Starbucks hosted a unique challenge called Starbucks Coffee Championship in India, where 150 of the company?s partners competed with each other on their expertise and knowledge of coffee.

After many regional rounds that tested their coffee skills and acumen, Saili Rane from the Starbucks store at the Mumbai Domestic Airport earned the title of the Starbucks Coffee Champion, while Rubeena Qureshi from Starbucks Bandra, Mumbai and Shikhar Hali from Starbucks Mantri Mall, Bangalore were the runner ups.

During the finale held in Mumbai, partners competed in four  challenging rounds, which comprised a personal coffee tasting Pour Over session, a bar skill round, which tested their beverage artistry skills and the ultimate Blind Tasting round to test the accuracy of their coffee palate. The last round was an elaborate Q&A round where Coffee Masters were judged on the basis of their proposed presentations to elevate coffee leadership in their markets.

Tata Starbucks CEO Avani Davda said, ?We?re thrilled to host the first Starbucks Coffee Championship in India. The Starbucks Coffee Championship is a celebration of our unique store partners and their passion and commitment to the brand as well as their coffee artistry.?

The winners of the India Championship will participate in the Starbucks Regional Championship to be held later this year in South East Asia.