Results – Aotearoa Barista Champs 2026

2026 Aotearoa Barista Champion:

Alan Bruce, Acme Cup Co.

 

Alan Bruce of Acme Cups Co. is the 2026 Aotearoa Barista Champion. He took the title with a score of 703.5 at AUT Auckland, 18 to 20 September.

Twelve baristas competed in Round 1, and six went through to the final. Alan’s winning routine was built around three ideas: progress, quality and legacy.

The Routine

Alan opened with a simple goal: getting more people to drink better coffee, more of the time. He made the case that competition is one of the best ways to get there. It pushes producers to try new things, sharpens how baristas recognise and talk about quality, and gives exceptional coffees the stage they deserve.

He served two Geishas from Jamison Savage at Finca Deborah in Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama. For 15 years, Jamison has had one goal: to make his coffee better every year.

Milk Course: Apocalypse

The milk course was Apocalypse, a koji-fermented natural Geisha grown at 1,900 metres above sea level. Koji is a technique from Japanese food production. It doesn’t add flavour. Its enzymes break down carbohydrates and proteins into simple sugars and amino acids, so Jamison gets more control over sweetness, complexity and texture. The cherries are picked at 21° Brix and fermented with koji in sealed tanks. They then dry on raised beds for 30 days until they reach 11% moisture.

Alan pulled the espresso at 20g in, 26g out in 25 seconds and paired it with a blend of 60% [freeze-distilled] milk and 40% full fat milk. He described it as tasting of white chocolate, crème caramel and berry gumdrops.

Espresso Course: Afterglow

For espresso, Alan showed a more restrained side of the same Geisha with Afterglow, a classic natural. It was processed with great care: turned constantly for three days, then moved through a three-tier raised-bed drying system, from warmer levels at the top to cooler levels below.

He served it through vessels that removed the crema and suspended solids, to bring out clarity and texture. The judges got stone fruit like apricot, red grape, black tea and orange blossom, then a silky body and a long, tea-like finish. [Roaster name] roasted the coffee to keep its sweetness while holding onto its clarity and aromatics.

Signature Beverage: Legacy

Alan’s signature beverage, Legacy, brought the whole routine together. He built it on an Afterglow espresso and added:

• Milk-clarified Riesling grape juice, a nod to Jamison’s interest in winemaking
• Hibiscus syrup
• Grapefruit oleo saccharum
• Liquid shio koji, echoing the koji used in Apocalypse

He served it chilled over whiskey stones so it stayed bright without watering down. The flavour notes were nashi pear, orange marmalade and salted plum.

For Alan, legacy means taking an idea someone else understands and carrying it forward. He closed by saying that what happens on the competition stage matters most when it goes back out to the community, helping producers, baristas and coffee drinkers alike.

Final Round

Preliminary Round

Congratulations to Alan and to every competitor who took the stage. Thank you to our judges, volunteers and sponsors for making the championship possible