It’s lastly right here! The 2026 US Barista Championship is right here! Kicking off tomorrow on the Huckleberry Roasters HQ in Denver, Colorado, the US Barista Championship brings collectively 30 of one of the best competitors baristas within the nation, all vying for an opportunity to symbolize the USA on the World Barista Championship in Panama later this 12 months.
And hoo boy is the sector completely stacked this 12 months. It harkens again to the early- to mid-2010s of competitors, the place it felt like each different competitor got here with a formidable resume and an actual probability to win all of it. Right here’s the entire run-down of the occasion, and under some ideas on all of the motion.
Sprudge Media’s protection of the 2026 US Barista Championship is sponsored by Pacific Barista Collection, Ghirardelli, Swiss Water, Cafe Imports, La Marzocco, and Huckleberry Roasters.
Livestream the 2026 US Barista Championship on YouTube hosted by occasion sponsor Roastronix.
Spherical One, Day One (Thursday, June 18th)
10:35AM Circle Chan (she/her) – The Espresso Motion – San Francisco, CA
10:55AM Sam Schroeder (he/him) – Olympia Espresso – Seattle, WA
11:15AM Cole Oppedisano (he/him) – Corvus Espresso – Denver, CO
11:35AM Will Shadley (he/him) – Mandarin Espresso – Los Angeles, CA
11:55AM Anthony Ragler (he/him) – Black & White Espresso – Raleigh, NC
12:15PM Jason Yeo (he/him) – Saint Frank Espresso – San Francisco, CA
12:35PM Fernando Ayala (he/him) – Tuyo Cafe – Santa Ana, CA
12:55PM Ziah Bloom (he/him) – Lamppost Espresso – Austin, TX
1:15PM David Buehrer (he/him) – Greenway Espresso Firm – Houston, TX
1:35PM Case Osborn (he/him) – Longmont, CO
1:55PM Reily Pond (she/her) – Madcap Espresso – Grand Rapids, MI
2:15PM Noel Goodwin (she/her) – Hagen Espresso Roasters – Seattle, WA
2:35PM Jake McFarland (he/him) – Black & White Espresso – Raleigh, NC
2:55PM Manuel Torres (he/him) – Boxx Espresso Roasters – Los Angeles, CA
3:15PM Seidy Selivanow (she/her) – Kafiex Espresso – Vancouver, WA
3:35PM Christopher Maxwell (he/him) – Huckleberry Roasters – Denver, CO
Spherical One, Day Two (Friday, June nineteenth)
10:35AM Jak Michael Ryan (he/him) – Proud Mary – Austin, TX
10:55AM Jez Cruz (he/him) – Guilder Espresso Firm – Portland, OR
11:15AM Meg Skog (she/her) – The Espresso Motion – San Francisco, CA
11:35AM Christian Ortega (he/him) – Olympia Espresso – Seattle, WA
11:55AM Stephanie Hernandez-Salazar (she/her) – Vignette Espresso Roasters – Greensboro, NC
12:15PM Olivia Morris (they/them) – Little Bear Espresso – Albuquerque, NM
12:35PM Khoa Trinh (he/him) – Boxx Espresso Roasters – Los Angeles, CA
12:55PM Christopher Jiongo – Java Jiongo’s – Woodbridge, VA
1:15PM Morgan Eckroth (they/she) – Onyx Espresso Lab – Portland, OR
1:35PM Miranda Huncovsky (they/she) – Go Get Em Tiger – Los Angeles, CA
1:55PM Brandon Jarnagin (he/him) – Boxx Espresso Roasters – Los Angeles, CA
2:15PM Divya Raghavan (she/her) – Atlanta, GA
2:35PM Elika Liftee (he/him) – Houston, TX
2:55PM Juan Diaz (he/him) – Know The place Espresso – Miami, FL
There are a minimum of eight former USBC Finalists competing this 12 months, together with Noel Goodwin, Jak Michael Ryan, Juan Diaz, the all the time compelling Anthony Ragler, the San Francisco trio in Jason Yeo, Circle Chan, and Meg Skop, and Houston’s favourite son David Buehrer. And as in the event that they weren’t daunting sufficient, three former US Espresso Champions are becoming a member of them this 12 months: 2022 US Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth, 2020 and 2020 US Brewers Cup Champion Elika Liftee, and 2023 US Espresso in Good Spirits Champion (and multi-time USBC Finalist) Sam Schroeder.
However final 12 months’s outcomes aren’t any assure of this 12 months’s successes. There are a number of first timers who don’t have any intention of ready their flip. Simply ask the aforementioned Circle Chan, who positioned fourth in 2026, her first 12 months competing. The sphere has by no means been so daunting and but so broad open. It’s one of the crucial thrilling USBCs in latest reminiscence.
Over the following two day, the 30 opponents will compete in Spherical One, hoping to earn a spot within the Semi-Finals spherical going down on Saturday. And we’ll be at Huck HQ all day on a regular basis to convey you the sights and sounds of the 2026 US Barista Championship, dwell as they occur. So ensure you are staying locked in to Sprudge all weekend lengthy.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Community and a workers author primarily based in Dallas. Learn extra Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
