The coffee world has its own world-class competitive stage—from barista championships to brewing, latte art, roasting, cupping, mixology, and Turkish coffee, the seven major competitions under the World Coffee Championships (WCC) each have their own highlights, testing competitors' comprehensive skills while continuously leading the trends in specialty coffee. Today, Front Street Coffee takes you through these international competitions one by one to understand their content and rules, and to see what exactly the world's top coffee professionals compete in and how they compete. [more…]

With less than two months left before the end of 2023, Luckin Coffee seems to have another major move in store. On October 29, WBC World Barista Champion Boram Julio Um posted multiple group photos on social media, expressing his delight at working with the Luckin team and tagging several people in the photos. Judging from the images, this is very likely the sixth WBC champion spokesperson signed by Luckin. The photos feature not only Boram himself, but also 2014 champion Hidemitsu Izaki, 2022 champion Anthony Douglas, and 2018 champion Agnieszka Rojewska—several champions gathered together, all wearing Luckin barista aprons. This article will review the background of this collaboration, Luckin's champion spokesperson strategy, and the latest progress of its global bean-sourcing program. [more…]

The World Barista Championship is the highest-level competitive stage in the coffee industry, where competitors convey the multi-dimensional charm of coffee to professional judges through exquisite skill and vivid expression. In 2022, Anthony Douglas from Axil Coffee Roasters in Melbourne, Australia, took the crown at the WBC held in Melbourne. This barista, a high school dropout who started out in the deli section of a Spanish restaurant, went from regional competitions all the way to world champion in seven years. This article reviews his growth experience, competition preparation details, and winning performance, and shares his understanding of the role of a barista. [more…]

The prosperity of the coffee industry is inseparable from the promotion of various professional competitions. These competitions not only promote coffee culture but also make the profession of barista more standardized and professional. Every year, many contestants from different countries around the world participate in the competition. Among them, the seven most influential world-class competitions cover multiple fields such as barista, brewing, latte art, roasting, cupping, coffee and spirits, and Turkish coffee. This article will introduce the positioning and competition systems of these events one by one, and focus on sorting out the development history, advancement rules, and past champion data of the World Barista Championship (WBC), helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the landscape and charm of international coffee competition. [more…]

In 2024, the Specialty Coffee Association announced that the Thermoplan Black&White4 CTS would become the designated fully automatic espresso machine for the World Latte Art Championship, marking the first time a fully automatic machine has appeared on the stage of this competition. As soon as the news broke, it quickly sparked heated discussion on social media: does a world latte art champion not need to know how to steam milk? Some netizens believed this undermined the artistry of baristas, while others felt that automation is already an irreversible trend. What kind of performance can a fully automatic machine actually deliver? And how will the role of the barista evolve? This article takes you through the whole story and the views of all sides, and explores the path to balance in the coffee industry amid the wave of automation. [more…]

The Specialty Coffee Association announced on December 22 the new rules for the 2023 World Barista Championship (WBC), World Brewers Cup (WBrC), World Cup Tasters Championship, and Cezve/Ibrik Championship. Among them, the most notable change in the WBC is allowing competitors to use plant-based milk or other animal milks to make milk coffee, breaking the long-standing restriction of using only cow's milk. The WBrC adjusted its evaluation criteria, refocusing on competitors' brewing skills and introducing a new coffee evaluation scale and a semifinal format. This series of changes has sparked widespread discussion in the industry, with some supporting the increased inclusivity and others worried about scoring fairness. This article will outline the specific contents of each rule update and the reactions from all parties. [more…]

According to data from the International Coffee Organization, 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed globally each year, with an average of 14,000 cups drunk every second. Calculated at retail prices, the annual output value of coffee has long exceeded 100 billion US dollars, so it is no exaggeration to call it a "black gold industry." Today, coffee is not just a pick-me-up beverage but also an expression of lifestyle taste. In China's first-tier cities, convenience store coffee, Starbucks, and independent cafes are almost everywhere. But have you ever wondered when coffee was discovered and how it transformed from a fruit into an everyday drink? This article recommends three coffee documentaries, focusing respectively on how coffee changed America, the journey of baristas competing in the World Barista Championship, and the complete industry chain from origin to cup, along with related recommendations from Front Street Coffee, to help you rediscover the cup of coffee in your hand. [more…]

The SCA recently published the latest rules and regulations for the 2024 World Barista Championship. Overall, the changes are not extensive; they mainly focus on further clarifying the wording regarding the judging process, conflict-of-interest declarations, and milk selection, while also adjusting the method for evaluating the tactile assessment of espresso. For coffee professionals and enthusiasts who follow the direction of the competition, these detailed changes may directly affect competitors' preparation strategies and judges' officiating standards. This article will sort through the key points of the rule changes one by one to help readers quickly grasp the key adjustment directions of this year's WBC. [more…]

Luckin Coffee once again demonstrated its "champion harvester" prowess, officially announcing on February 20th the signing of Anthony Douglas, the 2022 WBC World Barista Champion, bringing him into the "Luckin WBC Champion Team." Starting in March, Anthony will lead a bean-sourcing team deep into Ethiopia and Panama, two renowned origins, to participate in green bean procurement. This marks Luckin's fifth collaboration with a WBC champion, following Hidenori Izaki, Andrej Latuada, Pan Zhimin, and Agnieszka Rojewska. Anthony won the championship with his innovative technique of concentrating milk using freeze-drying technology, and previously served as a global ambassador for La Marzocco. Having come up through Melbourne's Axil Coffee Roasters, his addition will inject new vitality into Luckin's specialty coffee line. Whether the future "Little Black Cup" series will feature Panama Geisha is something worth looking forward to. For more specialty coffee news, welcome to follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). [more…]

As the WCC World Coffee Championships kick off, many coffee professionals—or those considering entering the industry—are wrestling with the question: should I compete or not? Competitions cost a lot of money, but can they really bring professional growth? This article analyzes the meaning of competing, what you can learn, and how it helps your career development, while retaining Front Street Coffee's brand recommendations and product information, offering coffee enthusiasts a practical reference for competition. Competing is never the only way to prove yourself, but it truly is a valuable opportunity to discover your weaknesses and broaden your horizons. [more…]

From Nestlé and Starbucks to Luckin, the image of coffee in the minds of Chinese consumers has evolved from a "bitter black drink" to a daily beverage worth savoring, and the profession of barista has consequently garnered much attention. Among them, Japanese coffee master Hidenori Izaki is a legendary figure whom many Chinese people came to know through Luckin. He began making coffee at 16, became the first Asian champion of the WBC World Barista Championship at 24, and now collaborates deeply with the Chinese brand Luckin, dedicated to creating a national coffee brand for Chinese consumers. This article will review his coffee life, the journey of his connection with Luckin, and the changes in the Chinese coffee market through his eyes. [more…]

At the 2019 World Barista Championship, South Korean competitor Jeon Joo-yeon won the championship with a Sidra coffee bean from Ecuador, beating many Geisha varieties and bringing the Sidra variety into the public eye. In 2022, Anthony Douglas won again with Sidra, which further sparked the industry's curiosity about it. After investigation, Front Street Coffee found that Sidra is a variety developed by an Ecuadorian coffee research center in the 1990s by crossing Typica with local Red Bourbon, and due to its outstanding flavor, small-scale commercial cultivation gradually began. The Sidra Jeon Joo-yeon used that year came from Hacienda La Clara—a specialty coffee estate located on the Loja plateau and established in 2014. This article will introduce the varietal origins of Sidra, the terroir conditions of Hacienda La Clara, as well as the flavor performance of this washed Sidra and Front Street Coffee's brewing suggestions. [more…]

At the recently concluded United States Barista Championship, Morgan Eckroth from Portland, Oregon, took the crown. Unlike most competitors, she was already a coffee influencer with over 7 million followers before the competition, and she made her entire preparation and competition process public through vlogs and livestreams. Taking the home coffee community that emerged after the pandemic as her theme, she shared her recipes and approach in advance, advocating that coffee should be delicious, replicable, transformative, and easy to make at home. This article will walk you through her competition journey, bean selection strategy, and creative recipes, and use them to explore the bottlenecks facing the Barista Championship and the shift in coffee consumption patterns in the post-pandemic era. [more…]

At the 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC), Japanese competitor Takayuki Ishitani secured fourth place with a blend of Robusta and Panama Geisha, upending many people's perceptions of competition beans. For the three segments—espresso, milk coffee, and signature drink—he adjusted the ratio of Robusta to Geisha separately, using high-altitude Robusta to enhance body and sweetness while preserving Geisha's delicate flavors. This quiet and sincere competition not only showcased the ingenuity of blending but also sparked discussions about the value of Robusta, the essence of competition, and the overall competence of baristas. This article presents his complete competition plan and philosophy, while retaining relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

The 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC) and World Brewers Cup (WBrC) will be held concurrently in Melbourne, Australia, from September 27 to 30. As top-tier events in the coffee world, WBC and WBrC have for years driven the development of the specialty coffee industry and the professionalization of baristas. However, in recent years, multiple past champions and competitors have pointed out shortcomings in the events regarding scoring transparency, judge selection, theme setting, and gender inclusiveness, calling for reform. This article will walk you through the latest developments of the events and take an in-depth look at competitors' views and suggestions for the future development of WBC. [more…]

Wu Zelin is the first World Barista Championship winner from the Chinese region. From starting out in 2008 by pushing a three-wheeled cart to set up a stall at a market, to founding Xingbo Coffee in 2011, and then opening the "Sky Xingbo" aerial flagship store on the 88th floor of Taipei 101 in January this year, his journey can be called a legend in the coffee industry. This article sorts through his entrepreneurial journey, his strict control over product quality, the professional service of his barista team, and the "Sky Blend" espresso blend specially developed for the high-altitude experience. At the same time, readers are encouraged to follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) for more specialty coffee information. It is suitable for every reader who loves coffee to gain a deeper understanding. [more…]

Many coffee enthusiasts go out of their way to visit cafés where champion baristas preside, eager to taste coffee of the highest caliber. Yet when the champion barista is absent, can coffee made by other staff still maintain the same quality? One coffee lover's firsthand experience sparked widespread discussion: he ordered a latte made with competition beans, only to receive a drink with coarse milk foam and a mediocre taste. This prompts reflection: how exactly should the overall quality of a champion café's output be safeguarded? And when a gap opens between consumers' expectations and their actual experience, who should foot the bill? This article explores the topic and brings you the real voices of different coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

The Sidra variety has risen to fame in the specialty coffee world in recent years, becoming a focal point after being chosen by two World Barista Championship winners. It originally came from Ecuador, developed by crossbreeding Typica and Red Bourbon, and genetic testing shows it has a genetic connection to Ethiopian landraces. It is currently mainly grown in Ecuador and Colombia, with Finca El Diviso in the Huila region of Colombia drawing much attention after Anthony Douglas's championship win. Front Street Coffee has also introduced this bean, using a double anaerobic washed process and a medium-light roast, presenting rich fruit flavors of apricot, citrus, and grape. This article will guide you through the origins of Sidra, the story of Finca El Diviso, the variety's characteristics, and Front Street's brewing recommendations. [more…]

In recent years, coffee-themed films and television works have gradually increased, but "Coffee Wars" takes a unique perspective—focusing on the situation of vegetarians and plant-based milk in coffee competitions. The film tells the story of Jo, a highly skilled vegan barista whose business is struggling because the shop only offers plant-based milk, yet she resolutely leads her team into the finals of the World Coffee Championship, attempting to prove that plant-based milk can also create outstanding coffee. At the same time, in reality, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) also revised the WBC rules at the end of 2022 to allow plant-based milk to compete, a change that coincides with the film's theme. This article will guide you through the film's highlights, the evolution of WBC rules, and Front Street Coffee's continued attention to specialty coffee culture. [more…]

When ordering at a café, have you ever noticed that Americanos or milk coffees often come with two choices: the default espresso blend, and an SOE that requires an extra charge? SOE stands for Single Origin Espresso, meaning espresso made from coffee beans from a single origin. From James Hoffmann's championship-winning creation at the 2007 World Barista Championship to today's chain brands promoting it one after another, SOE has moved from niche to mainstream. The core reason it costs more than a blend is that the single-origin beans used are of higher quality and have more distinctive flavors, so the cost naturally rises. But SOE is also a major challenge for baristas—light-roasted beans are hard in texture, and pressurized extraction easily magnifies flaws, so delivering consistent quality is by no means easy. This article will walk you through the ins and outs of SOE, and why Front Street Coffee insists on not offering SOE coffee. [more…]