Kingsland barista's quirky approach nearly snatches the top spot

Christchurch barista Addison Dale was crowned winner at the Huhtamaki New Zealand Barista Championship in Wellington.

Two Auckland baristas have earned spots among the country's top coffee makers.

Sam Low from Atomic Coffee in Kingsland and BK Kang from Return of Rad in Mt Eden placed second and third, respectively, at the Huhtamaki New Zealand Barista Championship 2015 held in Wellington over the weekend.

Addison Dale from Pure Coffee in Christchurch triumphed over the 22-strong field to take the top spot.

Twenty-three-year-old Mr Low, who had competed in the competition once before, decided to take a "light-hearted" approach to his routine this year.

"I've named my coffee Tammy and throughout the three courses it was like a progression of her becoming who she is today.

"I started off with my cappuccino and that represented her at a young age - she's approachable to consumers. Then her as an espresso, she was a little bit more complex, more like a teenager.

"For my signature beverage, I added ingredients that paid homage to where she was from, so I used a black tea from Kenya because Tammy is from the Nyeri of Kenya."

It was called "Tammy's 21st", Mr Low said. Runner-up was a complete surprise, he added.

Mr Kang, who has been a barista for four years, took a more serious approach.

"I was aiming for first, so it's a little disappointing [ but] third is not a bad place, I guess."

And while they didn't come out on top over the weekend, Mr Kang and Mr Low have won in other competitions.

Mr Kang snatched first place at the inaugural New Zealand AeroPress Championship in February.

As winner of the coffee handbrewing competition, the 28-year-old is due to head to Seattle next month to represent New Zealand.

Mr Low is due to represent New Zealand at the World Latte Art Champs in Sweden in June. He won the New Zealand competition on Friday.

Winner Addison Dale will represent New Zealand at the World Barista Championship in Seattle next month.

After coming fourth last year, he said he spent more time honing his skills and practising his performance ahead of this year's competition.

"I'm stoked. I wasn't sure during the finals whether I was going to win because of the high level of the competition. It was totally different to last year because this year there were so many newcomers."

Barista championship judge David Green said competitors had set a new standard this year, with Mr Dale showing his experience in the field.

"Addison is awesome. He's the consummate professional. He learns and absorbs everything and builds on it each year, and this year it's paid off," Mr Green said.