U.S. BARISTA CHAMPIONsHIP
The U.S. Barista Competition is a coursed service competition where qualifying barista competitors from across the nation compete head-to-head to advance and claim the title of “2025 U.S. Barista Champion". Competitors curate a coursed service of espressos, milk beverages, and the ever anticipated signature beverage and serve them to a panel of eager judges!
championship sponsors
The U.S. Barista Championship could not happen without the generous support of our Sponsors. Sponsorship is coordinated by the USCC Leadership Committee and organized with Regional Hosts. From equipment and gear to the use of space all contributions work to create an excellent competition experience for all.
ABOUT THE HOST
Black & White Coffee of Raleigh North Carolina
Competition-grade coffee made accessible to everyone. This shared vision inspired U.S. Barista Champions Lem Butler (2016) and Kyle Ramage (2017) to form Black & White Coffee Roasters in the heart of North Carolina. Committed to service, community, and excellence, Black & White invites all coffee-curious people on our journey to the bleeding edge of coffee flavor.
QUALIFYING BARISTA COMPETITORS
Competitors of the U.S. Barista Competition have qualified from two Regional Qualifying Events hosted by Black & White Coffee of Raleigh, NC and Messenger Coffee of Kansas City, MO. The Top 12 competitors from each of these qualifying events will go head-to-head in Round One of the U.S. Barista Championship to progress into the concurrent Semi-Finals and Finals Rounds of the Championship. Barista Competitors have brought their own coffees to showcase in a coursed service competition. These competitors will serve an espresso, milk beverage, and the ever anticipated signature beverage to an esteemed panel of Barista Competition Judges.
NATIONAL BARISTA COMPETITION JUDGES
Judges of the National Barista Championship have been trained and vetted by Head Judges of the U.S. Barista Competitions Committee throughout the 2025 Season. Judges have been invited from Regional Events, past Championships, and from other Competition Bodies. These judges go through an extensive Calibration Workshop where they come into consensus and discuss the various attributes of coffee and performance evaluations. Judges are certified by the Judge Operations Lead of the U.S. Barista Championship in recognition of their skills, fairness, and dedication for the Barista Championship.
COMPETITION VOLUNTEERS
The U.S. Coffee Championships are fully volunteer organized and produced. From leaders working year-round in the background to foster partnerships with sponsors and the U.S. Coffee Community to those in the grassroots initiatives of our Regional & National Events, everyone who contributes to the competition is here because of their dedication and support of specialty coffee and the people that make it up. These competitions would not exist and could not be produced without the dedicated support of these volunteers, judges, and partnerships.
