Summary of "SCAJ2025" Competition Results: Japan Champions Decided for Six Coffee Skill Competitions
A coffee competition sponsored by the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan (general incorporated association) was held at SCAJ2025, Asia's largest specialty coffee event, held at Tokyo Big Sight from September 24th to 27th, 2025.
Every year, SCAJ hosts a competition where competitors compete against each other in coffee-making techniques, helping to improve the skills and reputation of the competitors themselves, while also helping to boost the Japanese coffee industry as a whole. Winners of many competitions also advance to world championships, producing many Japanese who are active in the global coffee scene. Takayuki Ishitani, who serves as an advisor to CROWD ROASTER , won the Japan Barista Championship (JBC) in 2018, 2022, and 2023, and placed third at the 2023 world championships.
Now, let us summarize the results of the competition held at SCAJ 2025.
The finals of the Japan Coffee Roasting Championship (JCRC), a competition sponsored by the Japan Specialty Coffee Association to determine the best roaster in Japan, are scheduled to be held from January 16th (Fri) to 18th (Sun) 2026.
Japan Barista Championship (JBC) Winner: Keisuke Homma (Saza Coffee)
The Japan Barista Championship (JBC) requires participants to prepare three types of drinks within a limited time: espresso, milk beverage, and signature beverage. Competitors are evaluated not only on taste but also on the appropriateness, accuracy, and consistency of all steps leading up to the preparation. The winner of the JBC will advance to the world championships.
The winner of the 2025 competition was Keisuke Homma of Saza Coffee, who finally achieved his long-awaited victory.
JBC2025 final results
Victory Keisuke Homma (Saza Coffee Co., Ltd., Saza Coffee Main Store, Ibaraki Prefecture) 713.5
2nd Place: Daiki Ito (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd./Tokyo) 705
3rd Place: Nana Nagasaka ( REC Collective Co., Ltd. REC COFFEE/Fukuoka Prefecture) 665
4th place: Hirono Nanjo (Hisashi Yamamoto Coffee Co., Ltd. Unir Kyoto store / Kyoto Prefecture) 664
5. Jun Abe (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd./Tokyo) 659
6th place: Yuka Hisanaga (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd./Tokyo) 645
Japan Brewers Cup (JBrC) Winner: Wataru Iitaka (Saza Coffee)
The Japan Brewers Cup (JBrC) is a manual coffee brewing competition that began in 2014, where participants compete in brewing equipment, technique, and expression. In the preliminary round, participants are evaluated on taste using official beans, and in the final, they convey the appeal of their own beans through a presentation. The winner of the JBrC will advance to the world finals.
The winner for 2025 was Iitaka from Saza Coffee, who also achieved a long-awaited victory.
And, LEAVES COFFEE ROASTERS a familiar name at CROWD ROASTER Ishii Yasuo achieved the amazing feat of coming in second place in his first appearance!
Congratulations, Yasuo !
JBrC 2025 Final Results *Scores are Open Service/Compulsory Service/Total Points
1st place Wataru Iitaka (Saza Coffee Co., Ltd.) 344.00 139.00 483.00
2nd place Ishii Yasuo ( LEAVES COFFEE ROASTERS Co., Ltd.) 354.00 128.00 482.00
3rd place Emi Ito (SAMURAI DREAM Co., Ltd.) 342.00 139.00 481.00
4th place Akifumi Inoue (Hisashi Yamamoto Coffee Co., Ltd. The Unir coffee senses) 301.00 157.00 458.00
5th place Nishio Mikami ( TAOCA COFFEE Kobe Motomachi Branch) 310.00 142.00 452.00
6th place Chiemi Sakata ( WAKOYA Co., Ltd.) 318.00 119.00 437.00
Japan Coffee in Good Spirits Championship (JCIGSC) Winner: Satoshi Zushi (KOFFEE MAMEYA Kakeru)
The Japan Coffee in Good Spirits Championship (JCIGSC) is a 10-minute competition in which participants create two Irish coffees and two coffee-based alcoholic drinks (hot or cold), which are then evaluated by two taste judges. The winner of the JCIGSC will advance to the world championships.
Zushi from KOFFEE MAMEYA Kakeru will be competing in the world championships.
JCIGSC 2025 Final Results
Victory Satoshi Zushi (Luxury Goods Research Institute Co., Ltd.) KOFFEE MAMEYA Kakeru (Tokyo) 396
2nd place Nozato Fumiaki (ISTA COFFEE ELEMENTS/Osaka Prefecture) 385
3rd place Yudai Namekawa (SG Management Co., Ltd. ASH ZERO WASTE CAFE AND BAR / Tokyo) 348
4th place Junpei Yasuo (COFFEE BAR J Peace Ave./Fukuoka Prefecture) 331
5th place Katsuro Doi (UCC Japan Co., Ltd. UCC Coffee Academy Tokyo Branch / Tokyo) 326.5
6th place Mariko Kashiwagi ( TAOCA COFFEE Co., Ltd., TAOCA COFFEE Rokko store, Hyogo Prefecture) 320
Japan Latte Art Championship (JLAC) Winner: Takanari Nozawa (Sarutahiko Coffee)
The Japan Latte Art Championship (JLAC) is a competition in which participants serve two cups of one of three types of drinks (café latte/cappuccino, café macchiato/designer beverage) within an eight-minute competition time. Judging is based on the "appearance" of the design, including its artistry, originality, reproducibility, and complexity, as well as professional "service" and "hygiene management." The winner of the JLAC will advance to the world championships.
JLAC 2025 Final Results
Victory Takanari Nozawa (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd. The Bridge Harajuku Station Store / Tokyo) 640.5
2nd place Deho Sasaki (Ogawa Coffee Co., Ltd. Tokyo Office/Tokyo) 608
3rd place Akiya Ishibashi (Connect Coffee/Fukuoka Prefecture) 603
4th place Li Weixuan (Goldenhood, Luling Co., Ltd./Tokyo) 602.5
5th place Shinji Hayashi (Marble Co., Ltd.) DRIP & DROP COFFEE SUPPLY (Kyoto Prefecture) 536.5
6th place Jun Sakaguchi (swell coffee roasters/Tokyo) 516
Japan Siphonist Championship (JSC) Winner: Yosuke Senda (Tsubakiya Coffee Roastery)
The Japan Siphonist Championship (JSC), which was established in 2003 as the siphon division of the Barista Championship, is a competition in which competitors create their own original signature beverage using regular blended coffee or blended coffee within a time limit. The winner of the JSC will advance to the global competition, the World Siphonist Championship 2026.
JSC 2025 Final Results
Victory Yosuke Senda (Towa Food Service Co., Ltd., Tsubakiya Coffee Roastery / Tokyo) 396.5
2nd place Kanehisa Shimizu (Luxury Goods Research Institute Co., Ltd./Tokyo) 395.5
3rd place Hiroyuki Kondo (Kondo Coffee Stand/Saitama Prefecture) 388.0
4th place Takara Kazuki (KUUHAKU COFFEE/Hyogo Prefecture) 374.0
5th place Hagiwara Myoto (A Good Diner Co., Ltd./Mermaid Coffee Roasters/Tokyo) 365.0
6th place Shuta Watanabe (Ristretto Co., Ltd./SHIKISHIMA COFFEE FACTORY/Gunma Prefecture) -
Japan Hand Drip Championship (JHDC): Winner: Isho Nitta (Nitta Coffee)
The Japan Hand Drip Championship (JHDC) is a competition specializing in hand drip, the most popular extraction method in Japan. The preliminary and sensory competitions are blind judged, and contestants who win two tournaments advance to the finals. The finals consist of a blind-judged drip competition and a free competition with a presentation.
JHDC 2025 Final Results *Scores are points for the Drip Competition/Free Competition
Victory Nitta Isho (Nitta Coffee Co., Ltd./Nitta Coffee) 116.5 295.0
2nd place Takahiro Kawamura (Tokiwa Coffee Roastery/LUMINE Omiya store) 115.5 282.0
3rd place Saori Knothama (Knot COFFEE) 125.5 266.5
4th place Nasumi Takahashi (Philocoffea Co., Ltd.) 109.5 262.0
5th place Sonoko Hasegawa (lull licht coffee&cakes Co., Ltd.) 114.0 247.0
6th place Yuji Harada (TheoCoffee) 111.5 236.0
7th place Yuta Kawashima (Atsumi Coffee) 114.0 231.0
8th place Yoshiya Hiroshi (-) 114.0 229.5
9th place Mariko Oshima (Coffee Order Roasting Mametomo) 116.0 226.0
10th place Kazuki Kondo (Rainyday's Coffee) 112.5 229.0
11th place Muneta Myotani (-) 113.5 226.5
12th place Yukio Ogoshi (A Good Diner Co., Ltd./Mermaid Coffee Roasters) 122.0 210.0
13th place Takayuki Tominaga (PASSAGE Co., Ltd./PASSAGE COFFEE) 118.0 196.0
14th place Hagiwara Myohi (A Good Diner Co., Ltd./Mermaid Coffee Roasters) 123.0 -
Japan Cup Tasters Championship (JCTC)
The Japan Cup Tasters Championship (JCTC) is a competition that tests the cupping technique, the foundation of specialty coffee. Three cups are placed for each question, and participants must use a technique called "cupping" to identify the cup with the different flavor. Each question is given one minute, and the winner is the one who answers the most questions correctly within a total of eight minutes, or, if the number of correct answers is the same, the one who takes the shortest time to answer all questions.
JCTC 2025 Final Results
* Will be updated at a later date
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