He won in the cuptaster category, the Italian coffee championship organized by Sca Italy in Rimini during Sigep. Now Simone Zaccheddu, 37 years old, from Macomer (Nuoro) is ready for the international competition. Exbarista, coffeemaker and expert in the high-quality coffee sector, he will compete for the world title in Chicago. Gabriele Pezzaioli from Brescia, Italian brewers cup champion, will also compete for Italy. In fact, 'The specialty coffee expo' will take place in the States from 12 to 14 April.
Simone Zaccheddu will have eight sets of three cups of specialty coffee extracted through a filter in front of him and, in a maximum of eight minutes, he will have to identify from time to time within each group the one with different aromatic notes. Minimal nuances that only an expert in the sector can grasp.
His professional history follows an itinerary that from Macomer touches Turin, Paris, Florence. The aroma of coffee has been imprinted in his sense of smell since he was a boy when he lent a hand behind the counter of the family bar in Macomer on Sundays.
"Maybe my parents dreamed of a future for me in the local club but I followed other dreams - Zaccheddu tells ANSA - at 18 I moved to Turin, I worked as a bartender. Then Paris, which gave a turning point to my professional future thanks to a meeting with a great coffee expert, Massimo Santoro from Pistoia. I met him at the Grand Pigalle hotel, where I worked and where I discovered specialty coffee for the first time. Those aromatic notes, those scents that smelled of Africa, South America, won me over" .
Since 2022 he has been an expert for the Espresso Coffee Academy.
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