MARTA PUŚCIAN | OPOLE, POLAND 2019
MARTA PUŚCIAN
WINNER OF THE THIRD POLISH COMANDANTE GRIND & BREW CUP
(HARD BEANS ROASTERY, OPOLE)
MARTA PUŚCIAN23
BRAŃSZCZYK, IT’S NEAR WARSAW. IT’S A SMALL VILLAGE, UNFORTUNATELY NO CAFES AT ALL!
I WORK IN BRISMAN KAWOWY BAR IN POZNAŃ FOR OVER A YEAR NOW. MY JOB IS BEING BRISMAN, WHICH IS KIND OF A BARISTA BUT ALSO A BIT OF A COFFEE PIRATE.
WHAT DOES COFFEE MEAN TO YOU?
COFFEE IS MY JOB, FAVOURITE WAY OF SPENDING TIME, THE BEST IDEA FOR A TRIP. COFFEE IS A HUGE PART OF MY LIFE AND I HOPE IT WILL REMAIN SO.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT COMANDANTE GRINDERS, AND HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THEM?
COMANDANTE IS A THING FOREVER! I’M PRETTY SURE THAT MY CHILD WILL USE THIS GRINDER IN THE FUTURE! (OF COURSE ONLY WHEN IT’S GROWN-UP ENOUGH FOR THAT!) I LOVE THIS GRINDER FOR GRINDING SPEED, PRECISION, AND VISUAL ASPECT.
I FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT COMANDANTE ALL THE TIME EVER SINCE I STARTED WORKING WITH COFFEE.
WHY DID YOU APPLY FOR THE COMANDANTE GRIND & BREW CUP?
HA! THAT’S A FUNNY STORY BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE IF I WANT TO PARTICIPATE THIS YEAR! IT WAS A BIT OF LUCK AND MAYBE A DESTINY, I DON’T KNOW? MY BOSS ORGANIZED A SMALL INTERNAL COMPETITION IN OUR CAFE BRISMAN; I WANTED TO GIVE A CHANCE TO OTHER PEOPLE IN MY TEAM (IT WAS MY SECOND TIME IN COMANDANTE GRIND & BREW CUP, AND I HAD OTHER DUTIES AT THE UNIVERSITY). BECAUSE OF THAT, I DIDN’T PREPARE MYSELF FOR THIS CHALLENGE TOO MUCH, I JUST MADE A CUP OF COFFEE LIKE I ALWAYS DO AT HOME - NO STRESS. IT MADE THE BEST ONE AND I HAD NO CHOICE - I WENT TO OPOLE.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MAKING COFFEE?
I LOVE TO UNDERSTAND COFFEE FLAVOUR, TO EXPLORE BREWING METHODS, VARIETIES OF BEANS, REGIONS, PROCESSES. I LOVE MAKING COFFEE FOR PEOPLE WHO NEVER TASTED SPECIALTY COFFEE BEFORE, AND SEE THEM COMING BACK FOR ANOTHER ONE CUP OF COFFEE; THAT IS SIMPLY THE BEST FEELING!
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS?
I LOVE TO SHARE MY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT COFFEE WITH OTHER PEOPLE; I HOPE TO DO THAT IN THE FUTURE ON A LARGER SCALE. IN TERMS OF FUTURE COMPETITION, I WILL TRY TO COMPETE AGAIN IN LATTE ARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS NEXT YEAR, MAYBE ALSO BREWERS CUP IN THE FUTURE? WE WILL SEE.
HOW WAS THE COMANDANTE GRIND & BREW CUP FOR YOU?
THAT WAS A WONDERFUL EVENT TO BE A PART OF, AND I LOVED ITS ATMOSPHERE! BIG THANKS TO KRZYSZTOF BARABOSZ FOR ORGANIZING THAT EVENT! A LOT OF PEOPLE MADE IT FUN, SPECIAL THANKS TO MATEUSZ DĄBEK! THANKS TO THE JUDGES FOR CHOOSING MY CUP, IT’S A NICE FEELING TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE SKILLED IN COFFEE TASTING LIKED MY COFFEE, AND OF COURSE, THANKS TO YOU GUYS! THANKS FOR CREATING THIS EVENT IN POLAND! JOE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CARE AND SUPPORT!
WINNING THE COMPETITION WAS ALSO A REALLY SPECIAL THING FOR ME, PERSONALLY. BEFORE THE FINAL ROUND I SAID TO MYSELF: ‘IF I’M GOING TO WIN THIS, I’LL PROPOSE TO MY BOYFRIEND WITH THE GOLDEN GRINDER!’ THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AND HE SAID YES!
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR FUTURE COMPETITORS?
BREW A LOT OF COFFEE, TRY A LOT OF COFFEE, HAVE FUN AND DRINK GIN & TONIC!