To our community: After a great deal of consideration and deep conversation, we regret to announce the Canadian Coffee In Good Spirits Championship will not take place this year.
Though we love the culture and multidisciplinary craft that CIGS celebrates, and though we went to great lengths to find a way to make it work, there simply isn’t enough time before Worlds, funds for WCE representation, interest for sponsors, and historical participation to proceed fairly, responsibly, and effectively.
We recognize what a loss this is, and hope there may be a future for some kind of coffee and spirits competition here in Canada.
Meanwhile, when one door closes, another opens - we are excited to devote our energy and resources instead towards a different competition: the first-ever Canadian Roasting Championship!
More details to come, but be ready for an extremely exciting fall season 👀
Judges applications for the Canadian Barista Championship are OPEN!
Hit the link in our bio to apply for the judges panel - a fantastic opportunity to hone your skills, connect with coffee pros, and help us make history.
Applications close April 30th, so run, don’t walk! All respondents will be contacted within 2 weeks of closing.
Volunteers - we need you, too! Hit the link in our bio to register!
Calling judges and volunteers! We are busily preparing for the 206 Candian Barista Championship and the time has come to form our panels.
Without judges and volunteers, these events simply can’t happen - so HUGE THANKS to all who have joined us in the past.
Judging and volunteering is a phenomenal way to support the Canadian coffee community, get a behind-the-scenes look at how competitions work, connect with amazing coffee people and brands, and hone your own barista skills.
Even if you’ve never judged or volunteered before, we’d love to hear from you. All that’s required is to be in Calgary for the competition and a calibration day, June 11th to 14th, plus an online orientation (dates TBD).
Registration opens this coming Monday, April 20th - spread the word and get ready to help make history!
THANK YOU @monogramco for supporting the Canadian Cup Tasters Championship!
Among the coffees brewed for triangulation were some of their latest and greatest releases, which were such a joy to taste behind the scenes.
With multiple-time champions on their team, they bring deep-seated passion and experience to every roast - and to every event they support. You can truly taste their dedication to helping our diverse Canadian community explore coffee.
Thank you, Monogram!
#cuptasterschampionship #worldcoffeeevents #specialtycoffeecanada
Shout out to @uplevelroaster - one of our coffee sponsors for the Canadian Cup Tasters Championship!
Thanks to their support, we had some exceptional coffee on the tables for competitors to triangulate.
Based in Markham, Ontario, Uplevel believes great coffee is both an everyday comfort and a lifelong journey of discovery. Each of their roasts is a chance to learn, refine, and reconnect with what first inspired them to begin.
They’re devoted to helping everyone uplevel their coffee journey, which is why we’re so proud to have partnered with them for Cup Tasters.
Thank you, Uplevel Coffee Roaster!
#cuptasterschampionship #worldcoffeeevents #specialtycoffeecanada
Huge thanks to @demellocoffee for sponsoring some truly special coffee for the 2026 Canadian Cup Tasters Championship!
Based out of Toronto, ON, De Mello wanted to showcase how decaf can carry just as much complexity, character, and craftsmanship as regular coffee - something they believe deserves greater attention in the specialty space.
So for Cup Tasters, they provided a curated Decaf Series, highlighting three processing approaches: sugarcane, mountain water, and Swiss Water.
They also included a delicious Costa Rica Doña Aracelly, which our whole team is still thinking about!
Now that Cup Tasters is over, De Mello is eagerly looking forward to hosting a Q grader certification course in partnership with Timberline Coffee School, September 11-13in Toronto. Hit up their website for more info on how to join.
Thank you, De Mello Coffee!!
#cuptasterschampionship #specialtycoffeecanada #worldcoffeeevents
Live Q&A replay : Barista Championship 2026 and the lottery system.
Send any further questions to us via DM or email [email protected].
Thank you to all who joined and submitted questions, and to @joshhockin for the detailed answers!
We’ve received many questions about the Barista Championship and the lottery system we announced yesterday - and we’re here to answer them.
Join us tomorrow March 29th at 9am PT / 12pm ET as we go LIVE here on Instagram so our competition coordinator @joshhockin can explain the decision and address your questions.
DM us your Qs ahead of time or ask them in real time during the live tomorrow.
The replay will be posted to our feed and Stories.
Thank you for all the support and feedback!
📣 SAVE THE DATE!! The 2026 Canadian Barista Championship will be hosted by Schoolhouse Roasting Collaborative (@monogramco ) in Calgary, June 12-14th.
Registration will be a bit different this time, so take note:
A sign-up form will open on Friday, April 3rd at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. No purchase will be required to sign up this time, BUT please do not take the sign-up lightly.
Sign-ups will close on Friday, April 17th. On April 18th, 25 registrants will be randomly selected and contacted with a link to register for the full barista competitor fee ($300).
If your name is selected, you will have 48 hours to complete your registration. If you miss their window, the spot will be offered to the next randomized name on the list.
Judges and volunteers, applications will open soon, too! There will be a mandatory judges workshop for selected judges in Calgary on June 11th, with a rules and regulations workshop open to judges and competitors a few weeks before that.
So get ready! Mark your calendars!
#and thank you @monogramco for hosting!
#baristachampionship #worldcoffeeevents #specialtycoffeecanada
Congratulations Ply Pasarj, our 2026 Canadian Cup Tasters Champion!!
He’ll be heading to World of Coffee Bangkok, May 7-9, to represent Canada at the World Cup Tasters Championship.
We are so proud of every single competitor that took the stage over the weekend, and still glowing from the immensely positive vibes around us at @thewildwestcoffeefest .
Wishing Ply best of luck as he trains for the Worlds - and thank you to everyone in support!
Huge thanks to our sponsors:
@eightouncecoffee@baristaseriesca@waterforcoffee.ca@swisswater@fellowproducts@supergood.coffee
#cuptasterschampionship #worldcoffeeevents #specialtycoffeecanada
