New Delhi: Costa Coffee, which completed 10 years in India this month, announced the winner of its world famous barista challenge – Barista of the Year 2015 which was held publicly for the first time at New Delhi.

The BOY event which is a global competition, sees baristas from Costa Coffee in every country vie for the chance to participate in the world finals. The participants are judged on a variety of parameters such as their ability to produce a technically perfect cup of hand-made coffee, and their knowledge and understanding of the industry. They are also judged on their overall performance, flair and passion for great coffee. In the final round, contestants were tasked with creating their own unique signature drink that is judged on its taste, presentation and innovation.

Costa Coffee has been organizing ‘Barista of the Year’  [BOY] competition since the brand entered India in 2005.  Baristas from Costa Coffee stores across various cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Agra, Delhi NCR etc were in competition to win a chance to represent India at Costa’s coveted annual international coffee title, Barista of the Year.

Devendra Kumar from Costa Coffee, Agra has won the coveted ‘BOY’ competition for 2015. He was selected based on his signature creation ‘Nations Coffee’ which swept aside all competition, scoring high on taste, texture and the innovation quotient. Devendra has dedicated his drink to coffee lovers who appreciate handcrafted coffee. He will now have a chance to participate in the international finals due to be held in London in January 2016.

Speaking about his win at the BOY challenge, Devendra Kumar said, “I am very excited to have won this competition. I had never seen coffee mixed with Green Tea and Green Apple Syrup, so I thought I’d give it a try. I had experimented with creating this drink before and I liked it so much, that I chose it as my signature drink for the Costa Coffee Barista of the Year competition.”

Speaking on the occasion, Virag Joshi, CEO & President, Devyani International Ltd, “Barista of the Year is our flagship international event and gives our Baristas a platform to showcase their skills. I would like to thank all the participants for their efforts and ideas in creating such unique coffee based drinks which is a testament to their passion for coffee and customer satisfaction. The Costa Coffee Champion Barista not only exemplifies the skills of our baristas, but also sets new benchmarks for quality, innovation and perfection in delivering the finest hand crafted coffee. ”

Costa Coffee was India’s first international coffee chain and has set new benchmark in coffee retailing in the country with the quality of its hand crafted coffee. Costa Coffee celebrates its 10th anniversary in India this year. The event coincided with 10 years of its world famous “Barista of the Year” challenge.