On September 9th, the grand finale of the 11th Starbucks China Barista Championship unfolded at the Starbucks China headquarters on its "Starbucks Stage." Hou Yilin (Jerry), hailing from Hefei, clinched the coveted title of "Starbucks China Coffee Ambassador," while Lu Yang (Peter) from Nanjing earned the distinguished title of "Starbucks China Reserve Coffee Ambassador."
Since its launch in May, this year's competition attracted over 5,000 partner registrations. Spanning more than four months and featuring over 660 qualifying rounds, the journey culminated with 11 finalists taking the national stage and vying for the two top ambassador positions. The remaining nine contestants will serve as regional coffee ambassadors, entrusted with the vital mission of disseminating coffee culture and enhancing the customer service experience.
Since its inception in 2009, the Starbucks China Barista Championship has now been held for eleven editions. This year's event progressed through four distinct stages—area trials, district competitions, regional rounds, and the national semifinals—covering thousands of stores nationwide. Participants were required to demonstrate not only impeccable barista skills but also outstanding communication abilities and a genuine passion for fostering human connections.
This year marked a pioneering move as the championship was divided into two categories for the first time: the Core Group and the Reserve Group. The coffee beans, espresso machines, and brewing equipment used by competitors in each group closely mirrored the operational realities of core stores and Reserve stores, ensuring a high degree of practical relevance. Additionally, the competition featured five demanding disciplines: coffee cupping (blind tasting), latte art, brewing with storytelling, peak challenges, and creative signature beverages. These were designed to holistically assess contestants across multiple dimensions, including professional expertise, sensory perception, innovative thinking, and customer communication skills.
To ensure the event's professionalism and authority, the national finals invited two leading industry judges, Gu Qinru and Zhang Wenjiao, who serve as international representatives for WCC World Coffee Events, to act as chief examiners. Furthermore, the organizing committee specially invited three industry luminaries—Du Jianing (2019 World Brewers Cup Champion), Li Weiqin (2023 World Coffee in Good Spirits China Champion), and Lu Daoqiang (2023 World Latte Art Championship Runner-up)—to serve as pre-competition mentors for the brewing with storytelling, creative signature beverages, and latte art categories respectively. They provided one-on-one coaching to help finalists elevate their professional capabilities.
Starting this August, Starbucks introduced its first-ever "Champion Showcase" specifically for its Gold and Platinum members. Members could book appointments through the Starbucks China app to visit stores and engage directly with regional champion baristas, enjoying the same signature brewed coffees, latte art, and creative beverages presented during the competitions. As of the championship's conclusion, over 60 regional champions had hosted more than a thousand customers. The most active champion even served over 150 guests within a single month.
In April of this year, Starbucks launched a dedicated ACM (Approved Coffee Master) role nationwide. Over 50 ACMs across the country now focus exclusively on partner coffee education and skill development. In this year's championship, ACMs played a dual role: they not only coached the contestants but also competed themselves. Notably, among the 11 national finalists, two were ACMs.
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