The 2026 US Barista Championship kicks off next week in Denver, Colorado, if you can even believe it. If there’s one drawback to attend barista comps, though, one single thing that could use a little improvement, it’s that you see all these delicious coffees being served and you don’t get to taste a single one of them. And while there won’t be any sort of guest service at this year’s USBC, there will be a pretty unique coffee tasting experience.
Taking place Friday, June 19th, Hucklebery Roasters will be hosting a cupping of some of the coffees in the upcoming 2026 Best of Congo Cooperatives competition.
The Best of Congo Cooperatives competition will be held on June 15th at four different locations around the globe, where the coffee will be assessed by an international panel of expert judges. And the top 10 scoring coffees (and maybe a few more) will be part of the Denver tasting.
Taking place at Somebody People, a vegetable-focused Mediterranean restaurant and cocktail and biodynamic wine bar, the cupping will be informal in nature and is open to everyone from potential buyers and roasters to members of the coffee community who want to taste some of the best coffee produced in Congo this year, before they are even made available at the upcoming auction later this summer.
The 2026 Best of Congo Cooperatives cupping takes place Friday, June 19th from 1:00pm to 2:30pm at Somebody People on South Broadway. It is completely free to attend, though an RSVP is required, which can be made here. For more information, visit the 2026 Best of Congo Cooperatives Eventbrite page.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
