Meet Kamila Chobotová, a passionate for hospitality and quality barista originally from a heavily underestimated town – Karviná in the Czech Republic. Kamila currently works in Můj šálek kávy in Prague, the place where she started her barista journey.
In 2023, Kamila won the Czech Brewers Cup and proudly represented her country during the World Championships in Athens. She shaped her presentation with a strong focus on consistency, which is an important value in the whole coffee supply chain. Kamila is also consistent in her competition journey, consequently coming back to the stage of the Brewers Cup with fresh ideas, concepts and quality.
Kamila, what is your first memory with coffee?
I had never drunk coffee before I discovered specialty coffee, which was a long journey. But my first memory is from my hometown, about 13 years ago at some food-related festival. I was helping at the event, and Tomáš Taussig had a stand there with specialty coffee.
To be honest, I wasn’t really interested at the time because as a non-coffee drinker, I had no idea how big the difference is between commodity and specialty coffee and not just in taste.
Fun fact: Karviná is statistically the worst city to live in the Czech Republic. Tomáš Taussig is also from Karviná, he won the Brewers cup twice in a row and then I took over the baton, so Karviná rulez!
What inspired you to pursue a career in the coffee industry, and how did you get started? What did you do before coffee?
I love food, especially good food. After school, I started working in a fine dining restaurant in Olomouc, Entree. I learned so much about food there and also tasted a lot of unique dishes. And good food goes with good wine. So I became more interested in natural wine and started learning about wines, their terroir, and processing…
After a while, I was like, okay, I know a lot about food and wine, but I know nothing about coffee. I knew that if I wanted to understand specialty coffee, I had to change jobs. I didn’t have to think much, and it was clear to me. I moved to Prague to work for Doubleshot Roastery.
Where do you currently work, and what is your role?
I am still working at Můj šálek kávy in Prague, where my coffee journey began. It is the first coffee shop from the Doubleshot roastery. I started as a waitress, and after a while, I also worked behind the bar, where I was preparing filter coffee and fell in love with it. After the first year, I started competing and soon became a barista, which I am to this day.
What kind of experience do you want your customers to have when they try your coffee?
I am very aware that I am doing work where I can see the results immediately before my eyes, and I am grateful for that. I can make someone’s day better just by looking at their coffee (in case they had a milk beverage) and seeing the nice latte art. But most importantly, when they take their first sip, I want to bring them pleasure.
When I make coffee, I’m mainly looking for a balance that I want to bring to my customers. Or just to give them their dose of caffeine that they need. And that’s the beauty; everyone takes something different from it, exactly what they need.
What is your favourite part of the day at work, and why?
Morning. As a barista, I go to the cafe first. I’m there alone, and I can prepare my workplace in peace. The first coffee I make is for the kitchen staff. It’s so quiet there I can hear the sound of microfoam as I swirl the milk pitcher and pour the milk.
How do you stay motivated and inspired to keep improving your coffee-making skills?
I think it’s thanks to the competitions I go to. For me, the competition is primarily about preparation, learning, exploring and the journey itself. I will gain so much knowledge and skills in a short period of time, thanks to the fact that the competition literally forces me to devote so much time to it.
But it’s also about people. I surround myself with many inspiring people, whether it’s someone I work with or someone I meet at competitions and coffee events. But feedback also motivates me a lot, whether from judges, my colleagues or regular customers.
Speaking of championships, you have some amazing achievements! Can you tell us more about them?
I won the Czech Brewers Cup 2023 after a year of working in a cafe. Some might say it was beginner’s luck, but competing is not just about coffee, it’s also about the whole performance. Performing in front of judges and an audience comes naturally to me, thanks to my experience with concert moderation, singing or presenting food philosophy to large groups, for example.
Editor’s Note: Kamila was too humble to mention that she also took 2nd place in the 2025 Czech Brewers Cup a few weeks ago.
How did it feel to compete on the World Stage?
I was actually very honored and grateful that I was the one who could represent our country. I really enjoyed the performance and everything around it as much as I could. I also wanted to advance so I could compete in the compulsory round on the World Stage.
That’s what happened, I made it to the top 12. I did the compulsory round, and then I was disqualified. I didn’t pour enough coffee into the cup, even though I knew the rules and how much coffee I had to serve. I thought I had filled the cup enough, but a few milliliters were missing. No one had ever advised me or told me to weigh the brew on a scale before. I had to learn on my own, and now I know that it won’t ever happen to me.
Right after, I was full of emotions like disappointment and failure. But we learn, and we grow from our mistakes. That’s the power of doing something continually, and we can be able to keep improving. Everyone in something different, everyone in their own way.
What is in your opinion the most important thing to have in mind when you start to compete in coffee championships?
Competitions take up a lot of your free time, so don’t forget to enjoy the ride with the people around you, the whole process. For me, the preparation is a journey and hard work, and then I go and really enjoy the competition to the fullest. I always take some of my lucky talismans with me on stage, and they can also work great for stress. One deep, conscious breath, and… time!
P.S.: Read the rules.
Photo by David Sklenář.
What coffee challenges are you looking forward to? Any upcoming projects or collaborations?
My biggest challenge this year will be moving from Prague. I’m not much of a city girl, so I’m planning to move to Liberec, a city that’s just big enough for me and surrounded by nature and mountains. This change will also come with a change of job. I’m going to take a short break before starting a new job, but for sure, I want to stay in the coffee industry because I think that there is still so much to learn, and I haven’t found kinder people than in the coffee community.
Quick Fire Questions for Kamila Chobotová:
Filter coffee or espresso-based?
Filter coffee.
Milk coffee or black coffee?
Black coffee.
The most underrated coffee drink?
Barraquito.
The most underrated coffee brewer?
Clever dripper.
What brewing method do you use at home?
V60 or Pulsar.
Hobby besides coffee?
Climbing, being in the mountains, crafting, swimming.
Favourite barista tool?
WDT AutoComb.
The number one coffee shop in Europe that every coffee geek should visit?
Of course Můj šálek kávy in Prague!
Favourite city outside your own for a coffee tour and why?
Berlin, outside of the holidays, during a work week, exploring cafes in more non-touristy streets.
