Cup Tasters Championship

The World Cup Tasters Championship is a global competition. The first Cup Tasters competition was held in 2003. The competition quickly gained popularity, and by 2006, there were over 20 countries represented at the event.

Here is a brief history of Canada’s participation in the world competition:

In 2013 Hyunsoo “Benjamin” Kim placed 25th
In 2017 Felix Cha placed 11th
In 2019 Sarah Ball placed 6th
In 2021 Karina Pest placed 7th
In 2024 Paprik Liu placed 18th

While Canada has not had as consistent a presence in the World Cup Tasters Championship as some other countries, the country has still produced some impressive performances in the competition. With the right training and support, Canadian coffee cup tasters could continue to make their mark on the global coffee scene. It’s worth noting that the rules and regulations have changed over the years, so it’s important to consult the most recent version of the rules when preparing to compete.

2025 Canadian National Cup Tasters Competition

hosted by Origine 117 and Café Saint-Henri in Montreal, QC

2024 Canadian National Cup Tasters Competition

Paprik Liu from Phil & Sebastian
Jeannie Lee from Agro Roasters
Huamin Chen from Boxcar Social

All Competitors Listed in no particular order:

Michelle Ocfemia Toronto, ON
David Washington Vancouver, BC
Qian Li Burnaby, BC
Daryll Ada Toronto, ON
Dusty Smith Vancouver, BC
Jeannie, Lee Vancouver, BC
Tommy Lo Toronto, ON
Iris So Toronto, ON
Lorraine Chan Toronto, ON
Kyoko Aoki Vancouver, BC
Jerry Lim Montreal, QC
Arisa Fukurhara Victoria, BC
Calvin Kuo Delta, BC
Tait Noonan Vancouver, BC
Rus Chan Richmond, BC
Henry Lin Toronto, ON
Ply Pasarj Edmonton, AB
Shinya Furue Vancouver, BC
Yuki Saito Vancouver, BC
Sameer Sidi Toronto, ON
Kunie Inaba Vancouver, BC

2023 Canadian National Cup Tasters Competition

! Competition did not occur in 2023 !

2023 World Cup Tasters Championship Rules & Regulations

Here is a brief bullet point summary of the 2023 World Cup Tasters Championship Rules and Regulations: Each competitor must cup a total of eight sets of three cups of coffee, with two cups of each set being identical and one cup being different.

The competitor must identify the odd cup out in each set within an eight-minute time limit.

If a competitor correctly identifies all eight sets, their time will be used as a tiebreaker.

If there is still a tie, a second tiebreaker round will be held using a new set of eight sets of three cups of coffee.

The top three competitors will be awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.

2022 Canadian National Cup Tasters Competition

May 9 to 11, 2022 at the Restaurant Canada Show, Enercare Centre, Toronto ON

Paprik Liu, Phil & Sebastian Coffee, Calgary AB
Giuliano Di Vito, Subtext Coffee, Toronto, ON
Felix Cha, De Mello Coffee, Toronto, ON

2022 World Cup Tasters Championship Rules & Regulations

Here are the key points from the 2022 World Cup Tasters Championship Summary of Rule Changes:

The competition is designed to evaluate and identify the best coffee cup taster in the world.
The competition consists of three rounds: Preliminary, Semi-Final, and Final.
The Preliminary round involves eight sets of three cups each, with two cups being identical and one cup being different. Competitors have a total of eight minutes to complete the eight sets of cups in the Preliminary round.
The top 16 competitors from the Preliminary round move on to the Semi-Final round.
The Semi-Final round consists of four sets of eight cups, with only one cup being different in each set. Competitors have a total of 16 minutes to complete the four sets of cups in the Semi-Final round.
The top six competitors from the Semi-Final round move on to the Final round. The Final round consists of three sets of eight cups, with only one cup being different in each set.
Competitors have a total of nine minutes to complete the three sets of cups in the Final round.
The competitor with the highest score in the Final round is declared the World Cup Tasters Champion.
The competition has updated the rules to ensure fairness and accuracy.
The new rules include changes to the scoring system, the number of cups in each set, and the time limits for each round.

2021 Canadian National Cup Tasters Competition

Cancelled due to Pandemic

2021 World Cup Tasters Championship Rules & Regulations

Key Points of Rules:

The competition is designed to evaluate and identify the best coffee cup taster in the world.
The competition consists of three rounds: Preliminary, Semi-Final, and Final.
The Preliminary round involves eight sets of three cups each, with two cups being identical and one cup being different. Competitors have a total of eight minutes to complete the eight sets of cups in the Preliminary round. The top 16 competitors from the Preliminary round move on to the Semi-Final round.
The Semi-Final round consists of four sets of eight cups, with only one cup being different in each set. Competitors have a total of 16 minutes to complete the four sets of cups in the Semi-Final round. The top six competitors from the Semi-Final round move on to the Final round.
The Final round consists of three sets of eight cups, with only one cup being different in each set. Competitors have a total of nine minutes to complete the three sets of cups in the Final round. The competitor with the highest score in the Final round is declared the World Cup Tasters Champion.
In the event of a tie, the competitor with the fastest time in the Final round is declared the winner.

2020 Canadian National Cup Tasters Competition

Kay Pest – Java Roasters
Nicole Schetter – Hotel Ambrose
Eunmi Park – Independent

All Competitors in no particular order:

Breanna Son @sinecoffeelabs
Chris McDowell @monogramco
Donna Huang @carboniccoffee
Matt Faust @brodflour
Nicole Schetter @hotelambrose
Miles Hanks @sinecoffeelabs
Felix Cha @demellopalheta
Eunmi Park Independent

2020 World Cup Tasters Championship Rules & Regulations

Summary of 2020 Rules:

The purpose of the competition is to determine the best cup taster in the world.
The competition consists of three rounds: Preliminary, Semi-Final, and Final.
The Preliminary round consists of eight sets of three cups, with two cups being identical and one cup being different. Competitors have a total of eight minutes to complete the eight sets of cups in the Preliminary round. The top 16 competitors from the Preliminary round move on to the Semi-Final round.
The Semi-Final round consists of four sets of eight cups, with only one cup being different in each set. Competitors have a total of 16 minutes to complete the four sets of cups in the Semi-Final round. The top six competitors from the Semi-Final round move on to the Final round.
The Final round consists of three sets of eight cups, with only one cup being different in each set. Competitors have a total of nine minutes to complete the three sets of cups in the Final round. The competitor with the highest score in the Final round is declared the World Cup Tasters Champion.
In the event of a tie, the competitor with the fastest time in the Final round is declared the winner.
The competition provides standardized coffee beans for all competitors to use.

2019 Canadian Cup Tasters Championship

Sarah Ball @sarahelizaball
Felix Cha @demellopalheta
David Kim @philandseb

Official rules and regulations for the 2018 World Cup Tasters Championship

Purpose of the competition is to identify the person with the best sensory skills in distinguishing different coffees
Participants must be at least 18 years old and must not have any affiliation with a coffee roasting or trading company
The competition is divided into multiple rounds, including a preliminary round, semi-finals, and finals
In each round, competitors are presented with 8 sets of 3 cups of coffee, where 2 cups are identical and 1 is different
Competitors have 8 minutes to identify the odd cup in each set by taste alone
Points are awarded for correct answers, and ties are broken by the time taken to complete the round
The winner of the competition is the person with the highest number of points after all rounds

2017 Canadian Cup Tasters Championship

Felix Cha (De Mello Palheta)
David Kim (Phil & Sebastian Coffee)
Edward Anderson(Boxcar Social)
Steven Bishop(Rosso Coffee Roasters)

2013 Canadian National Cup Tasters Championship

April 20 and 21, 2013

hosted by Bridgehead in Ottawa

1st Place: Benjamin Kim – 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters in Vancouver, BC
2nd Place: Sendy Phanthavong – Social Coffee Roasters in Richmond Hill, ON
3rd Place: Juhee Noh – Bibco Inc. in Toronto, ON

2010 Canadian National Cup Tasters Championship

September 26 and 27, at the Canadian Coffee Tea and Show

Pat Russell Second Cup
Steve Souphanthong Social Coffee & Tea Company
Matthew Lee – Manic Coffee
Ben Cram – Fernwood Coffee Company

All Competitors in no particular order:

Amber Fox – Ecco Caffe
Andrea Piccolo – Swiss Water Decaf
Barrett Jones
Ben Cram – Fernwood Coffee Company
Geoff Polci – Crema Coffee Co.
Jean-François Leduc – Saint-Henri micro-roaster
Joaquin Quian – Fratello Coffee
Laura Perry – Bridgehead Coffee
Lisa Rotenberg – rocketfuelcoffee.com
Mark Prince – CoffeeGeek.com
Matthew Lee – Manic Coffee
Pat Russell – Second Cup
Peter Burbridge – Java Blend Coffee Roasters
Sammy Piccolo – sammypiccolo.com
Steve Souphanthong – Social Coffee & Tea Company
Thiago Trovo – Te Aro Roasted

Resources:

Canadian Cup Tasters Championships
Want a chance to cup coffees that you don’t get to taste every day? Do you like the idea of meeting and mingling with coffee aficionados, roasters, cuppers, retailers, and baristas from all over the world? Have you ever dreamt of competing for your country on the World stage?

http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/showreports/09-27-2010/16:55

2009 Canadian National Cup Tasters Championship

Barrett Jones 49th parallel 7/8 4:05
Poul Mark Transcend Coffee 7/8 4:27
Amber Fox Alchemy 7/8 6:59
Chad Moss Transcend 5/8 2:33
Josh Hockin Transcend 5/8 4:06
Andrea Piccolo Swiss Water Decaf 5/8 4:45

Resources: http://www.coffeed.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2807