2025 SEASON IS HERE!
NEW RULES. NEW SEASON FORMAT. SAME THE BARISTA LEAGUE VIBES
2025 SEASON
IS HERE!
NEW RULES. NEW SEASON FORMAT. SAME THE BARISTA LEAGUE VIBES
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS!
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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.
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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) and CAFE CON JIRIBILLA (Mexico City).
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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.
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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.
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Our host venue Foro Indie Rocks, will be serving some finger food, beer, mezcal and everything you want to drink.
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Zacatecas 39, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 CDMX
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Después de tres eventos con entradas agotadas en la Ciudad de México —los más grandes que hacemos cada año— regresamos a Foro Indie Rocks, ahora tomando todo el venue. Este año sumamos un segundo escenario con pláticas y paneles, un Roasters Village completo, marcas top de café y más allá, y nuestra competencia de baristas en un formato totalmente nuevo en el escenario principal. Con líderes locales e internacionales y una experiencia tipo festival de día completo, esta es tu oportunidad para ver de lo que es capaz la comunidad cafetera de Latinoamérica cuando se reúne en serio.
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Este año el Roasters Village reúne proyectos de todo México: FUEGO Y CAFÉ (CDMX), SUBVERSIVO ROASTERS (Puebla), HÁBITO CAFÉ(CDMX), TERRA MANO (Querétaro), QUENTIN (CDMX), TUESTE CAFÉ (Veracruz) y CAFE CON JIRIBILLA (CDMX).
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Vive en persona la llegada del nuevo formato de competencia a Latinoamérica por primera vez, con 6 equipos presentándose frente a jueces de México y Colombia —algunos de los tostadores, campeones y productores más respetados de la región. La competencia arranca a las 17:00.
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Habrá juegos, catas de café y dinámicas con premios junto a nuestros aliados Oatly, Toddy, y Rancilio. También podrás visitar los stands de Etrusca, Exploradores de Café, Revista Lo Mejor del Café, Descamex, 1883, y Euro Tépara ver qué traen este año. Y no te pierdas la experiencia TBL Café, donde podrás probar los mismos cafés que se usan en la competencia —de la mano de Almanegra y Libertario.
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La comida y bebida corren por parte de nuestro venue anfitrión, Foro Indie Rocks: habrá snacks, cerveza, mezcal y todo lo que se te antoje tomar.
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Zacatecas 39, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 CDMX
PROGRAM OF THE DAY
All the talks will be held in Spanish.
MAIN STAGE
12:00
OPENING CEREMONY
12:15 - 13:15
SAMUEL RONZON SOTO & GLORIA HERNÁNDEZ
(La Joya Microbeneficio)
Fermentation in Coffee Processing
13:30 - 14:30
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
SALA STAGE
12:30 - 13:30
VERA ESPINDOLA (Kua´nu), SUNGHEE TARK (Bean Voyage)
Panel: Sustainability in Coffee Farming
13:45 - 15:00
CARLOS ESCOBAR (Differente), JOSE ANTONIO MAYA (Exploradores)
HÉCTOR GARCÍA JIMÉNEZ (Etrusca) & YARISMETH BARRIENTOS (Café con Jiribilla)
Panel: The Future Business of Coffee: Challenges Ahead
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 - 18:00
CARLOS JUAREZ (Impetus)
How to Choose the Best Coffee and Brew Better at Home
18:15 - 19:15
JESÚS SALAZAR VELASCO (Cafeólogo)
Understanding Coffee Processing
19:30 - 20:30
TBC (Toddy)
Cold Brew Trends & Innovation
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MIKI SUZUKI
World Barista Championship 2017 runner-up.
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YASUO ISHII
Leaves Coffee Roasters
@yasuoishiiFounder 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.
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THUY NGUYEN (GWEN)
Virtuoso Coffee
@gwen_a_vietnamese_coffee_loverCQI 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.
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SHINSAKU"SAMURAI SHIN"FUKAYAMA
Samurai Dream株式会社
@shinsaku_samuraiFormer 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.
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BORAM UM
Ult Coffee
@Boramum2023 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.
PROGRAMA DEL DÍA
Todas las charlas se llevarán a cabo en español.
MAIN STAGE
12:00
CEREMONIA DE APERTURA
12:15 - 13:15
SAMUEL RONZON SOTO & GLORIA HERNÁNDEZ
(La Joya Microbeneficio)
Fermentación en el procesamiento del café
13:30 - 14:30
GIBRÁN CERVANTES (El Equimite)
Café biodinámico
15:00 - 15:30
ING. GEORGINA GONZÁLEZ CASTILLO (Descamex)
Explorando el café descafeinado
16:00 - 21:00
TBL: LATIN AMERICA
SALA STAGE
12:30 - 13:30
VERA ESPINDOLA (Kua´nu), SUNGHEE TARK (Bean Voyage)
Panel: Sustentabilidad en la producción de café
13:45 - 15:00
CARLOS ESCOBAR (Differente), JOSE ANTONIO MAYA (Exploradores)
HÉCTOR GARCÍA JIMÉNEZ (Etrusca) & YARISMETH BARRIENTOS (Café con Jiribilla)
Panel: El futuro del negocio del café: retos y desafíos
15:15 - 16:00
FELIPE PINZON (Libertario), OCTAVIO RUIZ (Almanegra), SHAK ZAPATA (Cardinal), ANGELA SUAREZE(Café Tio Conejo) & OLIVIA MEDINA (Euro Té)
Panel: Nuevas generaciones: tendencias y adaptaciónes
Modera Edgar Henríquez de Oatly
17:00 - 18:00
CARLOS JUAREZ (Impetus)
Cómo elegir el mejor café y prepararlo mejor en casa
18:15 - 19:15
JESÚS SALAZAR VELASCO (Cafeólogo)
Entendiendo los procesos del café
19:30 - 20:30
TBC (Toddy)
Tendencias e innovación en Cold Brew
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After our biggest-ever European event last year, we’re coming back to Prague, one of the EU’s most exciting coffee markets – not to mention incredible city to visit for a weekend of food, drink and culture.
With industry leaders, competitors, and coffee lovers joining us from across the continent, don’t miss out on your one chance to see a TBL event this year.
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This year we have an expanded roasters village featuring QUO (Sweden), COFFEE PIRATES (Austria), GOTA COFFEE EXPERTS (Austria), SO COFFEE ROASTERS (Portugal), SQR COFFEE ROASTERS (Austria), VIVINAS CAFÉ (Hungary), HURACAN COFFEE (Lithuania), MAZELAB (Czech Republic).
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Be in the room for a world’s first iteration of the brand new, live streamed competition format featuring 6 teams presenting their coffee experience in front of 5 VIP judges from all over Europe. Competition starts at 16:30.
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Play games, taste coffees and participate in giveaways and more from our partners at Oatly, Toddy, Rancilio, Wild Orchard. And don’t forget our TBL Cafe experience, where you can taste the actual coffees that are being served in the competition by the roasters who sourced them.
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Make sure you come hungry with smash burgers from BB Crew, natural wine from Veltlin, craft beer from Sibeeria and delicious cookies and baked goods from Chunky Cookies + Supernova Bakehouse.
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Gabriel Loci
Holečkova 106/10, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov, Czechia
AT THE EVENT
THE BARISTA LEAGUE 2026
BARISTAS ARE THE CURATORS OF THE COFFEE EXPERIENCE
Their job is not to grow, source, roast coffee but to translate the work, competence, skill, meaning, culture and stories of the coffee industry to consumers. Through the service and preparation of drinks the barista is responsible for the actual delivery of that experience to consumers every day all around the world.
We believe an amazing coffee experience is built on three pillars: CONCEPT, SERVICE and PRODUCT. All of which are intertwined and equally important. On these pillars we build a new era of coffee competitions.
HOW DOES THE COMPETITION WORK?
TEAMS OF TWO
have 10 minutes to make 5 drinks. With no entry fees and a stage with the best equipment and coffee in the world, The Barista League is a platform for all baristas, not just the ones with access to cash.
CREATING INNOVATIVE COFFEE EXPERIENCES
based on three pillars of Concept, Service and Product. Baristas are given freedom to push the industry forward and deliver the future of coffee experiences.
LIVE STREAMED FOR THE WORLD TO SEE
with live feedback from judges, creative drink challenges and more space in the competition to make a statement, we are finally making a competition worth watching.
A BARISTA COMPETITION FOR REAL BARISTAS
The Barista League has and will always be a competition for baristas. It’s free to enter and we provide everything you need to succeed. So If you have a perspective to share, a story to tell or a concept that you think the industry needs to hear – then TBL is the competition for you.
WHY COMPETE?
Aside from being on a stage in front of tens of thousands of coffee people, teams take home some incredible prizes from our partners including a once-in-a-lifetime trip on the Mystery Coffee Vacation.
Teams can apply by submitting both a written and a video submission which is evaluated by our independent selection committee.
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Teams must submit both a written and a video submission. The video should be a maximum of 2.5 minutes and introduce yourself, your team, and your coffee journey, sharing what drives you to compete, what you hope to achieve, and the skills or style that make your coffee approach unique.
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The submissions will be reviewed by an independent selection committee and judged based on the selection criteria. This selection criteria is available for everyone to review here.
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NOTHING. Isn’t that awesome!
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Check out our selection criteria here.
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Check out the rules here.
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In advance of the competition, teams will be given information and access to coffee and equipment that they need to prepare. They should prepare their concept, service style and their drink recipes. Once on site, each team is given several hours of training and coaching time on the competition stage to do final preparations and dial in their drinks.
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Applying to compete is totally free. All of the equipment you need and the coffee for the competition will be provided for you. You may need to procure or produce ingredients for some of your drinks and you will be allowed to bring some set dressings for your competition.
Teams are also responsible for their own travel and accommodation to the event.
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チームは、書面による提出と動画による提出の両方を行う必要があります。
動画は最大2分30秒で、自己紹介、チーム紹介、そしてあなたのコーヒー遍歴を紹介してください。
その中に、競技に挑戦する理由、あなたがやり遂げたいこと、そしてあなたが提供するコーヒーがあなただけのものになるのに使っているスキルやスタイルを盛り込んでください。
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応募内容は独立した選考委員会によって審査され、選考基準に基づいて評価されます。この選考基準は、誰でも こちら で確認できます。
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ゼロです。サイコーでしょ？
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選考基準は こちら をご確認ください。
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ルールは こちら でご確認ください。
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大会前に、運営からチームには準備が必要な豆や機材への情報とアクセスが提供されます。チームはコンセプト、サービススタイル、ドリンクレシピを準備してください。
会場に到着後、各チームには競技ステージで数時間のトレーニングとコーチングの時間が与えられ、最終準備やドリンクの調整を行います。
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大会への応募は完全に無料です。競技に必要な機材やコーヒーはすべてこちらで用意します。
ただし、一部のドリンクに使う食材を調達または作成する必要がある場合は各自ご準備のほどお願いします。競技用にセット装飾を持ち込むことも可能です。
また、チームはイベントへの移動費と宿泊費に関しましては自己負担をお願いいたします。
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Los equipos deben enviar tanto una propuesta escrita como un video.
El video debe durar máximo 2.5 minutos e incluir una presentación sobre ti, tu equipo y tu trayectoria en el mundo del café, compartiendo qué te motiva a competir, qué esperas lograr y cuáles son las habilidades o el estilo que hacen única tu forma de abordar el café. -
Las propuestas serán revisadas por un comité de selección independiente y evaluadas según los criterios de selección. Estos criterios están disponibles para que todos los revisen aquí.
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NADA. ¿No es increíble?
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Consulta nuestros criterios de selección aquí.
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Consulta las reglas aquí.
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Antes de la competencia, los equipos recibirán información y acceso al café y al equipo que necesitan para prepararse. Deben preparar su concepto, estilo de servicio y recetas de bebidas.
Una vez en el lugar, cada equipo tendrá varias horas de entrenamiento y tiempo de asesoría en el escenario de la competencia para hacer los preparativos finales y ajustar sus bebidas.
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Aplicar para competir es totalmente gratis. Todo el equipo que necesitas y el café para la competencia serán proporcionados. Puede que necesites conseguir o preparar ingredientes para algunas de tus bebidas y se te permitirá llevar algunos elementos decorativos para tu montaje.
Los equipos también son responsables de sus propios gastos de viaje y alojamiento para el evento.
2026 APPLICATION DEADLINES
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: EUROPE
PRAGUE | 28 MARCH 2026
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 11 JANUARY 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: LATIN AMERICA
MEXICO CITY | 6 MAY 2026
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 22 FEBRUARY 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: ASIA
TOKYO | 11 JUNE 2026
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15 MARCH 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: NORTH AMERICA
ATLANTA | 3 SEPTEMBER 2026
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 21 JUNE 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: AFRICA
JOHANNESBURG | 3 OCTOBER 2026
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 21 JUNE 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: PACIFIC
BRISBANE | 13 NOVEMBER 2026
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 6 SEPTEMBER 2026
2026年 応募締切
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: EUROPE
PRAGUE | 2026年3月28日
応募締切 2026年1月11日
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: LATIN AMERICA
MEXICO CITY | 2026年5月6日
応募締切 2026年2月22日
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: ASIA
TOKYO | 2026年6月11日
応募締切 2026年3月15日
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: NORTH AMERICA
ATLANTA | 2026年9月3日
応募締切 2026年6月21日
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: AFRICA
JOHANNESBURG | 2026年10月3日
応募締切 2026年6月21日
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: PACIFIC
BRISBANE | 2026年11月13日
応募締切 2026年9月3日
FECHAS LÍMITE DE APLICACIÓN 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: EUROPE
PRAGUE | 28 MARZO 2026
FECHA LÍMITE DE APLICACIÓN: 11 ENERO 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: LATIN AMERICA
MEXICO CITY | 6 MAYO 2026
FECHA LÍMITE DE APLICACIÓN: 22 FEBRERO 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: ASIA
TOKYO | 11 JUNIO 2026
FECHA LÍMITE DE APLICACIÓN: 15 MARZO 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: NORTH AMERICA
ATLANTA | 3 SEPTIEMBRE 2026
FECHA LÍMITE DE APLICACIÓN: 21 JUNIO 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: AFRICA
JOHANNESBURG | 3 OCTUBRE 2026
FECHA LÍMITE DE APLICACIÓN: 21 JUNIO 2026
THE BARISTA LEAGUE: PACIFIC
BRISBANE | 13 NOVIEMBRE 2026
FECHA LÍMITE DE APLICACIÓN: 6 SEPTIEMBRE 2026
COFFEE EVENTS
CAN BE BETTER
Back in 2015, I started a barista competition called The Barista League. The event was born out of a frustration that a lot of the fun parts of the coffee industry were inaccessible to the average barista.
Working as a barista I was seeing the origin trips, the travel, super expensive training labs, the restaurant collaborations and just thinking: what barista working on minimum wage gets to do any of this?
I wanted to create events for actual baristas - an event that was accessible for someone working a double shift on minimum wage and didn’t have 6 months and $100,000 to spend on a barista competition. This is what spawned The Barista League – a competition where the focus was on bringing people together.
It's ten years later and its time to evolve! In 2026 we launch a totally new competition format. One designed to meet the demands of the industry for the next 10 years. More creative, more innovative, more fun and importantly – actually exciting to watch.
We are so excited to be able to do these events for you, and to show the world a totally new type of coffee competition (again). See you at an event somewhere soon.
//Steve Moloney, Founder of The Barista League