We are absolutely champing at the bit here to get into the Oregon Convention Center and get this 2023 US Coffee Championships underway. The SCA Expo is going to be a three-day coffee extravaganza, and begging pardon to all the many new pieces of tech we’re sure to be raving about over the coming days and weeks, the competitions are going to have the eyes of onlookers the nation over. And that is perhaps most true of the US Barista Championship.
Kicking off this Friday, the US Barista Championship is bringing together 35 of the best competition baristas in the United States for three days espressos, milk courses, and signature beverages. And on Sunday, a new—or maybe even a returning—champion will be crowned. There are names both new and familiar heading into this weekend, including multiple Finalists from prior USBCs. But the big question this year is: can sitting champion and Most Famous Coffee Person on the Internet Morgan Eckroth repeat? Eckroth is looking to improve upon their 2nd place performance at last year’s World Barista Championship, but that’s only possible if she can make it through Portland, which is no small ask.
We’ll leave all the pontificating until Monday morning. For now, let’s take a look at who will be competing in the 2023 US Barista Championship taking place at the SCA Expo this weekend Portland, Oregon
Friday, April 21st, Round One
9:30am Maya Crowley (she/her), Nguyen Coffee Supply, Brooklyn, NY
9:50am Morgan Eckroth (she/they), Onyx Coffee Lab, Portland, OR
10:10am Reef Bessette (he/him), The Coffee Movement, San Francisco, CA
10:30am Meg Skop (she/her), Independent, San Francisco, CA
10:50am Keziah Hjellen (she/her), Narrative Coffee, Everett, WA
11:10am Maja Balabanova (she/her), Novo Coffee, Denver, CO
11:30am Becky Reeves (she/her), Creature Coffee Co, Austin, TX
11:50am David Yardley (he/him), MoonGoat Coffee, Santa Ana, CA
12:10pm Lynn Hrabovsky (they/them), Soul at the Joseph, Columbus, OH
12:30pm Phillip White-Jackson, Little Lunch Coffee, Los Angeles, CA
12:50pm Sabrina Denham (she/her), Not Your Average Joe, Norman, OK
1:10pm Jinwoo Ahn (he/him), Cafe Grumpy, Brooklyn, NY
1:30pm Manta Coffey (he/him), Presta Coffee Roasters, Tucson, AZ
1:50pm Austin Bowers (he/him), Methodical Coffee, Greenville, SC
2:10pm Adrian Gomez (he/him), Mostra Coffee, San Diego, CA
2:30pm Q Miller-Edwards (he/him), de Fer Coffee and Tea, Pittsburgh, PA
2:50pm Jamie Patel (he/him), CoTrade Imports, Wake Forest, NC
3:10pm Frank La (he/him), Be Bright Coffee, Los Angeles, CA
3:30pm Jason Yeo (he/him), Saint Frank Coffee, San Francisco, CA
3:50pm Kay Cheon (he/him), Dune Cofffee, Santa Barbara, CA
4:10pm Uriel Hernandez (he/him), Madcap Coffee, Wyoming, MI
4:30pm Reyna Callejo (she/her), Olympia Coffee, Seattle, WA
4:50pm Christian Bak (he/him), Saint Frank, San Francisco, CA
Semi-finalists announcements 5:30pm
Competitors automatically qualified for the Semi-finals, Saturday, April 22nd
Hugo Cano (he/him), Amberson Coffee, Indianapolis, IN
Elisabeth Johnson (she/her), Dayglow, Los Angeles, CA
Addison Mathis (they/them), PERC Coffee, Decatur, GA
Anthony Ragler (he/him), Black & White Coffee, Zebulon, NC
Dakota Graff (he/him), Onyx Coffee Lab, Rogers, AR
Seidy Selivanow (she/her), Kafiex Roasters, Vancouver, WA
Gray Kauffman (they/them), Caffe Vita, Seattle, WA
Jenna Gotthelf (she/her), Counter Culture Coffee, New York, NY
Nora Brady (she/her), Blueprint Coffee, St. Louis, MO
Jake McFarland (he/him), Black & White Coffee, Raleigh, NC
Juan Diaz (he/him), KWC, Orlando, FL
Isaiah Sheese (he/him), Archetype Coffee, Omaha, NE
Good luck to all the competitors!
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
