2024 US Coffee Roasting Championship

U.S. Coffee Roasting Championship Dates:

• This event will be held during the SCA Expo in Chicago, IL on April 12-14, 2024

Since starting back in 2009, roasters from across the nation have gathered at the U.S. Roasting Championship to compete and showcase their skillset. These talented competitors will be judged based on the following:

• Roasts coffee to exemplary quality.
• Can articulate the taste experience offered by the coffees they roasted.
• Delivers an exceptional overall coffee experience.
• Demonstrates knowledge of green coffee.
• Exhibits insight and understanding of roasting theories.

The competition will be a 3-stage event that can be broken down into the following:

• Evaluation of the quality of green coffee (coffee grading).
• Roast profile development that best brings out the characteristics and flavors of the competition coffee.
• Ultimate cup quality of the coffees roasted.

To qualify for the U.S. Coffee Roasting Championship, you must first compete and place in the U.S. Coffee Roasting Qualifiers.

U.S. Roaster Qualifier Competition Rules and Regulations: Participation:

• The Qualifying Competitions are open to the 32 competitors who register.
• The top 3 competitors from each of the Preliminaries will be awarded a reserved spot at one of the US Coffee Champs Qualifying Competition.
• Remaining spots will be available for open Registration and Lottery.

• The single highest scoring competitor from the Qualifying Competition will be given free registration to the United States Roasters Championship.
• All competitors and judges are required to attend 1 online learning session in order to participate at the Qualifying Competitions.
• In the event of 2 Qualifiers, competitors may only compete once in each competition within the season at the Qualifying level.
• Competitors and judges must be at least 18 years of age at the time of competing.
• Competitors must hold a valid US passport, US Green Card, or have 24 months of documented employment or scholastic curriculum in the USA.

Competition Summary:

• Pre-Roasting – lab practice, green evaluation, sample roasting, open cupping, and roast plan
• Production Roasting
• Production Roast Evaluation
• On-Stage Q&A

Scoring:

• Competitors total score will be calculated by adding the Roast Plan scoresheet total(s) to the Production Cupping scores from each sensory judge, and then by subtracting any penalties/li>
• Scores shall be rounded to the nearest hundredths-place
• Tie scores:

1. If there is a tie between two or more competitors, the competitor with the higher total Single Origin Production Cupping score will be ranked higher. 2. If there is still a tie, the competitor with the higher Single Origin Roast Plan Scoresheet will be ranked higher. 3. If there is still a tie, the competitor with the higher Accuracy of Coffee .Descriptors Total on the Production Cupping Score Sheet will be ranked higher. Debriefing:

• Following the awards ceremony, competitors will have an opportunity to review their scoresheets with judges on-site in accordance with the announced schedule.
• Competitors are allowed to keep their original score sheets only if the scorekeeper and national competition coordinator have scanned the scoresheets.
• Please be aware that your score sheets may be made public after the completion of the Qualifying Competitions.

Click here to read more about the US Roaster Qualifier Competition Rules and Regulations