COMPETITION · WBC · MILAN 2025
World Barista Championship: Jack Simpson and the 15 Minutes That Decide the World's Best Espresso
Four espressos, four milk drinks, four signature beverages — served to four judges in fifteen minutes flat. Miss the timer and you're done.
The World Barista Championship (WBC) is the most visible competition in specialty coffee. Sanctioned by the Specialty Coffee Association, it has run almost every year since 2000, when Norway's Robert Thoresen took the first title in Monte Carlo.[1]
The format
Each competitor has a single 15-minute performanceon stage. In that window they must prepare and serve, to four sensory judges:
- 4 espressos — one per judge, on identical recipes
- 4 milk beverages — traditionally cappuccinos in form, judged on harmony of espresso and steamed milk
- 4 signature beverages — original drinks designed by the barista, no alcohol allowed
Two more technical judges watch hygiene, workflow, grinder management, and milk discipline. A head judgecalibrates everyone. Going over time is allowed, but every second past 15:00 costs points; the dump tin must be empty, the bar must be wiped, and the wrap-up must land before the buzzer.
2025: Jack Simpson, Australia — 643.0 points
The 2025 final was held at HostMilano in Milan, 17–21 October 2025. Jack Simpson, representing Australia and competing for Axil Coffee in Melbourne, won the title with a score of 643.0, ahead of Simon Sun Lei (China, 628.0) and Ben Put (Canada, 592.5).[2][3]
Simpson's routine opened with a callback to the previous year's final ("The 3rd of May, 2024, Busan, Korea…") and built a story around terroir transparency: every component of every drink was traceable back to a single farm, with the espresso, milk drink, and signature each highlighting a different processing window of the same coffee.[4]
2025 finalists
- Jack Simpson — Australia (Axil Coffee) — 643.0
- Simon Sun Lei — China (Marus Coffee) — 628.0
- Ben Put — Canada (Monogram Coffee) — 592.5
- Jason Loo — Malaysia (Contour) — 588.5
- Hiroki Ito — Japan (Sarutahiko Coffee) — 566.0
- Christopher Sahyoun Hoff — Denmark (April) — 412.0
Why it matters
The WBC is where the cutting-edge of café-side coffee gets standardized. Techniques that look exotic on stage — pressure profiling, low-dose espresso, anaerobic naturals, milk-temperature calibration to specific protein content — tend to show up on specialty menus 18 months later. The competition is, in effect, specialty coffee's R&D conference with a trophy at the end.
References
- Specialty Coffee Association, "World Barista Championship — History."
- World Coffee Championships, 2025 WBC Rankings & Coffee Info, October 2025.
- Sprudge, "Australia's Jack Simpson Wins The 2025 World Barista Championship" (Oct 2025).
- Time Out Melbourne, "A Melbourne barista has taken out the World Barista Championship" (23 Oct 2025).