The competition, which tests the ability of the competitors on speed, skill and accuracy in distinguishing the taste differences in speciality coffee, attracted entries from 24 of the UK’s top coffee tasters.
Gayan Munaweera, coffee development manager, UCC Coffee UK & Ireland said: “To come out on top when competing against a field of such talented and successful coffee professionals is brilliant.
“I was especially proud to be the only contestant to get full marks in the final two heats, and I’m already looking forward to pitting myself against the world’s best at the finals in Shanghai next year.”
The 2015 UK Cup Tasters Competition, which took place at Cup North on November 7th, is made up of eight rounds of coffee cupping.
In each round three cups are placed in front of each competitor. Two cups contain identical coffee and the third a different coffee. Competitors use smell, taste and experience to identify the odd cup as quickly as they can and whoever wins the most rounds is awarded the championship.
Gayan will now compete against coffee tasters from across the globe for the world title at the World Cup Tasters Championship in Shanghai from March 29th to April 1st 2016.