The 2027 US Coffee Championships season kicked off over the weekend in Houston with the first qualifying round for the US Roasters Championship, and already things are getting kicked into high gear. This thanks to the announcement of the 2027 US Barista Championship schedule that brings with it a sizable expansion of competitor spots.
Announced Monday, September 7th, the 2027 USBC will follow the trajectory of the USRC, featuring two qualifying events that feed into a national round of competition. Each qualifying event has room for 24 competitors, with the top nine from each earning their way to the 18-person national round.
This year’s qualifying rounds are:
South/Central: Houston, Texas, Friday, October 30th through Sunday November 1st, location TBD
West: San Diego, California, Thursday, November 19th through Saturday, November 21st, Mixed Grounds Coffee
Winners from these events will then convene January 28th through 31st at Pinewood Coffee in Franklin, Tennessee for the US Barista Championship. The winner will then head to Tokyo, Japan at the end of April for the 2027 World Barista Championship.
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Registration for both qualifying events opens next week, Wednesday, September 16th at 1:00pm CT for South/Central and Friday, September 18th at 1:00pm PT for West. As with previous years, last year’s six USBC Finalist have reserved spots that, if not accepted, will be opened to the public. (Which means there exists a world where Jak Michael Ryan wins the World Barista Championship in Panama and then has less than a week to prepare his qualifying round routine.)
An online learning session will be held Wednesday, October 7th at 5:00pm CT for those looking to compete.
For more information, visit the US Coffee Championships official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
