To judge a competition like Coffee Masters™, we had to recruit the best of the best for our panel of judges and Emcees. Comprising of legendary names from the world of specialty coffee, we are delighted to announce…

The Judges

Anne Lunell

Head Judge

Anne is the co-founder and visionary behind Koppi. At the roastery she is in charge of green-buying and quality control and act as the creative force for the company.

claire wallace

Claire Wallace is a barista, roaster and Q Grader with 10 years experience in the coffee industry. She is currently the Head of Coffee Quality at Assembly Coffee in London, England. She has competed in competitions for most of her coffee career, including Coffee Masters, and was the UK Barista Champion in 2022, the first woman to do so in 18 years. She finished 3rd place at the World Barista Championship 2022 in Melbourne, Australia.

RASTISLAV 'raSTy' Kasar

Rasty Kasar, a skilled Slovak barista and bartender, achieved victory at the London Coffee Masters in 2022 and the UK Coffee in Good Spirits 2023 competitions.

In 2023, representing the United Kingdom in Taipei, Taiwan, Rasty and his team secured the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship. With expertise and unwavering support, Rasty advocates for coffee cocktails and the broader hospitality industry. Holding a degree in Business Psychology, he is set to face new challenges. Starting in 2024, Rasty will permanently relocate to Athens, Greece, joining Teddy’s Speakeasy and Teddy’s Elixir as the director of product development, embodying the identity of "Neither bartender nor barista, but equally both."

Davide orazi

With a seasoned history in the world of specialty coffee, Davide is currently the Head of Coffee at @Nostoscoffee. He's no stranger to coffee competitions, having won the New York Coffee Masters title in 2022 after placing 3rd in London a few months before. Davide seeks meticulous care and unwavering attention to detail, so make sure to bring your A-game!

The Emcees

Celeste Wong

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Celeste has held top positions in leading artisan cafés all over the world for over a decade. Since migrating to the UK (via Melbourne), she has been listed as one of London’s top five baristas in The Financial Times and noted for her excellence and coffee expertise in many publications, with her own podcast and original interview TV series featuring onboard Air New Zealand's in-flight entertainment network. Her blog ranks 17th in the World's Best Coffee Blogs Top50.

Celeste also has her own brand of coffee beans with fellow coffee roaster and consultant Dumo Mathema at Code.194 Coffee and also writes all things coffee for Olive Magazine as their resident coffee expert.

You can see everything she is up to here: @the_girl_in_the_cafe www.thegirlinthecafe.co.uk

matt cowie

I'm Matt, known from Dark Arts Coffee and the Scottish coffee scene. I've traded portafilters for spreadsheets, turning coffee into numbers, and now I'm proudly part of Dark Arts where I belong. Having worked with top UK coffee companies, I'm thrilled to emcee CM24 alongside the talented Celeste. As they say, put the milk in the cup, but not before the coffee.