Overview of Czech competitions for baristas and roasters

Czech coffee competitions

In the Czech Republic, coffee competitions are organised mainly under the auspices of the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) or the CBA (Czech Bartenders Association). If you are thinking of taking part in one of the competitions directly as a competitor, I recommend to read the competition rules on the websites of these organizing institutions.

At the competition you will then demonstrate how you know how to prepare coffee. This means preparing the drink according to the rules, operating the coffee machine or working with the necessary technology and tools, and also being able to talk about the preparation and coffee and present your skills to the expert jury.

In practice, i.e. behind the bar in a café, a barista must be able to prepare all kinds of coffees on the menu and other drinks. Thecompetition will focus on a specific type of coffee preparation. So you can choose whether to compete in making coffee from a pot, aeropress, mixing coffee with alcohol or the royal barista discipline - making espresso and cappuccino.

Barista of the Year

Probably the biggest barista competition in the country is the Barista Championship or Barista of the Year. Every year in February, the best baristas from all corners of the country try to prepare four absolutely perfect espressos, four perfect cappuccinos and also their "signature drink".

At the same time, they give a prepared presentation about their work, coffee, ingredients and preparation. They have 15 minutes to do all this. The competition is organised by the SCA and the best barista will then represent the Czech Republic at the World Barista Championship.

The basic barista discipline is the preparation of the perfect espresso. The right dose of coffee is very important, so weighing the ground coffee in the portafilter of the coffee machine cannot be skipped. Image source: Canva pro

Barista of the Year: junior

A motivation for young students who are captivated by the barista craft is the Junior Barista of the Yearcompetition. Working in a café while studying or directly studying gastronomy is one thing. The opportunity to show what they can do and measure their strength against other young baristas under 21 is a priceless experience.

Brewers Cup

TheBrewers Cup is traditionally held as part of the Barista of the Year competition. This time, the baristas will not stand behind a coffee machine, but will prepare filtered coffee for the jury according to their chosen alternative coffee preparation method. Here too, the winner will win the title of Czech champion in the preparation of filtered coffee and will represent the Republic at the Brewers Cup World Championship.

Coffee Master

Since 2003, the Coffee School and then the Czech Bartenders Association have been organising the Barista Cup or the Coffee Master competition . The Cup runs all year round, with baristas earning points in intermediate competitions and an overall winner - the Coffee Master - is announced each year. This title was achieved (at that time the Cup was not yet announced for a calendar year) as the Coffee Master 2005/2006 and 2007/2008 by the well-known barista and author of the Book on Coffee Petra Veselá.

Junior Coffee Master

Along with the professional competition, the CBA also organises theJunior Barista Cup. The competition is similar, but only young baristas, students between the ages of 18 and 21, take part. They can gain unique experience and demonstrate their barista skills while studying.

Džezva Ibrik Cup

The organisation of the Barista Cup is not the end of the Czech Bartenders Association's interest in coffee. An interesting, traditional and a bit exotic technique of coffee preparation is džezva or ibrik. This category of the Master of Coffee Cup is organized for both professionals and young baristas up to 21 years of age.

Coffee in Good Spirit

Just the smell of coffee puts you in a good mood. What about when you add a drop of alcohol? Well, that's exactly what the art of alcoholic coffee mixology is all about in the Coffee in Good Spiritcompetition .

The competing barista prepares two types of coffee drinks with alcohol. For the first one, the barista has a free hand and prepares two pieces of hot or cold alcoholic coffee drinkfor the judges. The second type of drink is then given to all contestants equally and is none other than the most popular Irish coffee.

Czech Latte Art Championship

Although the coffee weekend comprising the Barista of the Year, Junior Barista of the Year and Brewers Cup competitions is traditionally a highly attended event the most popular competition, apart from Coffee in Good Spirit, is thelatte art or milk painting competition . TheLatte Art Championship is an interesting showcase of baristas' skill in pouring milk and drawing pictures on the surface of the coffee.

Czech AeroPress Championship

I have already mentioned the competition in the preparation of filter coffee as Brewers Cup. In it, competitors choose their method of coffee preparation according to their preferences. However, one of the alternative coffee brewing methods is such a fun and multi-functional option that it has earned its own competition.

This is none other than the much adored AeroPress. If you love this travel coffee maker too, you simply don't want to miss out on the AeroPressChampionship!

Czech Cup Tasters Championship

Coffee competitions are all about the preparation of coffee and the barista's ability to create such drinks. However, the coffee world offers more opportunities to compete in coffee. Czech Cup Taster Championship is about finding the best coffee "taster". Participants in the championship do not prepare the coffee, but taste it in eight sets of three coffee samples (two are identical). Whoever recognizes the most coffees in the best time wins.

Roasters' Cup

As part of theSCA Championships, master roasters can now compare their skills in theRoasters' Cup. Participating roasters will receive selected green beans, each roaster 35 kg of the same coffee. The challenge for the roasters is clear, toprepare the competition coffee to the best of their ability. That is, to make the most of its potential.

Coffee competitions must always be about coffee preparation. The competition is about taste recognition or which roaster can best prepare the selected coffee. Image source: Canva for

Barista Cup Ostrava

Usually a September coffee festival in Ostrava. This is the Barista Cup Ostrava. It is an event where baristas from the best cafes not only from Ostrava, but also from the surrounding area. Thecompetition takes place in similar conditions as Barista of the Year, preparing espresso and coffee with milk.

For the spectators who come to support their barista, there is of course a lot of accompanying coffee entertainment. Therefore, coffee lovers from all over Ostrava will not miss the Barista Cup.

Coffee festival Prague with milk battle

Finally,I would like to mention the annual Prague Coffee Festival. The program is packed with coffee workshops, lectures and coffee tastings. Celebrities from the coffee world and, of course , theMilk Battle. TheCoffee Festival is preceded by a whole week of events in Prague cafes and the traditional publication of the Coffee Book.