It’s finally here! The 2026 US Barista Championship is here! Kicking off tomorrow at the Huckleberry Roasters HQ in Denver, Colorado, the US Barista Championship brings together 30 of the best competition baristas in the country, all vying for a chance to represent the United States at the World Barista Championship in Panama later this year.
And hoo boy is the field absolutely stacked this year. It harkens back to the early- to mid-2010s of competition, where it felt like every other competitor came with an impressive resume and a real chance to win it all. Here’s the complete run-down of the event, and below some thoughts on all the action.
Sprudge Media’s coverage of the 2026 US Barista Championship is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, Swiss Water, Cafe Imports, La Marzocco, and Huckleberry Roasters.
Livestream the 2026 US Barista Championship on YouTube hosted by event sponsor Roastronix.
Round One, Day One (Thursday, June 18th)
10:35AM Circle Chan (she/her) – The Coffee Movement – San Francisco, CA
10:55AM Sam Schroeder (he/him) – Olympia Coffee – Seattle, WA
11:15AM Cole Oppedisano (he/him) – Corvus Coffee – Denver, CO
11:35AM Will Shadley (he/him) – Mandarin Coffee – Los Angeles, CA
11:55AM Anthony Ragler (he/him) – Black & White Coffee – Raleigh, NC
12:15PM Jason Yeo (he/him) – Saint Frank Coffee – San Francisco, CA
12:35PM Fernando Ayala (he/him) – Tuyo Cafe – Santa Ana, CA
12:55PM Ziah Bloom (he/him) – Lamppost Coffee – Austin, TX
1:15PM David Buehrer (he/him) – Greenway Coffee Company – Houston, TX
1:35PM Case Osborn (he/him) – Longmont, CO
1:55PM Reily Pond (she/her) – Madcap Coffee – Grand Rapids, MI
2:15PM Noel Goodwin (she/her) – Hagen Coffee Roasters – Seattle, WA
2:35PM Jake McFarland (he/him) – Black & White Coffee – Raleigh, NC
2:55PM Manuel Torres (he/him) – Boxx Coffee Roasters – Los Angeles, CA
3:15PM Seidy Selivanow (she/her) – Kafiex Coffee – Vancouver, WA
3:35PM Christopher Maxwell (he/him) – Huckleberry Roasters – Denver, CO
Round One, Day Two (Friday, June 19th)
10:35AM Jak Michael Ryan (he/him) – Proud Mary – Austin, TX
10:55AM Jez Cruz (he/him) – Guilder Coffee Company – Portland, OR
11:15AM Meg Skog (she/her) – The Coffee Movement – San Francisco, CA
11:35AM Christian Ortega (he/him) – Olympia Coffee – Seattle, WA
11:55AM Stephanie Hernandez-Salazar (she/her) – Vignette Coffee Roasters – Greensboro, NC
12:15PM Olivia Morris (they/them) – Little Bear Coffee – Albuquerque, NM
12:35PM Khoa Trinh (he/him) – Boxx Coffee Roasters – Los Angeles, CA
12:55PM Christopher Jiongo – Java Jiongo’s – Woodbridge, VA
1:15PM Morgan Eckroth (they/she) – Onyx Coffee Lab – Portland, OR
1:35PM Miranda Huncovsky (they/she) – Go Get Em Tiger – Los Angeles, CA
1:55PM Brandon Jarnagin (he/him) – Boxx Coffee 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 Where Coffee – Miami, FL
There are no less than eight former USBC Finalists competing this year, including Noel Goodwin, Jak Michael Ryan, Juan Diaz, the always compelling Anthony Ragler, the San Francisco trio in Jason Yeo, Circle Chan, and Meg Skop, and Houston’s favorite son David Buehrer. And as if they weren’t daunting enough, three former US Coffee Champions are joining them this year: 2022 US Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth, 2020 and 2020 US Brewers Cup Champion Elika Liftee, and 2023 US Coffee in Good Spirits Champion (and multi-time USBC Finalist) Sam Schroeder.
But last year’s results are no guarantee of this year’s successes. There are a host of first timers who have no intention of waiting their turn. Just ask the aforementioned Circle Chan, who placed fourth in 2026, her first year competing. The field has never been so daunting and yet so wide open. It’s one of the most exciting USBCs in recent memory.
Over the next two day, the 30 competitors will compete in Round One, hoping to earn a spot in the Semi-Finals round taking place on Saturday. And we’ll be at Huck HQ all day everyday to bring you the sights and sounds of the 2026 US Barista Championship, live as they happen. So make sure you are staying locked in to Sprudge all weekend long.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
