Barista orbits competition circuit

Saturn's rings did not appear with the planet. Astronomers believe they may have formed when a smaller celestial body ventured within the planet's Roche limit, where powerful tidal forces tore it apart and left behind the debris. With the passage of time, the scattered fragments settle into orbit, forming the luminous rings visible from Earth.

For Liu Zhanhong, better known on the barista competition stage as Andy Philein, the same celestial phenomenon became the inspiration for a cocktail.

"When you encounter something you truly love, you should move toward it, even if it means risking being shattered," he told judges during the 2026 World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship final.

The metaphor proved powerful.

On June 27 in Brussels, Belgium, Liu captured the world title with two drinks inspired by the cosmos, becoming the first competitor from the Chinese mainland to win the prestigious championship and marking a milestone for China's specialty coffee industry.

His victory was the culmination of more than a decade of reinvention — from navigating financial markets to learning about espresso behind a cafe counter, and ultimately standing atop one of the world's most demanding coffee competitions.

Inside his cups, coffee, spirits and astronomy converge into something more than beverages. They tell a story of courage, curiosity and the pursuit of purpose.

Scientific concepts

Liu's championship routine was built around two original creations: a signature cold cocktail called Saturn and an Irish coffee called Afterglow of the Cosmos.

Rather than relying solely on visual spectacle, Saturn transformed a scientific concept into a meditation on life.

"When we look up at a star," Liu told the judges, "what we're actually seeing is light that left years ago."

That reflection soon found its way into the cup. Saturn featured a natural Geisha coffee originating from Panama. The lot, named Parabola, carries flavors of berries, mango and chocolate, while its name reflects life's inevitable highs and lows.

Liu paired it with sherry, Belgian Moon Gin, Pisco brandy and a lychee liqueur produced in his hometown of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, building layers of tropical fruit, floral aromas and elegant acidity.

The drink opened with bright tropical fruit and delicate floral notes before unfolding into a richer, spirit-forward finish, with the lychee adding a subtle sweetness that tied the flavors together.

The inclusion of the Guangdong-made lychee spirit was a deliberate nod to his roots.

"Coffee and spirits both begin as agricultural products," Liu says. "Only by understanding each ingredient can you allow them to complement one another."

If Saturn explored the courage to pursue a dream, Afterglow of the Cosmos shifted the focus back to Earth — and home.

The warm Irish coffee drew inspiration from Pale Blue Dot, the iconic 1990 photograph taken by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, which shows Earth as a tiny blue speck suspended in darkness.

"We're incredibly small in the universe," Liu says. "But we're here, and what we experience is real."

He translated that idea into an Irish coffee, a drink in which rich coffee aroma, mellow whisky and lingering sweetness created a gradual sense of warmth — what he described as a journey from the coldness of space back to the comfort of home.

"No matter how far you travel," he says, "you should never forget where you began".

From office to cafe

Watching Liu perform on the world stage, few would guess he once worked in finance prior to hospitality.

The 37-year-old Guangzhou native entered the coffee industry in 2014 after leaving a career in financial trading, where his days revolved around numbers, markets and risk analysis.

A single book changed his aspirations.

The memoir, I Just Want to Open a Small Coffee Shop, prompted him to reconsider what he wanted out of life.

"I realized I wanted to work in a place where I could meet different people and experience different cultures," Liu recalls. "A cafe suited my personality much better."

He resigned from his finance job and started from scratch. The transition was anything but easy.

Early in his career, when his monthly salary was only around 2,000 yuan ($295), he spent 700 yuan on a milk pitcher simply to practice latte art. He learned everything from espresso extraction to customer service before gradually stepping onto the competition circuit.

He began competing in 2015 and later shifted his focus to two of the World Coffee Championships' most technically demanding events — the World Barista Championship and the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship.

Unlike traditional barista competitions, the WCIGS requires competitors to master coffee, spirits, sensory balance, stage performance, and storytelling simultaneously. "It's more of an all-around event," Liu says.

After years of competing nationally, he won the Chinese qualifying championship in December 2025, earning the honor of representing the country in Brussels.

His ambition, however, had always been clear. "If I were going to compete on the world stage," he says, "I wanted to win."

More than coffee

The WCIGS demands more than technical precision: finalists must prepare two identical Irish coffees and two signature coffee-and-spirit beverages within strict time limits while explaining the inspiration behind them.

For Liu, the greatest challenge wasn't mixing ingredients. "It isn't about making a drink," he says. "It's about telling a story people can understand in just 10 to 15 minutes."

Months before the competition, his team repeatedly refined recipes, adjusted flavor profiles, and rehearsed every movement of the presentation.

His coach, Qiu Jianming, winner of the 2021 Chinese qualifying championship, believes Liu's greatest strength was never technical ability alone.

"Our role was simply to help fine-tune the details," Qiu says. "Ultimately, the person on stage has to completely believe in what he's presenting."

He describes Liu's style with one word: composure.

"He wasn't trying to complete a task," Qiu says. "He was sharing a story."

Years of competition had transformed Liu's approach. Once technical fundamentals became second nature, he shifted his focus toward communication — pacing, body language, tone, and emotional connection.

"The audience shouldn't feel like you're reciting a script," Liu says. "They should feel like you're inviting them into your world."

For Liu, competitions are not only about rankings. They are platforms in which baristas, roasters, bartenders, and judges exchange ideas, turning individual achievement into broader industry progress.

Qiu believes Liu's success reflects the rapid evolution of China's specialty coffee scene.

China's competitors have become increasingly visible at international championships in recent years, while domestic cafes continue pushing the boundaries of creativity.

"The industry here is developing incredibly fast," Qiu says.

Liu's own work mirrors that trend. His championship drinks combined international techniques with distinctly Chinese elements — a Guangdong lychee liqueur in Saturn — reflecting a growing confidence among Chinese coffee professionals to express their culinary identity.

In his day job as an application development consultant for a dairy company, Liu develops recipes for restaurant chains, cafes and beverage brands. That work has also shaped his philosophy.

"Innovation isn't about adding more," he says. "It's about finding the most meaningful expression."

Now that he has reached the pinnacle of competition, Liu says his attention is gradually shifting toward mentoring younger professionals.

"I may compete again someday," he says. "But I think I'll spend more time helping the next generation."

On the stage in Brussels, he transformed astronomy into coffee, philosophy into flavor, and a personal journey into a world championship.

Much like Saturn's rings, which emerged from fragments torn apart by gravity, Liu's own path was shaped by bold choices, uncertainty and years of rebuilding. Each experience — finance, coffee, competition, and research — became part of the orbit that carried him forward.

In Brussels, those fragments finally caught the light.