I blended it with Nikka Coffey vodka for a creamy texture, mixed with Ki No Bi gin so as to add floral aromatics like citrus. As the ultimate contact, I gave the judges a pipette of sodium bicarbonate that shifted the espresso martini’s high quality as soon as blended—from creamy, full, and vibrant to effervescent, juicy, and playful. 

Lastly, there was the Irish espresso—the basis of basic espresso cocktails, and one of many the reason why CIGS was created. I used the identical Java espresso for this course. What made my Irish espresso particular was the sugar, which I introduced from Indonesia. I used sorghum brown sugar, a pure sweetener that comes from the juice of the sorghum plant. It’s candy, savory, and low in glycemic index. Though sorghum just isn’t a local plant in Indonesia, it has been planted in the east aspect of Indonesia for a very long time. 

Lastly, are you able to discuss what it felt like to listen to your identify referred to as because the winner?

To be trustworthy, none of us anticipated that we would be coming dwelling as a world champion, since everyone knows that it’s onerous to turn into a world champion, and particularly as this was my first world espresso competitors and the second WCIGS for us as a workforce. 

It felt surreal, and I used to be confused, proud, overwhelmingly blissful, and hyped—all on the similar time—because the factor that I had been dreaming of lastly got here true, and all of the onerous work that we put in as a workforce lastly paid off in full. Turning into a champion just isn’t a simple process for certain; nonetheless, I’m grateful to bear that title. 

What does it imply to you to symbolize Indonesia because the World CIGS Champion?

Being topped as a brand new World Espresso in Good Spirit Champion means that I should be a espresso ambassador that represents not simply espresso, but in addition the bar trade. Apart from that, I symbolize Indonesia as a rustic, which implies my responsibility as an envoy extends to selling and introducing Indonesia to the world stage as a lot as I can, from espresso to beverage creations.

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