China’s George Jinyang Peng has overcome the largest field of competitors in World Brewers Cup history to be named the 2025 World Brewers Cup Champion by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
The 2025 World Brewers Cup, which took place at World of Coffee Jakarta, featured a staggering 51 competitors and 94 judges. After two days of competition the field was whittled down to nine finalists who then competed in the final day of the event.
The finalists were selected following two primary rounds. Open Service, in which competitors presented a coffee of their choosing alongside a personalised brewing and sensory experience, and Compulsory Service, in which all competitors brewed the same mystery coffee under standardised conditions.
George says he is proud of the journey he has taken that has led to him being named 2025 World Champion.
“I’m very excited about this moment but it’s actually been a really long journey, because I started competing seven years ago,” he says.
“I’ve won twice and my teammate has won once, so together our team has three Chinese national champions. Every win has brought us closer to becoming a world champion, and now that we have that it’s a really exciting moment.”
Indonesia’s Bayu Prawiro finished the competition as runner-up, while Colombia’s Carlos Escobar rounded out the podium.
WBrC Judge Operations Leads Brydon Price, Catherine Gu, and Katarzyna Zyzalo-Moczydlowska say the record-breaking event indicates the rising standards in the international manual brewing community.
“The 2025 World Brewers Cup Final in Jakarta marks a historic milestone for the competition,” they say. “This unprecedented scale reflects the global growth of the manual brewing community and the increasing standards of excellence across the regions.
“We’re witnessing a remarkable diversity in brew methods and flavour presentations this year, with competitors showcasing not only technical precision but also deep storytelling and innovation in coffee service. It’s an exciting moment in the world of specialty coffee.”
The full, final rankings of the events finalists are as follows:
- George Jinyang Peng, China
- Bayu Prawiro, Indonesia
- Carlos Escobar, Colombia
- Elysia Tan, Singapore
- Andrea Batacchi, Italy
- Justin Bull, United States
- Lakis Psomas, Sweden
- Alireza, Turkey
- Raul Rodas, Guatemala
