The Aotearoa Brewers Cup and Cup Tasters Championships were held at Auckland’s The Tuesday Club, in front of an excitable crowd of the country’s specialty coffee experts.
For many years, the NZSCA has delivered the Championships at an exceptional standard under the detailed and watchful eye of Emma Markland Webster. Many of us in the industry – from competitors to judges – owe Emma a huge debt of gratitude. The competitions and competitors have seen multiple evolutions, and it is important to the NZSCA that we keep striving to improve our offerings to the community.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association (NZSCA) marked a significant moment for the industry with the return of the New Zealand Brewers Cup, held for the first time in nine years.
Staged alongside the New Zealand Cup Tasters Championship over the first weekend in May, it represented one of the two cornerstone competition events in Aotearoa’s specialty coffee calendar for this year.
Sixteen competitors took to the Brewers Cup stage, marking not just a strong showing in participation but a clear success in the diversity of the field. The lineup spanned seasoned competitors, baristas new to the competition circuit, and home brewing enthusiasts who do not work directly within the coffee industry.
Veteran competitor, Dove Chen of Grey Street Roasting Co., Hamilton, took out First Place, scoring a combined score of 509 points across both Open and Compulsory Service.
The New Zealand Cup Tasters Championship, held on Sunday, delivered its own standout performances. With 32 competitors slurping for glory, YJ Huang of Eternal Coffee, Auckland, demonstrated exceptional precision and speed, correctly identifying seven out of eight cups in 2 minutes and 53 seconds to claim the Aotearoa Cup Tasters title.
Dove will go on to represent New Zealand at the World Brewers Cup in Bogotá in 2027, and YJ at the World Cup Tasters event, the location of which is yet to be announced.
The weekend stands as a testament to what can be achieved when a community rallies behind a shared vision. The Association extends its sincere thanks to the more than 80 individuals who contributed to bringing this event to life, including all competitors, volunteers, and judges.
We also extend our sincere gratitude to our sponsors. Without their support, this weekend would not have been possible.
Brewers Cup Sponsors: Atomic Coffee Roasters, Sucafina Asia Pacific, AMC Roastery Supply, Acme Cup Co, Arepa, Machine Limited, Brand Display NZ, Meadow Fresh NZ, First Cup.
Cup Tasters Sponsors: John Burton Limited, AMC Roastery Supply, eighthirty, Acme Cup Co, Cafetto Global, La Marzocco NZ, Arepa, Meadow Fresh NZ, Brand Display NZ, First Cup.
We thank the wider community and all those who attended. The weekend was one with an exceptional atmosphere and played a key role in making the return of the Brewers Cup and the Cup Tasters Championship such a resounding success.
We wish Dove and YJ all the success at their respective World events.
