Over the weekend, 72 coffee industry professionals from across the country descended on Raleigh, North Carolina, to attend the final two United States Coffee Championships events. On March 26-29, 24 Brewers Cup players and as many as 48 Cup Tasters players took part in the competition Black and white coffee roasteries HQ to fight for the top spot in your events.
Participants in the weekend festivities included former USCC champions such as Mehmet Sogan, Steve Cuevas and Samuel Demisse in the Cup Tasters; Sogan is the current champion, while Demisse has won it three times. Meanwhile, the Brewers Cup featured home team player and 2017 USBC champion Kyle Ramage, 2023 USBC champion Isaiah Sheese and 2026 Coffee in Good Spirits champion Hugo Cano. They were joined by former USCC finalists Helen Choi and David Buehrer, both Houstonians who previously reached the final day of the Cup Tasters and Barista Championship, respectively.
But now the dust has settled and two modern U.S. Coffee Masters have been announced. They join already crowned 2026 champions Wenbo Yang (Roasters), Marco Monzon (Latte Art) and the previously mentioned Cano. The only thing left to be decided is the Barista Championship, which will take place in June this year in Denver. But for now, here are the modern 2026 US Brewers Cup and US Cup Tasters champions.
Brewers’ Cup
Champion: Esther Kim – Kumquat Coffee – Los Angeles, California
Runner-up: Ashlynne Wike – Hydrangea Coffee Roasters – Berkeley, CA
Third: Peace Sakulclanuwat – Coffee Project NY – Modern York, NY
4.: Pack Katisomsakul – Newbery Street Coffee Roasters – Boston, MA
5th: Justin Lee – Coffee Movement – San Francisco, California
6th: Danny Munoz – Commonplace Coffee – Pittsburgh, PA
Cup Tasters
Master: Mehmet Sogan – Memli Coffee Lab – San Diego, California
Runner-up: Brittney Gross – Sweetspire Coffee – Williamsport, PA
Third: Sum Ngai – Coffee Project NY – Modern York, NY
4th place: Ryan Sullivan – Mostra Coffee – San Diego, California
5th: Steve Cuevas – independent coffee project
6th: Tom Bomford – Black Fox Coffee – Modern York, NY
Congratulations to the modern Champions and all Finalists!
