When I entered this competition I thought it would be glamorous. I imagined the crowds of applauding fans (always attractive women, for some reason) I thought it'd be like Mr. Universe, except I'd swan in to Dublin an hour before and casually make a few espressos to some cool music
Instead it's 12am the night before I go and I'm trying to eat a tesco ready meal, pack, check-in online, burn a music CD on the laptop Methuselah had for most of his life and if I ever have to taste another blackberry in my life so help me I'll...
Seriously though, this has been one of the hardest, most exhausting, frustrating and nerve-wracking things I've ever done. It's also been fun and incredibly interesting and an amazing way to get to know some very awesome people even better, but it's been bloody hard. My hats off to anyone who has ever done this. ALL MY HATS.
And now... introducing... me!
Country you're competing in?
Ireland!
What coffee are you using?
It's called 'Los Anonos', it's from Costa Rica.
Taste notes?
It tastes like the first drop of rain on a summer's day. It tastes like a dream floating on a cloud over a sunbeam. And vegemite.
Why are you competing?
Well, the learning and social aspects are great, but mainly I just wanted to spend more time around Adam's beard. Have you seen that thing? It's glorious!
What first got you interested in coffee?
When I arrived in London a year ago I had never really heard of speciality coffee, but started to notice some weird, amazing places filled with staff who were almost impossibly obsessed with the stuff. I had to find out more...
Do you have a 'coffee philosophy'?
Not exactly, but I do like the idea that everything should be done really well, but always with a minimum of fuss. I'm not very good at sticking to this myself but it's an ideal...
What do you think your role is in the TSB team?
I guess if we were The Mighty Ducks, not Team Taylor St., I'd be the fat, useless wise-cracking kid. Except I'm not very wise-cracking. Or fat, for that matter.
Ristretto or Lungo?
Not really into pizza, sorry.
Cappuccino or flat white?
Flat white, because it will always remind me of good coffee.
Describe your signature drink in five words:
Thanks for the memories, coffee...
