The Barista League is back for 2023. The Sprudgie Finalist event series that started in Sweden has gone global, and 2023 is looking to be the biggest season yet. Announced today, the interdisciplinary coffee competition will be 12-ish stops this season across four continents. And it kicks off this February back in Scandinavia, in the city of Oslo, Norway.
Though the scope of the event has expanded, the heart of the Barista League remains unchanged. Each competition will feature 12 teams of two coffee professionals who will have their real-world barista skills put to the test via three fast-paced challenges. And like with previous years, the Barista Leagues aims to keep the event inclusive and open to all skill levels, with no registration fee required nor a need to bring your own equipment, fancy coffees, or even prior training.
“The Barista League was founded on the idea that the event should be accessible for working baristas and should be welcoming to all,” states founder Steven Maloney. “As we grow, we are so excited to be able to take the event to new cities and countries that often get overlooked in favor of bigger, global, centralized events.”
The 2023 Barista League calendar is as follows:
February 18: Oslo, Norway – Fuglen Coffee Roasters
March 4: Mexico City, Mexico
March 25: Hamburg, Germany – Drilling Distilling Co.
May 26: Brno, Czech Republic – Industra
June 17: Toronto, ON – Redwood Theatre
August 5: Los Angeles, CA – Black Rabbit Service Co.
September 9: Bristol, England – Extract Coffee Roasters
September 22: Melbourne, Australia – Proud Mary
October: Madrid, Spain
October 21: Milwaukee, WI – Colectivo Coffee
December 2: Atlanta, GA
January 2024: Dubai, UAE
If that wasn’t enough action, the Barista League will also be hosting La Rumba Barista at Varietale in Bogota, Colombia in February, which will be a battle royale of sorts of all the winners from the 2022 competitions who are taking part in the special prize Mystery Coffee Vacation. And there are after-parties in the works for both the SCA Expo in April in Portland as well as June’s World of Coffee in Athens.
Fun times abound for those willing to answer the call. If you think you’ve got what it takes and you want more information on this year’s events, head over to the Barista League’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
