The 2026 coffee competition season is gaining momentum. Last week, SCA announced the host dates and locations for the USA Coffee In Good Spirits and US Latte Art Championships. And then, on Saturday, details of the next event to be held at the event were announced United States Smoking Championshipswhich will take place in overdue February in Houston, Texas.
If the words “Houston” and “Roaster Championship” sound like a familiar combination, that’s because the city last hosted the World Roaster Championship, which was held concurrently with the last and final SCA Expo in April 2025. (It’s not the last specialty coffee expo, but the last to be referred to as the Expo; the future installation will be renamed World of Coffee).
According to Announcement on InstagramThe 2026 national competition will take place on Friday, February 27vol until Sunday, March 1street on Roastronix Headquarters (technically in Missouri City, a southwestern city in the greater Houston metropolis). A total of 24 participants will take part in this year’s event and, as in the case of the two previous announced events, some of these places will be reserved for the Finalists of the 2024 and 2025 competitions; for Roasters this year it’s eight, compared to six for CIGS and Latte Art. If any of the eight spots are not filled by former competitors, they will be open to the public.
Registration for the 2026 U.S. Roasters Championship is now open, and interested individuals can register via the website Eventbrite website. As with the previous two, there will be an online training session to provide more information about the event, this time on January 26vol at 6:00 PM CST. A recording of the session will be made available to anyone unable to attend in person.
Three down, three to go. When will we find out about the Barista Championship, Brewers Cup and Cup Tasters? This is all happening, so get ready.
For more information about the 2026 U.S. Roaster Championships, visit the U.S. Coffee Roaster Championships website official website.
