Over the weekend, 72 coffee professionals from around the country descended upon Raleigh, North Carolina to take part in the two latest US Coffee Championship events. Between March 26th and 29th, 24 Brewers Cup competitors and a whopping 48 Cup Tasters competitors made their way to the Black & White Coffee Roasters HQ to battle it out for the top spot in their respective events.
The roster for the weekend’s festivities included former USCC champions like Mehmet Sogan, Steve Cuevas, and Samuel Demisse in Cup Tasters; Sogan is the sitting champion while Demisse has won it three times. Meanwhile in the Brewers Cup there was home team competitor and 2017 USBC Champion Kyle Ramage, 2023 USBC Champion Isaiah Sheese, and 2026 Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Hugo Cano. They were joined by former USCC Finalists Helen Choi and David Buehrer, both Houstonians who have previously made it to the last day in Cup Tasters and the Barista Championship, respectively.
But now the dust is settled and two new US Coffee Champions have been announced. They join already crowned champions for 2026 Wenbo Yang (Roasters), Marco Monzon (Latte Art), and the previously mentioned Cano. All that’s left to be decided is the Barista Championship, which will take place this June in Denver. But for now, here are the new champions for the 2026 US Brewers Cup and US Cup Tasters.
Brewers Cup
Champion: Esther Kim – Kumquat Coffee – Los Angeles, CA
Runner-Up: Ashlynne Wike – Hydrangea Coffee Roasters – Berkeley, CA
Third: Peace Sakulclanuwat – Coffee Project NY – New York, NY
4th: Pack Katisomsakul – Newbery Street Coffee Roasters – Boston, MA
5th: Justin Lee – The Coffee Movement – San Francisco, CA
6th: Danny Munoz – Commonplace Coffee – Pittsburgh, PA
Cup Tasters
Champion: Mehmet Sogan – Memli Coffee Lab – San Diego, CA
Runner-Up: Brittney Gross – Sweetspire Coffee – Williamsport, PA
Third: Sum Ngai – Coffee Project NY – New York, NY
4th: Ryan Sullivan – Mostra Coffee – San Diego, CA
5th: Steve Cuevas – Freelance Coffee Project
6th: Tom Bomford – Black Fox Coffee – New York, NY
Congratulations to the new Champions and all the Finalists!
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
All media via US Coffee Champs on Instagram
