Beyond the Scoreboard: Towards a Beautiful Coffee Future.

There are moments in life that feel suspended in time — moments when everything you’ve worked for finally takes shape, and for a fleeting instant, the world understands what your heart has been trying to say.

For me, that moment happened on the stage of the 2025 World Barista Championship held in Milan.

In the first round, my coffee was awarded the Best Espresso during round one according to live scoring. It was surreal. For fifteen minutes, the years of work, the sleepless nights, and the quiet dreams found their voice in a single cup. I felt the world pause — not because of me, but because of what that cup represented: people, passion, and the power of working together for something greater than ourselves.

The espresso I served was a collaboration between two species, two origins, two worlds — Philippine Liberica and Colombian Eugenioides — co-created with Wilton Benitez, my producer and processing mentor, and my team at Henry & Sons. This coffee was not born from competition; it was born from curiosity and faith. It was a reminder that when people meet with trust and shared purpose, something extraordinary begins to take shape.

The Liberica carried the sweetness of home — vibrant, misunderstood, and full of character. The Eugenioides, delicate and rare, offered grace and precision. Together, they became one voice — vibrant, complex, harmonious — a reflection of what happens when differences are not obstacles, but opportunities to connect.

By my side was Federico Bolaños, my coach and mentor. Federico taught me that mastery isn’t about perfection; it’s about presence — the ability to be fully alive in every moment, to feel the heartbeat behind every pour, and to tell a story that moves people, not just impresses them.

That first round was unforgettable. For the first time, I felt the world taste the soul of Filipino coffee. It wasn’t just my win; it was our win — for Wilton, for Federico, for my team, for the farmers whose hands shaped every bean, and for every dreamer who has ever believed that coffee could build bridges instead of walls.

Then came the semifinals. The same coffee, the same story, the same conviction — but the results were different. I finished 13th overall.

For a moment, I was in shock… it was painful, my chest hurts, my heart was broken… . I had given everything, and the silence that followed felt heavy…. But in that stillness, I found what I had been searching for all along.

Perspective.

The experience reminded me that connection doesn’t end when the lights dim or when recognition fades. True connection begins in the quiet after — in the way we choose to keep going, keep sharing, and keep believing.

The discoveries we made with Wilton, the science we simplified, the techniques we shared — they were never meant to stay on a stage. They were meant to ripple outward, to lift the value chain, to inspire farmers, producers, and baristas to explore, to experiment, and to dream without fear.

Even the tool we introduced, the Better Vessel, was part of that same vision. It’s a small step forward with a big purpose — to bring more people into the world of espresso by making it sweeter, cleaner, and more approachable. By gently removing the bitterness and harshness of crema, we can now pull longer, more efficient shots that preserve flavor and balance. For baristas, it means dialing in the perfect espresso with less waste and more consistency. For consumers, it means falling in love with espresso all over again — not as something intimidating or acquired, but as something beautiful, inclusive, and full of harmony.

That’s the real legacy of competition. Not trophies, but transformation. Not applause, but alignment — with purpose, with people, with the future we want to build together.

Every step of this journey — the research, the collaboration, the heartbreak, and the healing — is part of the same mission: to remind the world that coffee is not just a beverage. It’s a mirror of humanity — our creativity, our connection, our capacity for compassion.

The stage may have turned silent, but the quest continues.

To share knowledge.

To elevate lives.

To create a coffee future that is not just sustainable, but beautiful.

Because in the end, the true measure of success isn’t the score we achieve — it’s the hope we inspire, the lives we touch, and the communities we help rise. And that, beyond any scoreboard, will always matter most — as we move together towards a beautiful coffee future…