As featured on KITV Island News — coffee competitors will vie for top honors for a chance to advance to the Qualifying Round of International Roaster and Brewer Competitions.
Official Host Location
The SCA USCC Hawaii Prelim events are August 19-21, 2022 at Tradition Coffee Roasters, 905 Kalanianaole Highway, #3201 in Kailua. Recapturing the pre-pandemic momentum of the 2019 Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) US CoffeeChamps (USCC) Barista & Brewer’s Cup Preliminary Competitions, the Hawaii Coffee Association (HCA) returns as host of the 2023 SCA USCC Hawaii Prelims for the Roasters and Brewers Cup Competitions on Oahu.
Brewers Cup Competition
Competitors will be given 20 minutes to create and serve two individual brews using Hawaii-grown coffee for two sensory judges. The host-provided coffees must be sourced from two or more local coffee roasting companies. Competitors may utilize any set of brewing devices of their choosing, so long as they qualify according to the competition rules.
Roasters Cup Competition
For the first time ever, the HCA is excited to host the Roaster Competition, which consists of three components: Cup-To-Profile Presentations, Judges Cupping and Audience Service. In the Cup-To-Profile Presentations, competitors have five minutes to present, but not serve, their Hawaii-grown coffee to two judges. During the Judges Cupping segment, judges evaluate each competitor’s roasted coffee in a blind cupping. In the third segment, competitors have 20-30 minutes to serve their Hawaii-grown coffee to the audience. Competitors will be evaluated and scored by a head judge and two sensory judges. Competitor’s coffee will be brewed on batch brewers by volunteers before the start of the Audience Service.
This year, the event will be open to the public on August 20-21 at Tradition Coffee Roasters. Those interested in expanding their coffee knowledge, learn more about the intricacies of Hawaii coffee and see how coffee is evaluated are strongly encouraged to attend. There will be various events throughout the day as well as food and entertainment.
“These exciting events are intended to provide a platform on which Hawaii can showcase our local talent on the world stage. Hawaii is home to some of the most skilled coffee professionals anywhere. Their ability to roast and prepare Hawaii-grown coffee is unsurpassed. We’re thrilled that the USCC has chosen Hawaii as the location for this important qualifying event,” said Brittany Horn HCA director and presiding Head Judge for the USCC Brewers Cup.
