In the shadow of the FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon you’ll be forgiven for not noticing that London is currently playing host to the 11th annual World Barista Championship. In coffee circles however, it’s a big deal: dozens of national champions head to head over three days making espressos, cappuccinos and a ‘speciality’ coffee of their own devising. Rounds are timed and set to music, and the scoring is conducted by a panel of judges on an impressive number of criteria (take a look at these score sheets: sensory | technical).

The UK has a pretty impressive record, having won the title in 2007 and 2009, breaking a run of wins by Denmark and Norway since the championships began in 2000. This time around the UK entrant is John Gordon, and he enjoys home-field advantage as the competition is being held in the UK for the first time (previous host nations include Italy, Switzerland and Japan as well as several stops in the USA).

Looking down the list of baristas I’ll be wishing good things for Ingibjörg Ferrer, as her workplace, Kaffitár in downtown Reykjavik, is the only represented coffee-house that I’ve actually visited (and yes, the coffee was excellent).

If you can’t make it down to the semi-finals or the final (both held tomorrow in Olympia, London) all the action can be watched via LiveStream.