FLAIRTENDERS and baristas from all over Mindanao gathered at Limketkai Mall's rotunda on Sunday, June 16 to compete in Rancilio Specialty Road Show and Mindanao Flair Rockstar: Flair Challenge and Latte Art Throwdown.

Spearheaded by Rey Sumania, chairman and founder of the Filipino Bartending and Barista Innovators, the event showcased the different techniques and skills of bartenders and baristas from Mindanao.

"We level up the type of competition. Not the regular one using the traditional machine, this one using high technology machine [for baristas]," Sumania said.

"Hindi sya karaniwan na machine. Yung temperature profiling nya maganda na, pwede syang hawakan kahit nag-steam ka. Special talaga sya," he added.

The flair challenge of the competition was also different as instead of having the participants perform solo, they made it into a head-to-head showdown of two flairtenders.

"So far maganda naman ang result kasi parang mas nagkaron sila ng motivation na kailangan pala silang mag-improve," Sumania said.

The Latte Art Throwdown has two categories, professional (30 participants) and non-professional which was participated by 24 students and non-practicing baristas.

Amer Hassan Batua-an won as champion in the non-professional category of Latte Art Throwdown, followed by Jerry Donato as first placer; Joy Camille Dablio as second placer; Janiel Anajao as third placer; Allen Bercero as fourth placer; and Froilan Estoque as fifth placer.

Each of them received a trophy and certificate.

In the professional category, on the other hand, Arnel Banuag was declared champion with Jundie Jumanog in the first place; Rachelle Roa in the second place; James Ucat in the third place; Rolly dela Cruz in the fourth place; and Aga Marcholo in the fifth place.

The champion, first placer and second placer received P10,000, P3,000 and P2,000 worth of cash prizes, respectively, also products, trophy and certificate.

Meanwhile, of the 10 competitors in the flair challenge, three were declared winners, namely: Alfe Balen from Cagayan de Oro City as the champion; Ferland Daayata from Cagayan de Oro City as the second placer and Nathan Niel Carumba from Siargao Island as the third placer.

Rancilio Specialty Road Show and Mindanao Flair Rockstar: Flair Challenge and Latte Art Throwdown, according to Sumania, is a competition organized to encourage more people to undergo education on barista and bartending.

Sumania said the next competition will be in August for the Kumbira Masters.