Lessons from Barista champion Michael Harris Conlin at Grand Hyatt Manila’s Florentine
Last Oct. 1, on International Coffee Day, guests at the Grand Hyatt Manila’s Florentine were treated to a coffee experience unlike any other. Not only did three-time National Barista champion Michael Harris Conlin prepare four of his signature coffee preparations, he had everyone’s full attention when he elaborated on the unusual techniques needed to produce their exceptional quality. But, at the end of the afternoon, it was not just about coffee. It was about lessons from a champion and the mindset that produces winning results.
As Michael puts it, his story towards a career in coffee, as a competing barista, owner of The Giving Cafe, and the president and CEO of Henry & Sons, was not a straight one. The family business is abaca rope, but price wars with competitors caused stretches of time when their employees had not much to do but sit back and enjoy some coffee. That put the idea in Michael’s head. This was back in 2001.
Michael’s relationship with the Grand Hyatt Manila started with the opening team for the hotel; together with Michael and his own team they went up to Benguet and planted coffee trees back in 2016 to 2017. The beans from those plants are still part of the blend used in the hotel, making the coffee served even much more special and demonstrating the history and the partnership between him and the hotel.
When asked why he chooses to compete, Michael says that anyone with a coffee roaster can call themselves coffee experts. If you are really an expert, why would you compete at the national barista level or the world barista championship?
“In 2018, I went in thinking that if I bring in good coffee and a nice speech, the journey from bean to cup, I could win the judges over. Well, that first year I got my butt kicked,” Michael recalls. “My ‘whys’ became to fight for the barista, fight for the producer and bring Philippine coffee to the world. I practiced for eight hours a day. In 2019, I competed again nationally and won. I realized that when competing, the most important thing is to read the rules. I read the rules like a lawyer, and everything the rules did not say we can’t do, I did.
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“The rules regarding espresso say there must be crema, the beautiful thing you find on top of an espresso. For decades and decades this is the way Italians and coffee lovers judged their espresso. But with the crema, the tactile on your tongue is harsh, prickly, like drinking soda water and gets in the way of tasting the espresso itself. So in 2023 I developed a device with my son which removes the crema.”
Michael then showed us his device, which looks like a dark glass which he used at the World Barista Championship in Milan. “Imagine removing crema in the world of espresso! I thought I would not make it out alive but luckily, I’m here today. That also earned us the highest scoring espresso at the competition. So round one, we were kicking ass!”
Michael then served espresso complete with crema, which we were then to pour through his device unto another cup, where it arrives sans crema. Asked to compare the original espresso with crema and the version without, it’s clear that removing the crema results in a smoother flavor—the Better Espresso, as Michael calls it. But perhaps there will still be a lot of people for whom an espresso experience will not be complete without that creamy layer of crema, notwithstanding the slight bitterness which can be considered part of the espresso experience.
For the second course, the Better Iced Aerochino, the coffee was enhanced by the flavor of melon while the third course, the Better Milk, had us wishing you could you order a whole glass just of this. The complicated process of dehydrating the milk and toasting it to bring out the sugars yielded something that was reminiscent of Klim, the powdered milk beloved by many kids in decades past. The final course, the Better Mocktail included a detailed use of ube, both for flavor and sweetness, plus mint to produce a mocktail whose flavor profile was like After Eight chocolates.
The four different coffee courses were paired with delicious éclair-like pastries that complemented the coffee preparation. For the month of October, you can order any of Michael’s four coffee preparations and match them with the pastry of your choice from Florentine.
From here, Michael leaves for the World Barista competition in Panama and as early as now, is preparing for the World Barista challenge in Japan in 2027. But with a mind set on innovation and originality, plus putting in all the hours needed to perfect the craft, there is no doubt that Michael will be bringing more awards.
