In 2000, the World Barista Championship was born. By the end of the WBC in Dublin, we will have crowned our seventeenth World Barista Champion. The history of the WBC has seen many evolutions in order to celebrate the continuing innovation in specialty coffee. This year, the competition has evolved to include a new reason to cheer, by introducing the first ever WBC TEAMS.
Why teams? In specialty coffee, teams exist everywhere—producers, green buyers, roasters, etc. Behind every competition barista, there is a team of individuals who contributes to their success. In the spirit of acknowledging the global coffee community, we thought we’d also incorporate a different kind of team—and a different way to win.
How were the teams selected? The teams were selected so that each is equally weighted, based on historical competition rankings.
What changes for the competitor? Nothing! The competitors will still perform their 15-minute routine, as they have prepared it. Each competitor is still vying for the ultimate title of World Barista Champion. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is that there will also be a winning team—so each competitor has a second way to win!
What’s the prize? An all-expense paid trip to the Cafe Show in Seoul, Korea in November, 2016! Seoul also happens to be the site for the 2017 World Barista Championship!
How can I participate? Cheer on your favorite team! Go meet them at the Team Bar during their shift! Share any ideas you have for the WBC evolution at info@wce2.flywheelsites.com!
What are the teams?
TEAM KNOCKBOX Australia Mexico Puerto Rico Switzerland Taiwan Zambia |
TEAM BLEND Austria Costa Rica Finland Hong Kong Romania Slovakia |
TEAM BREW Ireland Lithuania Malaysia New Zealand Iran Ukraine |
TEAM ESPRESSO Belgium Brazil Denmark Ecuador Japan Spain |
TEAM EXTRACT Greece Kenya Russia South Africa South Korea Turkey |
TEAM PORTAFILTER Belarus Colombia Iceland Philippines Poland USA |
TEAM PRESSURE China Germany Guatemala India Italy Serbia |
TEAM SCALE* Nicaragua Vietnam Czech Republic Hungary Netherlands Canada Uganda |
TEAM STEAM El Salvador Honduras Latvia Norway Singapore Thailand |
TEAM TAMPER France Indonesia Portugal Sweden UAE United Kingdom |
*The lowest score from Team Scale will be dropped for scoring purposes.