28 May, 2013 9:04AM AEST

Qld's best barista pours perfect latte

The Sunshine Coast could be home to Queensland's best barista as Silas Flack heads to the finals of a national barista competition in Melbourne.

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For some people, the task of making a cup of coffee fits into their morning routine; for some, it might be the request of mum or dad when the grandparents are visiting; others might not even know how to make a cup'a.

For one local cafe bar owner Silas Flack, it's not just his job, but also his absolute passion.

"I've been a barista, probably going on eight or nine years now," he said.

"I love how it's all the same but completely different - the coffee is the same, the milk's the same, but at the same point it acts differently and tastes differently every single day.

"As a barista, our job and our craft is to actually make it taste good regardless of what's happening with the bean."

At the beginning of this year, Silas was entered into the 2013 Barista competition.

The competition offers the chance for baristas Australia-wide to go up against each other on a quest to find the best up-and-comer in the coffee industry.

The first round was a popularity-based round, where the public could vote for their favourite barista once a day.

The five most popular baristas from each state progressed to the second round, which was where the true test of ability began.

"I went down to Brisbane and versed off against the other four, and I happened to win that one," Silas said.

"And then off to Melbourne."

The winners of each of the state rounds progressed to the finals of the barista competition, which is held at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo this week.

Silas, representing Queensland and Northern Territory, will face three judging criteria, which all relate to the every-day proceeding of a caf

And with the prizes, including a trip to Italy, it's sure to be a hotly contested competition.

"I think the first thing we'd do is book a second ticket, for my wife," Silas said.

"It's a pretty cool opportunity ... they actually give a crew to go with you (to Italy) and photograph it, and they actually take you to a big roastery over there and show you how they do it."

Despite such great accomplishments in the competition to date, Silas puts his ability and success down to his staff.

"As far as a barista is concerned, I find the best thing that spurs you on is other people that are good at it," he said.

"We try and get a good crew of staff around so the better the staff are around you the more we spur each other on."