In the world of competitive espresso, every detail matters. From grind size to water temperature, baristas obsess over variables that most coffee drinkers never consider.
But at this year’s World Barista Championship, one tool used by Michael Harris, a two-time Philippine National Barista Champion and two-time World Barista Championship Semi-Finalist (2019 & 2025), caught everyone’s attention.
Cutting the crema
The Better Vessel is both straightforward and controversial, depending on where your personal coffee doctrines and taste preferences lie.
Many coffee enthusiasts prize crema—the golden foam that’s unique to espresso and sits atop a well-pulled shot—as a hallmark of quality, as well as an essential, though typically bitter element of espresso flavor.
However, Harris and plenty of other specialty coffee professionals have long argued that removing it can also reveal more nuanced flavors in the cup.
Filtering off this crema, which is technically made via gases trapped within a water-oil emulsion and small bits of coffee grounds, is precisely what the Better Vessel does.
It sits directly on top of an espresso cup and leverages a combination of precise angles and gravity to separate crema from a freshly pulled espresso shot.
Impressive results
During his session at this year’s competition (which you can watch above), Harris boldly called attention to the newly developed tool, which he designed alongside his world-renowned coach, Federico Bolaños, and his son, Liam Conlin. He also walked the judges through how to use it in real-time during his presentation.
“This tool here will help revolutionize how espresso will be served and consumed around the world,” Harris proclaimed during his session. “Coffee lovers like you and I can now pull longer, higher extraction shots, without the bitterness of crema.”
The move certainly caught the attention of the tasting experts, as well as fellow barista competitors – especially once Harris earned the highest score for espresso on the first day of the competition.
