PACIFIC

THE BARISTA LEAGUE:

BRISBANE | 13 NOV

NOT YOUR STANDARD BARISTA COMPETITION

Built for baristas, by baristas, The Barista League is a competition where teams are judged on how well they deliver a full coffee experience, not just a single drink.

Around the competition, the venue turns into a packed, high-energy room, part coffee festival, part industry party.

Watch up close as our champions define the next big thing in coffee, mingle with people you normally only see on Instagram or just have some drinks with your coffee friends.

The Barista League is being proudly brought to Brisbane by our Local Host City Partners:

WHAT HAPPENS AT TBL

A competition that rewards all the elements of an incredible coffee experience and doesn't need an operating manual to understand. The Barista League is built on three pillars of Concept, Service and Product — think MasterChef, not technical demonstration.
Be in the room as 6 teams from across the Pacific step on stage to present the future of coffee experiences in front of 5 judges handpicked from across the industry. Live-streamed, so the rest of the world can watch along. The competition starts at 5:30PM.
We think it's a huge waste when the only people who get to taste the amazing coffee from competitions are the 5 judges on stage. At the TBL Café you'll get a chance to taste the exact same coffees our competitors have been obsessing over for weeks.
This time we partnered with Sydney-born Toby's Estate — one of Australia's most established specialty roasters — who provided an incredible selection of coffees for our competitors to train and compete with.
We have invited some of our favourite roasters to come and brew for you — Bear Bones Coffee, Cavalier Coffee Roasters, Collusion Coffee and Limpopo Project representing Brisbane, Veneziano making the trip from Melbourne, and Exploradores de Café flying in all the way from Mexico.
The good bits of a trade show, without the stiff vibes. We bring some of the world’s leading companies into the room so you can meet and interact with the people behind your favourite coffee brands. Sensory challenges, espresso knowledge tests and plenty of chances to win something — brought to you by 1883, Oatly and Rancilio. More to be announced soon.
If you're going to drink the amount of coffee we know you will when you see who's coming — you're going to need some good food and drink to balance that caffeine out. You can purchase food and drinks at Mary Mae's or Bar Alto, both located right inside the venue.
Brisbane has spent years quietly building one of the most exciting specialty coffee scenes in the Pacific — and it's very much ready to show it. The city that shows up, the community that doesn't gatekeep, and the stage that's been waiting for this moment. Our last stop of 2026. See you there.

GET TICKETS

MEET THE SPECIAL GUESTS

AMY ZHANG | JUDGE

AmyBear Studio / Anthology Coffee
@amyzhang.xiaoxiao
2022 and 2026 Australian Latte Art Champion. Top ten finisher at the World Latte Art Championship two years running. Authorised SCA Trainer, CQI Q Grader and founder of Amybear.
MARCELA SERRANO ANGEL | JUDGE

BlueRose Coffee Culture / Project Origin
@blue_rose_coffee
Originally from Colombia, Marcela is an Authorised SCA Trainer, CQI educator and Q Grader Instructor with 20 years in specialty coffee. After 11 years in Brisbane's coffee scene, she recently joined Project Origin's Quality Control Lab in Canberra. Founder of BlueRose Coffee Culture.
KARL LEE | JUDGE

KL Specialty Coffee Lab / Axil Coffee Roasters
@barista_karl
2026 Australian Cup Tasters Champion, Authorised SCA Trainer and World Brewers Cup Judge. QLD Manager at Axil Coffee Roasters and founder of KL Specialty Coffee Lab, where he trains and consults across the global coffee scene.
GABREL TAN | JUDGE

Veneziano Coffee Roasters
@gabrel.tan
2026 Australian Barista Champion and Brand Ambassador for Veneziano Coffee Roasters. Nearly a decade in specialty coffee with a focus on filter and espresso.
ANTHONY DOUGLAS | JUDGE

Homebody Union
@anthony_jdouglas
2022 World Barista Champion and founder of Homebody Union, a specialty coffee roaster and café in Fitzroy, Melbourne.
JANÉ HERMANN | MC

Single O
@her_coffee._
Barista, coffee educator and QLD AeroPress runner-up with a passionate stance against gatekeeping in the industry. Jané has been a familiar face at coffee events across Brisbane and beyond — and has been waiting for TBL to come to Brisbane since she attended it in Barcelona.
WILSON CRAIG | MC

The Milkmen Supply Co
@astackofchairs
Wilson has been in coffee since he was 10, sticking labels on bags at his aunt and uncle's roastery. For the last four years he's been Brisbane's milkman — supplying 200+ specialty cafés and becoming one of the most trusted and genuinely liked people in the city's coffee community.

MEET THE TEAMS

MUSK

Wayne Gu & Shuyi Zheng — Brisbane
Wayne Gu & Shuyi Zheng — Brisbane
Wayne is an SCA Authorised Trainer, Q Grader and CVA at MUSK Café and Bar, with a focus on education and the specialty potential of Yunnan coffee.
Shuyi is the owner and operator of MUSK Café and Bar, with a passion for beverage innovation and developing distinctive signature drinks that bring fresh ideas to the café scene.
EXTRA HOT 2 SUGAR

Juliette Robin & Derrick Huynh — Brisbane
Juliette is Runner-Up at the Monin Coffee Cup 2025, a GoldenBean Australasia 2026 bronze medallist and an ASCA QLD Brewers competitor, based at Coffee Mentality.
Derrick is the 2025 Australia PCA Brewer Cup Champion and 2026 Brisbane Allpress/Hario V60 Champion, working at The Hideout Specialty Coffee and Coffee Mentality.
UDOM TEAM

Aum Phithakphon & Jack Laohasom — Melbourne
Aum is a two-time TBL Champion and 1st Runner Up at the Australian Southern Region Latte Art Championship, running Udom House in Melbourne.
Jack is a barista at Udom House with an engineering background and a track record of keeping things running when they shouldn't.
NOT BARISTAS

Raihaan Esat & Sergio Londono — Brisbane
Raihaan is an independent consultant for the coffee industry, working with roasters, café owners and emerging brands on green sourcing, roasting, product development and business strategy. He is also the founder of The Judgment Call Method and Mastery.
Sergio is Head of Coffee at Jack Murat Coffee, originally from Armenia, Colombia, with a career spanning every part of the supply chain.
GOLDEN PINEAPPLE

Tinley Li & Ellie Huang — Brisbane
Tinley is Head Barista at The Maillard Project and a 2026 ASCA Brewers Cup Finalist.
Ellie is a World Certified Barista Judge at Coffee Anthology — one of the world's top 30 cafés.
NO COFFEE NO HONEY

Taeyeong Kwak & Enru Lin
Taeyeong is a barista with 11 years of experience, specialising in signature drink creation and sensory exploration.
Enru runs Cups on Melbourne in South Brisbane and brings a creative, community-first approach to everything behind the bar.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW…

…to avoid missing the coffee event of the year. Tickets are limited, get it baby.

Brisbane Powerhouse
119 Lamington St, New Farm QLD 4005, Australia
There are great public transport options running every 10-15min via Bus (199 or 196) and Ferry.
On bike or Scooter - it’s even easier with direct bike connection to the CBD.
There is also parking available.
For more information, click here.
Doors open: 5PM
Competition starts: 5:30PM
Prize Ceremony: 9:30PM
This venue is fully accessible
For more information about the venue, click here.
Early Bird Tickets are only $15 and cover full access and unlimited coffee from our world famous roasters and baristas.
Full Price Tickets are $25.
This is an all-ages event, so everyone is welcome!
We’ll have alcohol available to purchase at the event, but you’ll need to be of legal drinking age and be able to show a valid ID if asked.
Hungry or thirsty? You can purchase food and drinks at Mary Mae’s or Bar Alto, both located right inside the venue.