THE BARISTA LEAGUE ASIA was held at Adrift in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo on June 12, 2025.

The Russian team (Kirill & Vasilina) took home the stunning victory in this memorable tournament, which was held in Tokyo for the first time.

As the only event to be held in Asia out of six regions in the 2025 season, it was a historic night that demonstrated the maturity of Tokyo's coffee scene.

Kirill & Vasilina, the winners

THE BARISTA LEAGUE was founded by Swedish barista champion Steven Maloney in 2015. It was created as an event "by baristas, for baristas" to solve the problem that traditional barista competitions require high participation fees and investment in equipment, making them difficult for baristas working in the field to access.

With a unique concept of a "competition disguised as a party," the event emphasizes practical skills and adheres to a unique approach that promotes community building.

A major feature of this event is its innovative format, which completely changes the stiff impression of traditional competitions, with no participation fee, equipment provided, and a friendly atmosphere thanks to DJ performances.

In the 2025 season, the tournament will be held in six representative cities across continents, down from the previous 12 cities, and a new format will determine the strongest team in each region: Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Oceania. Tokyo's selection as the representative city for Asia is proof that the uniqueness of Japan's coffee culture and its high level of technology have been internationally recognized.

Ten teams (20 people in total, 2 pairs) that had passed the preliminary screening participated in this competition, which was watched by approximately 200 industry professionals and coffee lovers. The competition consisted of two challenges that focused on the skills required for running an actual cafe.

The main drink challenge requires participants to complete six different drinks within the time limit of 15 minutes.

We will evaluate the accuracy of basic techniques for espresso , and the ability to respond to modern needs by using oat milk, etc. in plant-based beverages .

The cold brew mocktail competition will test the fusion of creativity and skill, while the filter coffee competition will feature extraction techniques using a Bodum French press.

Additionally, the contestants' extensive beverage knowledge and adaptation skills were tested with a Non-Coffee Mystery Drink , while their improvisation and versatility were tested with a Judges' Choice Drink .

The Sensory Challenge tested participants' tasting abilities using the SCA flavour wheel in a five-minute time limit, assessing the accuracy of their taste and smell senses and their ability to identify flavours - essential skills for a barista.

Each team taking on the sensory challenge

The evaluation criteria were weighted as follows: taste quality was the most important factor at 40%, followed by service quality at 20%, presentation at 15%, technical execution at 15% and cleanliness/efficiency at 10%.

Izaki-san and Editor-in-Chief Toshi livened up the venue

Another feature of this competition was the impressive lineup of guest MCs and judges. Legends of Japanese baristas and the specialty coffee world gathered. The double MCs were Hidenori Izaki, the first Asian to win the WBC, and Juichi Muromoto of Standard Magazine. The two MCs really livened up the venue with their high-energy Koike party.

The judges were CROWD ROASTER advisor and three-time Japan Barista Champion Takayuki Ishitani, who served as head judge. Ishitani will choose the drink of the judges' choice on the spot from the drinks offered by the competitors.

Among the participating roasters from CROWD ROASTER , Ishii Yasuo participated as a judge for filter coffee. Leaves Coffee Roasters, led by Yasuo , was also in charge of roasting the coffee for filter coffee brewing.

Competitors are provided with three different types of coffee from different countries and are free to serve them either individually or as a blend.

Leaves' team served the coffee used in the competition to participants at "THE BARISTA LEAGUE CAFE" inside the venue.

For the espresso, NOG COFFEE ROASTERS provided their house blend for the competition.

The other judges were Kiyokazu Itsuki, Miyama Shinsaku (Barista Map Coffee Roasters), and Hatakeyama Daiki (Bespoke Coffee Roasters), all champions. It was impressive to see how much fun everyone seemed to be having judging the competition.

By the way, the mystery drink was chosen by a member of the audience. If the MC chose you, you could join the panel of judges and taste the drink.

In addition to the winning pair, Kirill and Vasilina from Russia, the other competitors were a very diverse bunch.
In the second part of our THE BARISTA LEAGUE ASIA report, we will bring you Shin of each team's strong performance.

The second part of the report on THE BARISTA LEAGUE is here