Helena Oliviero
Italy
Independent
Please tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Helena, I don’t drink coffee… but I love to cup! The method I love the most is Brazilian cupping. I like to taste but I usually don’t drink coffee or other beverages beside water. I’m an SCA AST for sensory, brewing, and barista. I’m also an arabica and robusta Q-grader. I really like to cup and understand more. I work freelance as a trainer and taster.
How did you get started in coffee?
I started by working in a traditional coffee shops in Italy while going to school. I was making what I could now say were terrible coffees and milk foaming, but that was ok. I wanted to learn more and with difficulty I found out about the existence of SCAE. I looked for courses, and at my first coffee course my trainer opened a new world for me. Later I started to help him at the school. That’s when I really started learning about coffee and understanding what I was doing. I attended the first BGE in Athens and I fell in love with the coffee comunity. Those two experiences changed my carreer.
Please list the coffee competitions you have participated in, what year they took place, and your results:
2016 Italian Cezve/Ibrik Championship – 1st Place
2017 Italian Aeropress Competition – 3rd Place
2018 Italian Cup Tasters Championship – 1st Place
What are you excited to do while you are in Brazil?:
It’s quite banal but I’ve organised a trip to some the coffee plantations. I also hope to find some particular lots of coffee to take back.
What is your favorite coffee to cup?:
I usually like washed process coffee—super clean, balanced, and smelling like a delicate perfume, but I also like to alternate with super particular funky ones. So I would say: Ethiopia washed, rare Yemens, and funky Panamas.
What are your interests outside of coffee?:
Plants, botanics, the garden, open fields, reading, arts, chatting, exchange culture, travelling, exploring, tasting everything, and listening to stories.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
Hoping to become a coffee hunter.
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