We’re officially in the thick of coffee competition season now. Last weekend, the first of two Qualifying Events took place in Baltimore, Maryland, with all six of the disciplines being represented: Barista Championship, Brewers Cup, Coffee in Good Spirits, Cup Tasters, Latte Art, and the Roasters Championship. Nearly 200 coffee professionals took the various stages at the Baltimore Convention Center, all hoping to earn their way to the national round of competition taking place in Portland, Oregon later this year in April.
And now, here on the other side of one of the most exciting coffee weekends this early on the calendar, we now know who will comprise half of the field at Nationals. The other half, the Mountain West, will be decided just outside Denver in March. But before we get there, let’s take a look at everyone moving on to the national stage of the 2023 US Coffee Championships via the first Qualifying Event in Baltimore, Maryland.
Barista Championship
1. Juan Diaz, KWC Orlando, FL
2. Elisabeth Johnson, Dayglow, Los Angeles, CA
3. Hugo Cano, Amberson Coffee, Indianapolis, IN
Jake McFarland, Black & White Coffee, Raleigh, NC
Addison Mathis, PERC Coffee, Decatur, GA
Dakota Graff, Onyx Coffee Lab, Rogers, AR
Meg Skop, Independent, San Francisco, CA
Jinwoo Ahn, Cafe Grumpy, Brooklyn, NY
Jamie Patel, Co Trade Imports, Wake Forest, NC
Christian Bak, Independent, Reno, NV
Maya Crowley, Nguyen Coffee Supply, Brooklyn, NY
Austin Bowers, Methodical Coffee, Greenville, SC
Q Miller-Edwards, de Fer Coffee and Tea, Pittsburgh, PA
Jorge Amador, Soluna PGH, Pittsburgh, PA
David Yardley, Moon Goat Coffee, Santa Ana, CA
Jay Caragay, Spro Coffee, Cockeysville, MD
Lynn Hrabovsky, Soul at the Joseph, Columbus, OH
Sabrina Denham, Not Your Average Joe, Norman, OK
Brewers Cup
1. Weihong Zhang, Blendin Coffee Lab
2. Isaiah Sheese, Archetype Coffee
3. Peace Sakulclanuwat, Coffee Project NY
C Hughes, Amberson Coffee
Joseph Burns, Ghost Coffee Collab
John Dixon, Jubala Coffee
Shaa’ista Sabir, PERC Coffee Roasters
Andres Morales, Coffee Project NY
Jillion Potter, Helm Coffee
Ryan Bui, Mercanta North America
Steve Kim, Rare Bird Coffee Roasters
Max Phills, Loveless Coffees
Coffee in Good Spirits
1. Mo Koolphanich, Slipstream, DC, Arlington, VA
2. Ivan Solis, Recuerdos Coffee Co., Decatur, GA
3. Gregory White, Independent, Raleigh, NC
Louis Elguera, Coatl Coffee, Vista, CA
Cup Tasters
1. Tom Bomford, Black Fox Coffee, New York, NY
2. Inwook Park, Fairwave Coffee Collective, Kansas City, KS
3. Bear Soliven, Onyx Coffee Lab, Fayetteville, AR
Katie Britt, Red Banner Coffee Roasters, Morley, MO
El Roland, Keffa Coffee, Inc., Baltimore, MD
Ryan Hudson, Broad Porch Coffee, Luray, VA
Beatriz Garay, Mayorcga Coffee, Rockville, MD
Tony Auger, Goshen Coffee Roasters, Edwardsville, IL
Michael Nunziato, Broadsheet Coffee Roasters, Sommerville, MA
Helen Choi, Luce Coffee Roasters, Houston, TX
Michael Matthews, Alinea Coffee Roasters, Metairie, LA
Ben Masino, Gaia Coffee Co, Lewes, DE
Luke Jung, Luce Coffee Roasters, Houston, TX
Daniel Borras, Perc Coffee Roasters, Atlanta, GA
Eduardo Choza, Mayorga Coffee, Rockville, MD
Latte Art
1. Tracy Jiang, Intelligentsia Coffee
2. Edward Griffin, Messenger Coffee
3. Julie Patadia, Coffee Project NY
Donald Perdomo, Independent
Abdul Qader Dali, Three Whistles Coffee
Camilo Sanchez Gomez, Nativus/Red House
Roasters Championship
1. Luke Jung, Luce Coffee Roasters, Houston, TX
2. Tio Fallen, Three Keys Coffee, Houston, TX
3. Michael Matthews, Alinea Coffee Roasters, Metairie, LA
Brian Hensley, Indie Coffee Roasters, Carmel, IN
Kimberly Zash, Sightseer Coffee, Austin, TX
Dr. Kenneth Thomas, Umble Coffee Co., Starkville, MS
Chi Sum Ngai, Coffee Project NY, Long Island City, NY
Eric Stone, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters, Charlottesville, VA
Congratulations to everyone who to made it to Nationals!
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
All images courtesy of the US Coffee Championships
