THE BARISTA LEAGUE:

LATIN AMERICA

MEXICO CITY | 6 MAY

CONGRATULATIONS

to TBL: LATIN AMERICA champions!

Karla Bravo & Victor Granados

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

After three sold-out events in Mexico City — our largest each year — we're returning to Foro Indie Rocks and taking over the whole venue. This year we're bringing a second stage for lectures and panel conversations, a full Roasters Village, top global brands from coffee and beyond, and our barista competition in an all-new format on the main stage. With local and international leaders and a full-day festival experience, this is your one chance to see what Latin America's coffee community does when it really shows up.

  • This year our Roasters Village features names from all over Mexico: FUEGO Y CAFÉ (Mexico City), SUBVERSIVO ROASTERS (Puebla), HÁBITO CAFÉ(Mexico City), TERRA MANO (Querétaro), QUENTIN (Mexico City), TUESTE CAFÉ (Veracruz), DRIP (Guadalajara), LÍRICO CAFÉ (Mexico City), OH LÁ LATTE (León) and CAFE CON JIRIBILLA (Mexico City).

  • Be in the room as the new competition format comes to Latin America for the first time, featuring 6 teams presenting their coffee experience in front of judges from Mexico and Colombia — some of the most respected roasters, champions, and producers the region has to offer. The competition starts at 17:00.

  • All day across both stages — hear from local and international speakers from coffee and the wider beverage world, on everything from fermentation and biodynamic farming to cold brew, new trends, and the future of the business. 

  • Play games, taste coffees and participate in giveaways and more from our partners Oatly, Toddy, and Rancilio, and visit booths from Etrusca, Exploradores de Café, Revista Lo Mejor del Café, Descamex, 1883, and Euro Té to see what they have in store for you. And don't forget our TBL Café experience, where you can taste the actual coffees being served in the competition — brought to you by Almanegra and Libertario.

  • Our host venue Foro Indie Rocks, will be serving some finger food, beer, mezcal and everything you want to drink.

  • Foro Indie Rocks

    Zacatecas 39, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 CDMX

  • You can purchase a ticket for one of the bellow sessions or a full day pass. 

    Session 1: 12-16

    Session 2: 16-20

PROGRAM OF THE DAY

All the talks will be held in Spanish.

MAIN STAGE

12:00
OPENING CEREMONY

12:15 - 13:00
SAMUEL RONZON SOTO & GLORIA HERNÁNDEZ
(La Joya Microbeneficio)
Fermentation in Coffee Processing

13:30 - 14:15
GIBRÁN CERVANTES (El Equimite)
Biodynamic Coffee

15:00 - 15:30
ING. GEORGINA GONZÁLEZ CASTILLO (Descamex)
Exploring Decaffeinated Coffee

16:00 - 21:00
TBL: LATIN AMERICA COMPETITION

SALA STAGE

12:30 - 13:15
VERA ESPINDOLA (Kua´nu), SUNGHEE TARK (Bean Voyage), DAVID AKLE CANTÚ (Teikei Coffee) & DIEGO MARROQUÍN (Terra Coffeas)
Panel: Sustainability in Coffee Farming
Moderated by Regina Ganem from Ensambles

13:45 - 14:30
JOSE ANTONIO MAYA (Exploradores), HÉCTOR GARCÍA JIMÉNEZ (Etrusca) & YARISMETH BARRIENTOS (Café con Jiribilla)
Panel: The Future Business of Coffee: Challenges Ahead
Moderated by Carlos Escobar from Differente

15:15 - 16:00
FELIPE PINZON (Libertario), OCTAVIO RUIZ (Almanegra), SHAK ZAPATA (Cardinal), ANGELA SUAREZE(Café Tio Conejo) & OLIVIA MEDINA (Euro Té)
Panel: New Generations: Trends & Adaptation
Moderated by Edgar Henríquez from Oatly

17:00 - 17:45
CARLOS JUAREZ (Impetus)
How to Choose the Best Coffee and Brew Better at Home

18:15 - 19:00
JESÚS SALAZAR VELASCO (Cafeólogo)
Understanding Coffee Processing

19:30 - 20:15
TODDY
Cold Brew Trends & Innovation

MEET THE SPECIAL GUESTS

  • MATÍAS DURÁN | JUDGE

    The Quantum Crack Coffee Roasters
    @quantum_crack

    A 2024 national roasting champion and 2025 top contender, he also serves as a Cup of Excellence judge. After years in Barcelona cafés, he returned to Mexico and founded Quantum Crack Coffee Roasters.  He now runs a Coffee Academy & Boutique in Querétaro, offering training in roasting, cupping, barismo, and brewing.

  • DANIELA HIDALGO | JUDGE

    Estudio Café
    @estudiocafe.cafe

    Daniela Hidalgo is a specialty coffee educator from Barista Hustle and consultant based in Mexico. She leads Estudio Café, where she focuses on training baristas and café leaders by combining technical foundations, sensory analysis, and hospitality. With experience in coffee tasting, extraction, and team development, Daniela’s work centres on building critical thinking, consistency, and a deeper understanding of coffee beyond rigid recipes or formulas.

  • IVANOV CASTELLANOS | JUDGE

    Café Tio Conejo
    @cafetioconejo

    Born in Manizales, Ivanov is a coffee grower and owner of Café Tío Conejo. A former veterinarian, he now leads a family-run specialty coffee farm focused on high-quality, traceable coffees and immersive farm experiences.

  • CARLOS ESCOBAR | JUDGE

    DIFFERENTE COFFEE
    @carlos.esco.bar

    A Colombian coffee roaster and founder of DIFFERENTE Coffee, focused on showcasing exceptional producers, rare varieties, and innovative processes. He won the Colombian Brewers Cup in 2024 and placed 3rd at the World Brewers Cup 2025. He also coaches baristas worldwide, supporting competitors and promoting Colombian coffee globally.

  • ANNY BARRERA | JUDGE

    Condesa Gin
    @annybarrera_

    A bartender with 10 years of experience in award-winning bars featured in the 50 Best Bars, as well as in luxury hotels such as Four Seasons and Rosewood. She has mastered not only cocktails but also culinary techniques. During these 10 years, 5 were spent as the National Ambassador for Condesa Gin, traveling around the world.

  • JUAN “ENKI” SUAREZ | MC

    Nordic Approach
    @enkisuarez

    A coffee obsessive who went from his first sip at 19 to shaping sourcing on an international scale. With a decade of industry experience, Enki now works as a green coffee buyer in Colombia for Oslo-based Nordic Approach, bridging exceptional Latin American origins with the Nordic specialty scene.

  • ALEJANDRA LUGO | MC

    Radiante Coffee Roasters
    @aleelugoo_

    A three-time national Brewers Cup champion and Arabica Q Grader, Ale has competed on both national and international stages throughout her career. In 2020 she founded Radiante Coffee Roasters, followed by her café concept in 2021 — Room Café Especial — which now operates two locations in the city of Mexico.

MEET THE TEAMS

Thank you to our Latin America Selection Committee for hand-picking the very best teams to compete in this event!
Alonso Palacios Galicia, Emmanuel Cruz & Ale Lugo

  • RAÍCES CAFÉ

    Erik David Peña Manra & José Alberto Giles Gómez

    Erik, World Aeropress Champion 2025, bringing elite competition experience to the team.
    José - first-time competitor working both behind the bar and in coffee-growing communities in Guerrero, supporting producers and rebuilding social fabric through coffee.

  • COLDBROTHERS

    Thania Domínguez Torres & Cesar Rodrigo Amaya Solis

    Thania – winner of the National Aeropress Championship CDMX and 2nd place at Totem Jam, a proven competitor with strong results.
    Cesar National Aeropress competitor and chef-manager at Fuego & Café, blending culinary and coffee expertise.

  • LOS ARTELATTEJEFES

    Karla Bravo & Victor Granados

    Karla - 5th place in the Mexican Barista Cup 2025 with 8 years of experience, combining latte art skills with solid calibration.
    Victor - coach and industry veteran with 15 years of experience, stepping from behind the bar into the spotlight.

  • JAROCHOBREW Y CHILANGRIND

    Juan Pablo Esquivel & André Cadena Cortes

    Juan - experienced barista who has worked across multiple cafés in Mexico, now based in Mérida and focused on experimenting with new techniques.
    André - curious and self-taught barista who constantly experiments with coffee while building a community-driven coffee project in his neighbourhood

  • SIN INTERMEDIARIOS

    Samuel Ronzón & Carlos de la Torre

    Samuel - coffee producer, bringing origin knowledge to the competition.
    Carlos - experienced competitor and recent café/wine bar owner of “Cióttolo”.

  • EL COLEGIO DE MAILLARD

    Sebastián Deolarte & Leonel Villalobos

    Sebastián - coffee professional bringing dedication and a passion for the craft to the competition.
    Leonel - Q grader (catador Q), bringing professional sensory expertise to the team.

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS!

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