Nelson Phu
Canada National Barista Championship 2026 · Calgary, Canada · Canada
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Nelson Phu, a barista of over ten years, reframes growth as something that is not linear and not about a destination, told through producer José Luis Chevas's leap from potato farming to a world-class natural geisha farm at El Salto on the eastern slope of Volcán Barú in Panama. Across his courses he focuses on small, almost invisible details — most notably accelerating the degassing of an extremely young geisha with a 69%-humidity cigar sachet so he can grind finer and extract more. His milk course evokes a Bounty bar through lactose-free and coconut milk, and his signature drink celebrates the journey itself by removing CO2 from a tonic to lift its citrus and building it with canned-peach sugar and a coconut cold syrup steamed together at 45°C.
Theme
Growth is not linear and not about a destination — a 10+ year barista's reflection on growing in our own direction, at our own speed, by stepping off the linear path
Highlights
- · Built the whole performance around the idea that growth in coffee is not a linear farm-to-cup, barista-to-manager path but happens in our own direction and at our own speed
- · Told the story of producer José Luis Chevas, who at 18 in 2016 leapt off the linear path and transitioned his family's land from large-scale potato farming into a world-class specialty geisha farm
- · Sourced an extremely young natural geisha that arrived in Calgary one month off harvest, with high internal water activity trapping CO2 and creating thick, heavy crema
- · Accelerated degassing using a cigar-storage humidity sachet (69% relative humidity) sealed in with the beans for five days, letting CO2 escape while avoiding oxidation — allowing a finer grind and higher extraction
- · Composed a milk blend of lactose-free 2% milk (for simple sweetness / bounty bar) plus 30% coconut milk (for weight and hazelnut) to evoke a Bounty bar — milk chocolate covered in shaved coconut
- · Closed with a signature drink whose tonic had its carbon dioxide removed to enhance citrus, layered with canned-peach sugar and a coconut cold syrup, all steamed together at 45°C
Performance Breakdown
Espresso Course
Geisha
- Dose
- 25g in the basket, 45g into the cups
- Preparation
- An unhurried approach mirroring José's slow, meticulous processing; recipe 'walked the linear path' at 25g in / 45g out
Flavor Descriptors
Tactile / Mouthfeel
Served with a menu as a guide and dirty spoons in the middle tumbler; judges invited to take an unhurried, visual evaluation first
Milk Beverage Course
Geisha
- Milk
- Lactose-free 2% fat milk plus 30% coconut milk
- Ratio
- 30% coconut milk in the blend
- Milk Prep
- Lactose-free 2% milk supplies simple sugars and simple sweetness (bounty bar — milk chocolate covered in shaved coconut); 30% coconut milk, naturally high in fat, adds weight and a hazelnut note
Flavor Descriptors
Tactile / Mouthfeel
Most of the crema gone despite the coffee being roasted only five days earlier; judges given a visual evaluation and asked to taste the course together
Signature Beverage Course
A celebration of growth as a journey, not a destination
Geisha
- Served
- Hot, then evolving — creamy when hot, juicy as it cools
- Concept
- Celebrate growth as embracing the journey rather than crossing a finish line; judges invited to reflect on their own first day in coffee and how far they have come
Ingredients & Layers
Degassed tonic (CO2 removed)
Carbon dioxide removed from 100 grams of tonic in a magnetic mixer so the carbonic acid leaves, enhancing the primary flavor
Sugar
95 grams of sugar
Coconut cold syrup
50g cold water, 50g castor sugar (fine grain, dissolves easily in cold water) and 1g coconut milk powder for natural fat to bind the sugars together
Flavor Descriptors
All ingredients steamed together at 45°C; judges asked to only evaluate after he calls time
Full Transcript
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Introduction
And time! Does growth only matter if we're moving ourselves forward? We've all been told if you're moving towards your destination, well, you're just standing still. I've been a barista for over 10 years. This idea still haunts me. Have I truly grown as a barista? Our industry grows incredibly fast, but I've always felt a constant pressure just to keep pace. So when I'm not climbing, it does feel like I'm falling. Because in coffee, we view growth in this very specific shape. It's a linear path.
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