The Japan Specialty Coffee Association (SCAJ) hosted a coffee competition at SCAJ2026, Asia's largest specialty coffee event, held at Tokyo Big Sight from October 14th to 17th, 2026. This year, 577 companies and organizations from 38 countries and regions participated, and the four-day event saw a record-breaking attendance of 100,114 people. The competition stage was also filled with great excitement.

The SCAJ (Society for Coffee Craftsmen) annually holds competitions where competitors showcase their coffee-making skills. These events contribute to improving the skills and reputation of the participants themselves, as well as boosting the overall Japanese coffee industry. Furthermore, winners of many competitions have gone on to compete in world championships, producing numerous Japanese individuals who are active in the global coffee scene.

Now, let's summarize the results of the five competitions held at SCAJ 2026. We will also introduce the results of the two competitions whose finals were held in Kobe in March 2026.

The Japan Coffee Roasting Championship (JCRC), a competition organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan to determine Japan's best roaster, is scheduled to hold its preliminary rounds from November 17th (Tue) to 19th (Thu), 2026, and its finals from January 22nd (Fri) to 25th (Mon), 2027. Incidentally, Yoshiyuki Nakamura of mamepolepole , who is also well-known at CROWD ROASTER , won the 2025 JCRC finals (held in January 2026).

The winner was Daiki Ito.

The Japan Barista Championship (JBC) requires contestants to serve four cups each of three types of drinks—espresso, milk beverages, and signature beverages—within a 15-minute time limit. Evaluation is based not only on taste but also on the appropriateness, accuracy, and consistency of all aspects of the preparation process. The JBC winner advances to the world championships.

The winner of the 2026 tournament was Daiki Ito of Sarutahiko Coffee. This is his second victory since 2024. He has redeemed himself after coming in second last year. Ito will represent Japan at the "World Barista Championship 2027," which will be held in Tokyo from April 28th to May 1st, 2027, for the first time in 20 years. Expectations are high for this world championship in his hometown of Tokyo!

And in second place was Takayuki Ishitani, advisor for CROWD ROASTER !

JBC2026 Final Results <br />Winner: Daiki Ito (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd.)
2nd place: Takayuki Ishitani
3rd place: Jun Abe (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd.)
4th place: Yuno Nanjo (Unir Kyoto store)
5th place: Takashige Nozawa (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd.)
6th place: Shogo Eto (Direct Coffee Kyoto)

The winner was Aimi Nagasaki.

The Japan Brewers Cup (JBrC) is a manual brewing coffee competition that began in 2014, where participants compete in brewing equipment, technique, and presentation. In the final round, contestants compete based on the combined score of their "open service," where they serve three cups of coffee using beans of their own choice along with a presentation, and their "compulsory service," where they brew three cups of coffee using beans and water provided by the competition. The winner of the JBrC advances to the world championships.

The winner of the final round, which capped off the last day of SCAJ2026, was Aimi Nagasaki of PHILOCOFFEA. Nagasaki, who placed 6th in the finals of "JBrC2023-2024," returned to the finals stage and finally claimed the title of Japan's best. PHILOCOFFEA is also known for its representative, Tetsuya Kasuya, who became the first Asian to win the world championship in 2016.

For the final open service, Nagasaki used Red Geisha anaerobic natural from La Negrita farm in the Tolima region of Colombia. While highlighting Geisha 's vibrant flavor, he also focused on mouthfeel and texture, pursuing the ideal mouthfeel with a recipe that involved pouring hot water in seven stages. Nagasaki will represent Japan at the World Brewers Cup, a world competition to be held in Colombia from September 30th to October 2nd, 2027.

This year's finals also featured two past champions: Daiki Hatakeyama of Bespoke Coffee Roasters (4th place), who won JBrC2019 and JBrC2024, and Hikaru Ono of Brewman Tokyo (5th place), the JBrC2022 champion and runner-up in JBrC2023-2024. Ono is also active as a participating roaster in CROWD ROASTER . Second place went to Kanta Mochizuki of KOFFEE MAMEYA Kakeru, and third place to Hikaru Mochizuki of coffee etomoiri. In a high-level final featuring many talented individuals, including past champions, Nagasaki emerged victorious.

JBrC 2026 Final Results <br />Winner: Aimi Nagasaki (Philocoffea Co., Ltd.)
2nd place: Kanta Mochizuki (KOFFEE MAMEYA -Kakeru- / Shikohin Kenkyujo Co., Ltd.)
3rd place Hikaru Mochizuki (Rurukuna/coffee etomoiri)
4th place: Daiki Hatakeyama (Bespoke Coffee Roasters)
5th place: Hikaru Ono ( Brewman Tokyo )
6th place: Ryo Murase (Mel Coffee Roasters Co., Ltd.)

The Japan Siphonist Championship (JSC), which originated in 2003 as the siphon division of the Barista Championship and became an independent competition in 2007, is a competition in which contestants create a blended coffee and an original signature beverage using that blended coffee within a time limit. Six contestants who won the qualifying rounds in May competed in the finals. The winner of the JSC will participate in the World Siphonist Championship.

The winner was Ms. Shimizu from KOFFEE MAMEYA. Last year, she narrowly missed first place by just one point, but this year she got her revenge.

JSC 2026 Final Results <br />Winner: Kensei Shimizu (KOFFEE MAMEYA / Shikohin Kenkyujo Co., Ltd.)
2nd place: Hiroyuki Kondo (Kondo Coffee Stand)
3rd place: Hagiwara Akito (Mermaid Coffee Roasters)
4th place: Tomoki Soda (Tomtom Co., Ltd.)
5th place: Riri Tazawa (Mermaid Coffee Roasters Sapporo Store)
6th place: Mutsuko Yamazaki (Mermaid Coffee Roasters Ikebukuro Main Store)

Additionally, the World Siphonist Championship 2026 (WSC) was held at the SCAJ2026 venue, where last year's JSC champion, Yosuke Chida (Tsubakiya Coffee Roastery), placed third. The winner was Fu Ya (China).

The Japan Hand Drip Championship (JHDC) is a unique Japanese competition established in 2012, specializing in hand drip coffee, the most popular brewing method in Japan. The judging incorporates uniquely Japanese expressions such as "aroma" and "texture." In the final round, all participants use the same roasted beans and equipment designated by the competition, so the ingenuity and skill of the brewer directly translate into differences in taste. This year, 14 contestants who won their respective regional qualifiers competed in the final.

The winner is Chikako Nitta of Nitta Coffee. Following last year's winner, Iori Nitta, Nitta Coffee has become the best in Japan for the second year in a row.

JHDC 2026 Final Results <br />Winner: Chikako Nitta (Nitta Coffee Co., Ltd.)
2nd place Saori Hotehama (Knot COFFEE)
3rd Place: Ayano Nagayoshi (Green･earth Co., Ltd., ISLAND STONE COFFEE ROASTERS)
4th place Teruaki Yasutake (COFFEE COUNTY Kurume)
5th place: Kohei Yamada (27 COFFEE ROASTERS)
6th place: Kazuyoshi Mizutani (Peggy Peggy Coffee Shop Co., Ltd.)
7th place: Shinji Ogashi (REGREEN COFFEE)
8th place Shinnosuke Tsukuda (BANZAI CREATIVE THE COFFEESHOP Ltd.)

The Japan Cup Tasters Championship (JCTC) is a competition that tests the cupping technique, which is fundamental to specialty coffee. In each round, three cups are placed out, and the competitor must use a technique called "cupping" to identify the one cup that tastes different. Competitors must judge eight sets of cups within an eight-minute time limit, and the winner is the one with the most correct answers, or, in the case of a tie in correct answers, the one who completes all the rounds in the shortest time. This year, 16 out of 224 participants in the July qualifiers advanced to the semi-finals and finals.

JCTC 2026 Final Results <br />Winner: Miho Moriaki (Villa Clara)
2nd place: Aya Wakasa (SHRUB COFFEE)
3rd place Hiroaki Nitta (uki)
4th place: Ryosuke Kataoka (Single O Japan)

Now, we will report on the results of two competitions, latte art and coffee cocktail, which were held at the UCC Coffee Academy Kobe School on March 1, 2026, prior to SCAJ2026.

The Japan Latte Art Championship (JLAC) is a competition where contestants must serve four free-pour lattes (two with two different designs) and two macchiatos within a 10-minute time limit in the final round. Judging criteria include the "appearance" of the expressed design, such as its artistry, originality, reproducibility, and complexity, as well as the "service" and "hygiene management" demonstrated as a professional. Starting this year, the art bar has been abolished in accordance with the rules of the World Championship. The winner of the JLAC will advance to the World Championship.

The winner was Mr. Ishibashi from Connect Coffee, who came in third place last year. He won the competition by a narrow margin of just 0.5 points over second place.

JLAC 2026 Final Results <br />Winner: Shinya Ishibashi (Connect Coffee/Fukuoka Prefecture) 565.5
2nd place: Aya Oshiro (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd. Osaka Inogate Store / Osaka Prefecture) 565
3rd place: Akihiro Iwai (Sarutahiko Coffee Co., Ltd. D-LIFEPLACE Sapporo Store / Hokkaido) 549.5
4th place: Jun Sakaguchi (BLOOM swell coffee roasters Co., Ltd. / Tokyo) 532.5
5th place: Shinji Hayashi (Kyoto Prefecture) 512
6th place: Atsuhiro Takano (REC Collective Co., Ltd. / Fukuoka Prefecture) 361

The Japan Coffee in Good Spirits Championship (JCIGSC) is a competition where participants create two Irish coffees and two original designer drinks (hot/warm or cold) combining coffee and alcohol within a 10-minute time limit. The winner of the JCIGSC will advance to the world championships.

The winner is Mr. Zushi from KOFFEE MAMEYA Kakeru. He has achieved a remarkable second consecutive victory, following his win last year!

JCIGSC 2026 Final Results <br />Winner: Satoshi Zushi (KOFFEE MAMEYA Kakeru, Shikohin Kenkyujo Co., Ltd. / Tokyo) 386
2nd place: Mariko Kashiwagi ( TAOCA COFFEE Kobe Rokko Store, TAOCA COFFEE Co., Ltd. / Hyogo Prefecture) 361.5
3rd place: Daiichi Yusa (Saza Coffee Co., Ltd., Saza Coffee Shinbashi SL Store / Tokyo) 323.5
4th place: Risa Kajitani (Shiga Prefecture) 316
5th place: Katsuro Doi (UCC Japan Co., Ltd. UCC Coffee Academy Tokyo School / Tokyo) 312
6th place: Ryuya Kinjo (One by one cafe Co., Ltd. / One by one coffee / Tokyo) 296

The above summarizes the results of the five competitions held at SCAJ2026 and the two competitions held in Kobe in March.

Keisuke Honma, a barista from Saza Coffee, won the 2025 Japan Barista Championship (JBC) and will represent Japan at the 2026 World Barista Championship in Panama. We will also be reporting the results here on CROWD ROASTER .