ASIA

THE BARISTA LEAGUE:

TOKYO | 11 JUNE

CONGRATULATIONS

to The Barista League: Asia champions!

Kirill Gorelov & Vasilina Levina

MISSED ALL THE ACTION?

You can now find all the teams’ performances on our Youtube channel, as well as the official event photos!

TBL YOUTUBE

EVENT PHOTOS

Click the image to zoom in

Last year Tokyo welcomed us with a full house. We are honoured to return. Adrift in Shimokitazawa is one of our favourite venues, nestled in one of Tokyo's most bohemian neighbourhoods, packed with great food, bars, record stores and live venues. This year we're expanding the Roasters Village with names from across Japan, debuting a new competition format on the main stage, and returning to the energy that made last year unforgettable. If you haven't experienced this scene before, this is your chance.

This year our Roasters Village welcomes specialty coffee roasters from across Japan: Allpress Japan (Tokyo), Weekenders Coffee (Kyoto), ULT Coffee Roasters (Osaka), Shimaji Coffee (Hiroshima), Bokka (Saitama), Island Stone Coffee Roasters (Utsunomiya), Days Coffee Roasters (Niigata), Node (Sapporo), Nakamura Coffee (Ise), and Terasaki Coffee (Kofu).
Be in the room as the brand-new, live-streamed competition format comes to Asia for the first time, featuring 6 teams presenting their coffee experience in front of a world-class judging panel including 2023 World Barista Champion Boram Um, 2017 WBC runner-up Miki Suzuki, multi-time Japan Brewers Cup Champion Yasuo Ishii, World Latte Art Champion Samurai Shin, and Q Grader and SCA Sensory Professional, Thuy Nguyen. The competition starts at 14:30 JST.
Play games, taste coffees and participate in giveaways and more from our partners Standart, Hollander, Falcon Coffees, 1883, Toddy and Rancilio. And don't forget our TBL Café experience, where you can taste the actual coffees being served in the competition — brought to you by SOT Coffee and Dark Arts Coffee Japan .
Adrift 3-9-23 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

MEET THE SPECIAL GUESTS

MIKI SUZUKI | JUDGE

Brewpeace.Inc
@miki_suzuki__
World Barista Championship 2017 runner-up and three-time Japan Barista Champion, Miki holds the record for the highest achievement by a female barista in Japan. She has reached the finals three times and remains a leading figure in the coffee world.
YASUO ISHII | JUDGE

Leaves Coffee Roasters
@yasuoishii
Founder of Leaves Coffee and multi-time Japan’s Brewers Cup champion, Yasuo is known for his dedication to quality roasting and innovation, aiming for world championship titles. His roastery has been recognized internationally, including Sprudge’s Notable Roaster nominations.
THUY NGUYEN (GWEN) | JUDGE

Virtuoso Coffee
@gwen_a_vietnamese_coffee_lover
CQI Q Arabica Grader and SCA Sensory Professional certified, Gwen is a full-stack coffee specialist, competition judge, and AI innovator. She integrates technology with coffee craftsmanship, having received the Women in AI APAC 2024 Award in Manufacturing.
SHINSAKU"SAMURAI SHIN"FUKAYAMA | JUDGE

Samurai Dream株式会社
@shinsaku_samurai
Former professional snowboarder turned world-class barista, Samurai Shin has won the World Latte Art Championship and the Australian Latte Art Championship and placed top 5 in the World Coffee Event. He leads Samurai Dream Co., runs Barista Schools, and promotes coffee education globally.
BORAM UM | JUDGE

Ult Coffee
@Boramum
2023 World Barista Champion and co‑founder of Um Coffee Co., Boram was born in Brazil to a family of South Korean immigrants who established Fazenda Um, a specialty coffee farm in the Serra da Mantiqueira region. He currently leads ULT Coffee Roasters in Osaka, Japan, where he curates competition‑level beans and experiences that reflect his farm‑to‑cup philosophy.
HIDE IZAKI | MC

BrewPeace Inc.
@hide_izaki
Hide Izaki is a Japanese coffee professional and the 2014 World Barista Champion, recognized as the first Asian to win the title. He is the CEO of BrewPeace Inc., where he works across green coffee sourcing, consulting, and brand collaborations with global companies. In addition to his business ventures, he contributes to the specialty coffee community as a board member of the Specialty Coffee Association and founder of the coffee omakase concept Cokuun.
TOSHIKAZU MUROMOTO | MC

Standart Magazine
@standartmag_jp
Toshikazu Muromoto is a coffee professional and Global Partnership Director at Standart Magazine, as well as Editor-in-Chief of its Japanese edition. After discovering the publication while living in Amsterdam, he returned to Japan to lead its localization and expand its cultural reach. He also operates Basking Coffee in Fukuoka, where his work emphasizes the human and cultural aspects of coffee.

MEET THE TEAMS

MERMAID SPIRITS

Meito Hagihara & Chikaco Yamasaki
Meito Hagihara – Café owner and competition barista, winning three extraction titles in 2025 and reaching the finals of both the Syphon (JSC) and Hand Drip (JHDC) Championships.
Chikaco Yamasaki – Café manager leading a consistently full shop, serving over 300 customers daily with a focus on hospitality.
SURF COFFEE

Kirill Gorelov & Vasilina Levina

Kirill Gorelov – Champion of The Barista League: Asia 2025 and multiple-time Russian Coffee Cup winner, experienced in opening cafés, training baristas, and building coffee education systems.
Vasilina Levina – Champion of The Barista League: Asia 2025 and multiple-time Russian Coffee Cup winner, contributing to Surf Coffee’s growth through education, hospitality, and competition success.
THE VOLCANO BROTHERS

Ken Sakashita & Mutsumi Kodama

Ken Sakashita – Café owner, 3rd place finisher at the Japan AeroPress Championship and co-organizer of the 2025 Aeropress competition in Japan.
Mutsumi Kodama – Café owner running a mobile coffee project in Kagoshima, focused on community, mentorship, and connection through coffee.
SHARP KNIFE EVOLUTION

Noritada Ueda & Mayasuki Abe

Noritada Ueda – Professional barista, winner of two categories at SCAJ Roast Masters 2025.
Mayasuki Abe – Barista inspired by international coffee culture, driven by curiosity and global connections within the industry.
CREMA NOIZE

Ren Tsutsumi & Takuro Ohsawa

Ren Tsutsumi – Barista at Sow Coffee Roasters with international experience from living in New Zealand.
Takuro Ohsawa – Japan Barista Championship judge and coffee director working to expand specialty coffee culture across Japan.
THE FLOATERS

Kai Peterson & Angelo Tan
Kai Peterson – Coffee professional with over 15 years of experience, leading global training and quality control for Kurasu Coffee.
Angelo Tan – Brand director at Kurasu Coffee, combining coffee experience with creative storytelling and a background in film.