The field for the first national event of the 2027 US Coffee Championships season is now set. Over the weekend, the second qualifying event for the 2027 US Roasters Championship took place just outside Portland at iFill in Washougal, Washington.
24 competitors from across the country took part in the western regional, hoping to earn one of the nine available spots left in the national round for this year’s competition. Over the course of the three days, green coffee was sample roasted, cupped, evaluated, and production roasted. Roast curves were assessed. And ultimately, nine competitors punched their tickets to the next round.
These nine will join the competitors from the first qualifying event that took place earlier this month in Houston, and collectively they comprise a field of 18 that will compete at the 2027 US Roasters Championship happening later this December in Kona, Hawaii.
The winner will then go on to represent America at the World Roasters Championship next April as part of World of Coffee New Orleans.
But that’s still a ways away. So for now, let’s meet the winners of the US Roasters Championship qualifying event in Washougal, Washington.
Jaehwan Park, Story Coffee
Jana Nguyen, River Phin Coffee Roasters
Matthew Selivanow, Kafiex Roasters
Jacob White, Olympia Roasters
Beckett Reynolds, Guilder Coffee
Matt Heltzel, Moxie Coffee Co
Camilla Yuan, Camellia Coffee Roasters
Payman Namvar, Namvar Estates
Grant Hamby, Hipfire Coffee
ChiaHung (Alex) Huang, Desolate Coffee
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
