Taupō barista Jenna Phillips earns People’s Choice Award in coffee awards

Taupō barista Jenna Phillips, 21, at Sacred Grounds in Taupō with her People's Champion Award. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

Taupō barista Jenna Phillips, 21, has placed fourth in the finals of the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association Meadowfresh NZ Barista Championship and also took out the People’s Choice Award.

The championship requires contestants to bring their own beans and then create three coffee drinks in 15 minutes for the judges - an espresso, a milk beverage and a signature beverage.

Jenna works at her father Greg’s roastery and cafe Sacred Grounds Coffee. She roasted Columbian beans to take to the contest and impressed the judges with notes of blackberry, molasses and rock melon.

Greg said it was a huge achievement to place fourth and winning the People’s Choice Award was also a surprise given they were up against competitors from much larger centres.

“Taupō people really got behind Jenna.”

Jenna broke with tradition and used a combination of cow mik and oat milk in her milk-based beverage.

She said she provided the special coffee to anyone who specifically asked for it

Jenna has been creating coffees since she was 12 years old.

“My dad was in coffee before I was even born, so kinda born into it, but I’ve always worked in hospo, never anything else, and when I came to work here it was kind of like you know how to make coffee but when you work for a roastery it is completely different. There is so many aspects of coffee.”

Jenna studied at the NZ Coffee School in Nelson, and is one of only 17 authorised instructors for the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association.

Jenna says her father’s business sources beans from South America because it’s the nicest coffee. She hasn’t been to the farms but would love to tour one day.

Business is growing, and the roastery supplies cafes in Taupō, Tauranga, Auckland, Napier and other places around the central North Island.

She says the secret to a good coffee is to take your time and start with good beans.

“If you find a really nice bean and you run your shop right and run to the recipe as instructed by the roaster then you usually make a good cup of coffee.”