Dear U.S. Coffee Community,
Exciting new developments are coming to U.S. Coffee Championships for the 2018 season! The Barista Guild of America and U.S. Competitions Working Group have been listening to your feedback and working diligently to create this next evolution of U.S. coffee competitions. Our goal is to make competing more accessible to everyone in the coffee community.
We are pleased to announce the new U.S. CoffeeChamps Preliminaries. The Preliminaries will be Member Driven Events – fun, low-cost competitions at the local level.
Making Competitions More Accessible
This August and September, depending on community interest, there will be 3 to 6 Preliminaries across the United States, organized and hosted by local SCA Campuses or member facilities. Hosts will offer compulsory versions of the Barista Competition and/or Brewers Cup.
This means that for Barista competitors all wares, equipment, and coffee will be provided. Competitors may bring their own wares or grinder, if they would like, but this is not required. Competitors are required to use a host-provided coffee.
Equipment and coffee will be provided for Brewers Cup competitors. Competitors will need to bring their own manual brewing devices, filter media, and kettle(s). Brewers may bring their own grinder, if they prefer, but this is not required. Competitors are required to use the host-provided coffee(s).
The Road to The Qualifying Competitions
The top 8 Baristas and top 4 Brewers from each of the Preliminaries will receive a guaranteed spot at the CoffeeChamps Qualifying Competitions. All remaining spots will be open registration, like in the 2017 season. Visit our website for more information on the competition structure.
Didn't have a chance to attend the Information Session? Don't worry, we have you covered! Click below to watch the full session or to view a summary of what was discussed.
How to Host
Host a U.S. CoffeeChamps Preliminary event in your hometown! As a host, you will have the opportunity to help vet competitors for the U.S. CoffeeChamps Qualifying Competition, make competitions more accessible accessible for competitors and judges, and to create events in a format that works best for your local coffee community. Application deadline is June 30, 2017.
How to Compete or Judge
Interested in competing in or judging a USCC Preliminary? The U.S. CoffeeChamps Preliminaries offer great opportunities for new competitors and judges to get involved. SCA will announce the dates and locations of all U.S. CoffeeChamps Preliminaries mid-July. Join our information session on Friday, June 23 at 9:00 a.m. to stay informed.
The U.S. CoffeeChamps Preliminaries will be a great opportunity for local coffee communities to come together and put on awesome events! If you have any questions, please email competitions@sca.coffee. You can find more details and competition overviews on the U.S. Coffee Championships website.
I look forward to seeing you in the 2018 season!
All the Best,
Miguel Vicuna
U.S. Competitions Working Group Chair
