This Australian coffee expert has been crowned the world's best barista

Meet Anthony Douglas, the best barista in the world.

Well, that's according to the results of the world barista championships that took place last last week in Melbourne, with competitors from around the world showing off their skills.

Melbourne local is head of coffee training at Axil Coffee Roasters and won the Victorian Barista Championships and Australians to qualify for the international event.

Here's how he found the award-winning cups.

Three state-of-the-art coffee services

Each competitor at the World Championships is required to prepare three coffees for the four judges during a 15-minute live presentation: an espresso, a milk dish and a signature coffee.

Anthony caught the judges' attention with his freeze-dried milk and date syrup technique for the milk and specialty classes.

The prestigious world barista championship is back in the hands of Australia. (Provided)

"A lot of baristas have in recent years explored different techniques to get the most out of their milk: increasing creaminess, smoothness, all that good stuff we love in milk," he says.

"That's why we decided on path."

The signature drink d'Anthony brought together lacto-fermented passion fruit syrup, imported honey, cold brewed hibiscus tea and cryodehydrated date syrup served in long stem tumblers.

Hasn't confirmed where bringing out the right glassware makes it taste better, but it looks flashy.

"I made this syrup by combining one part date with one part water and sous-vide for three hours at 60 degrees to bring out the natural flavors of this ingredient,” he explains during his presentation.

You know all about good coffee? Try these five questions:LoadingSo how do you achieve the perfect brew?

Whether it's professional baristas or coffee lovers at home, Anthony says there's lots of variables that can make or break your coffee.

It says a lack of understanding of each element and how they connect to each other others - from coffee beans to latte, temperature to pour and everything in -between - is the most common misstep.

"A lot of people go through the steps. They press on the buttons. They feel like they're doing the right thing," he says.

"But I think a lot of people don't understand how important each of those variables are nuanced and how to take control of it.

"When you work with someone on coffee making skills and break down each variable, why we do it and why we do it. Oh that's important, a lot of people are quite surprised at the impact they have."

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Anthony recommends trying a coffee-making class at your local roaster if you want to learn more about specialty coffee – and you don't have to be an expert when you enter.

"Don't try to figure it out yourself," he says. "I spent the first three or four years working as a barista not knowing what to do and I felt very lost.

"There are also many online resources…but don't don't do it. Don't take everything as gospel, as there are many opinions on coffee and not all of them are correct.

"We want specialty coffee open and inclusive for everyone."< /p>