Welcome To The 2026 US Barista Championship!

In case you were somehow unaware, the 2026 US Barista Championship is currently going on right this very minute in Denver, Colorado. Sprudge will be here all weekend to bring you the sights and sounds for the USBC as they happen. (Catch up on anything you missed with our recaps for Days One and Two.) From a field of 30, we are down to the 18 Semi-Finalists who will be taking the stage today, Saturday, June 20th.

We’ll be giving play by play for all 18 competitors today, which you’ll be able to follow here once the competition begins. So stay locked in, because this is where it starts to get fun.

The stovetop coffeemaker is having a bit of a resurgence in popularity, and it’s more than just the Moka pot. The Gemini Express, a 60-year-old Milanese stovetop espresso maker is getting in on the action to. In collaboration with Carhartt’s fashion-forward Work In Progress line, the Gemini Express has gotten a slick new look while staying true to the timeless design.

Taking effect July of next year, the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive(CSDDD) requires, among other things, companies doing business within the EU to pay a living wage to those responsible for producing it. In the case of coffee, that means the farmers. But a new report finds that the 15 largest coffee companies in the world aren’t prepared for the new law.

You’d be forgiven for sleeping on the Indianapolis coffee scene, but you’d also be wrong to do so. Not only has it produced two US Coffee Champions in as many years, but the cafe culture stands on its own merit. And this week on Sprudge, contributor Michael Butterworth takes us on a tour of what is new and exciting in coffee in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Just one Build-Out for you this week. (It’s the US Barista Championship okay? Cut us some slack.) This week, we took a closer look at the new Partners Coffee location in Brooklyn, New York. Just a few blocks from their original Williamsburg cafe, the new Bedford location continues the excellence that Partners has been building on for the past 14 years.

Conical versus flat. Flat versus conical. These are the burr-based decisions every fledgling coffee nerd must make. But what if you didn’t have to? What if there was a grinder with both a conical and flat burr option? That’s the conceit of the LAGOM GDS, a new grinder from Option-O. It’s definitely not a grinder for everyone, but you may not be everyone.

From the press desk this week, we learned about Timespan, a new dark roast specialty coffee offering from Blueprint. Not to be outdone, Presta Coffee announced three rare new coffees from Al-Khanshali Estate in Yemen. And finally, our friends at Slow Pour Supply will be hosting the Origami Cup later this August in Houston.

The World Cup is happening right now, and this is the most fun US team to watch in decades. And the reason for this, the best we can tell, is Joe Scally. The 24-year-old defenseman is also pulling double duty as the USMNT resident barista. And we can’t exactly prove it, but we choose to believe he is caffeinating his teammates to victory.

We’re highlighting outstanding coffees from some of our favorite roasting partners each week here in the newsletter. This week’s selection of tasty coffees are…

Presta Coffee Roasters – Peru Gilmer Cordova Finca Ecologica Huabal Gesha
Klatch Coffee – Out of Office
8th & Roast – Elefante
Portland Coffee Roasters – OPBEANS
Equator Coffees – Colombia Los Pinos
Partners Coffee – Honduras Edin Lopez Gesha
Blueprint Coffee – Colombia Nidia Lasso
Night Swim Coffee – Colombia Yessica and Diego Parra
La Barba Coffee – Colombia Los Patios Solsticio
Joe Coffee Company – Cafè Feminista
Stumptown Coffee Roasters — Wild Flower
Phil & Sebastian – Sure Thing
Onyx Coffee Lab – Geometry
Madcap Coffee – Eureka
Olympia Coffee – Big Truck
Mr. Espresso – Java Garut
PERC – Super Power Plum
Verve Coffee Roasters – Wilder Blend
Caffe Umbria – Bizzarri Blend

Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Barista - Pasadena, CA
Captain + Stoker - Operations Manager - Monterey, CA
Pure Intentions Coffee - Head Coffee Roaster - Charlotte, NC
Ethica Coffee Roasters - Coffee Director - Toronto, ON
Chit Chat Coffee & Matcha - Baristas - Malibu, CA
Spot Coffee - Equipment & Facilities Technician - Buffalo, NY

Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at PO Box 86342 Portland, OR 97286.