A question that’s been on my mind for a long time: Why are barista champions considered the best purveyors of coffee?

After spending decades in this industry — cutting my teeth in the daily grind of cafes, serving real people with real expectations — it’s hard not to feel the disconnect.

Too often, I’ve seen thoughtful, hardworking professionals passed over in favour of polished stage performers. These champions can deliver flawless routines to panels of judges, yet often lack the stamina, consistency, or community care required to show up every single day.

So, it’s time to ask: what does “excellence” in coffee really look like?

Competition vs. Craft

Every year, national and world stage barista competitions crown a new champion — someone who has spent months crafting a 10–15 minute routine, refining extraction curves, perfecting milk temperatures, and delivering a polished coffee narrative. These individuals are celebrated as industry elites. They appear in magazines, earn brand partnerships, and are often treated as the pinnacle of coffee expertise.

Still, a lingering question remains for many of us working quietly behind the bar or in the roastery: why does winning a competition automatically imply you’re the best purveyor of coffee?

After all, is the person who creates the most theatrical set piece — under perfectly controlled conditions — truly the best person to define the future of how we source, brew, and serve coffee?

Let’s be clear: barista competitions demand real skill. Competitors are focused, technically sharp, and deeply passionate about their coffees. However, the format tends to reward an experience that feels far removed from day-to-day operations. It rarely reflects the reality of sourcing green beans, running a roastery, managing a team, or serving hundreds of drinks in a morning rush.

Instead of practicality, competitions favour perfection. Routines are timed and rehearsed. Espressos are dialled in per shot using top-tier grinders and custom water profiles. Coffees are often microlots, processed through experimental methods, and priced at hundreds per kilo. While impressive, this doesn’t reflect the workflow of a busy cafe or the decision-making behind a sustainable coffee program. It’s a performance — a beautiful one — but a performance nonetheless.

The Halo Effect

So why do barista champions hold such influence? A big part of it comes down to visibility. Competitions provide a public stage, and winning places someone in the spotlight. Brands embrace champions as symbols of excellence. They become default spokespeople for the industry.

And yet, some of the most meaningful work in coffee happens far away from the spotlight.

It happens in long-term producer relationships. It’s in baristas who show up early, day after day, to serve with warmth and consistency. It’s in roasters creating affordable blends that perform beautifully across a variety of machines and water types. And it’s in cafe teams who value accessibility, inclusion, and customer care just as much as extraction yield.

In the rush to crown a new champion, we often overlook those who make coffee better — not just once, but every day.

Who Gets to Define “The Best”?

If we use competition wins as the only benchmark for greatness, we narrow our view of what it means to be a truly excellent coffee professional. We risk ignoring those working at the intersections of quality, sustainability, and community. We forget that coffee is more than a product. It’s a service, a ritual, a shared experience.

Why Are Barista Champions Considered the Best Purveyors of Coffee – Being a great purveyor of coffee isn’t just about tasting notes or precision. It’s about building trust. It’s about sourcing responsibly, serving with consistency, and creating something that outlives a competition season.

What We’d Love to See More Of

So, what if we reimagined recognition in our industry?

• Let’s award consistency under pressure, where quality is maintained through peak hours.

• Let’s recognise impactful sourcing and the roasters who invest in long-term partnerships.

• Let’s celebrate cafe teams cultivating strong culture, mentorship, and inclusion.

• Let’s hold space for adaptability — brewing beautiful coffee on imperfect equipment, while maintaining pace and care during busy shifts.

There’s plenty to celebrate already. But there’s even more to expand, especially when it comes to honouring the full scope of excellence in coffee — beyond the stage.

At Routes, We Think About This a Lot

We love beautiful coffees. We respect the technical brilliance that goes into competition prep. But our hearts are with the quiet professionals — the ones cupping pre-shipment samples, troubleshooting gear after hours, roasting with intention, and pulling consistently great shots without fanfare.

The best purveyors of coffee? You’ll find them in cafes, in roasteries, and at origin. Not on stages.