In his sixth yr competing and fourth time within the finals, Kay Cheon broke by to develop into the latest U.S. Barista Champion.

BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Featured photograph courtesy of Onyx Espresso Lab

In 2018, as a younger espresso skilled working at Santa Barbara, Calif.’s Dune Espresso Roasters, Kay Cheon stunned himself. Participating in his first U.S. Barista Championship (USBC) season, he reached the finals of the nationwide competitors, finally inserting third. 

Within the ensuing years, Kay has been a mainstay of competitors, and a dependable entrant into the USBC finals—earlier than 2025, he had competed in 5 seasons and reached three USBC finals. He has additionally taken strategic breaks from competitors, together with judging on the 2022 USBC in Boston, which Kay describes as what he wanted in that second to develop as a competitor. “Having an understanding of what it feels wish to be sitting on the judges’ desk is so necessary to have the ability to create a robust presentation,” he says.

Kay’s technique and perseverance paid off on the 2025 USBC, which came about March 6-9 in Raleigh, N.C. Utilizing two coffees—a Gesha and an Ombligon—and structuring his routine across the constructing blocks of taste, Kay, who continues to work for and signify Dune Espresso Roasters, earned the title of 2025 U.S. Barista Champion. He’ll now advance to the World Barista Championship (WBC), happening October 17-21 in Milan, Italy. 

Within the first installment of this two-part interview, we discuss to Kay about why barista competitors pursuits him, how he constructed this yr’s profitable routine, and extra.

Chris Ryan: First, how did you come to barista competitors, and what have been your early years like?

Kay Cheon: Earlier than I started competing, I knew barista competitors existed as a result of there have been opponents in my group that I knew of, or had seen their preparation. Once I bought to Dune, there was additionally a historical past of competitors participation, and so lengthy earlier than I ever determined to compete myself, I understood that competitors was on the market and that it was such a excessive stage of engagement with our business. 

The primary yr that I competed in 2018, I had no expectations of how nicely I might do, and all I hoped to get out of competing was to push myself to study new issues and develop my understanding of espresso. What I didn’t understand earlier than that first yr was additionally the group and construction that it takes for competitors to exist, to not point out all the studying and development that comes with constructing a presentation for the nationwide stage.

This yr, you have been the uncommon competitor to roast their very own coffees for competitors. Are you able to focus on the choice to try this, what it regarded like in apply, and the way it finally benefited your routine? 

I’ve roasted coffees that I’ve served on stage earlier than, however this was the primary yr that I sourced and profiled all the things myself. A part of the explanation was that I needed to make the most of a Stronghold roaster, which is a machine that Dune doesn’t have within the roastery. I used to be ready to make use of a good friend’s S7Pro roaster, however it did imply driving backwards and forwards between Santa Barbara and L.A. (the place the machine was positioned).

I knew I needed to make the most of the Stronghold in my preparation for a number of causes: the batch dimension is an enormous benefit for competitors coffees that usually are smaller lot sizes, but additionally all the management the Stronghold offers you in the course of the roasting course of. There have been numerous new variables that I needed to study, and I’m actually grateful to Aaron Zhao and Ben Put for his or her assist alongside the way in which in roasting. 

Due to roasting on the Stronghold, I used to be capable of convey a number of totally different roasts and batches to USBC, which gave us the flexibility to fine-tune the espresso as soon as we arrived to Raleigh. I truly had cupped all the roasts that I might be bringing earlier than we left, and I had a sense that there was one roast that was tasting the very best, and that we would be capable of reserve it for finals if we made it by, which after all meant we have been taking a threat if we didn’t use that espresso in semifinals and didn’t make it to finals. Fortunately, it labored out.

Are you able to discuss your espresso decisions this yr? I do know the Gesha from Savage Coffees has traditionally carried out nicely in competitors. The Ombligon selection, which you sourced from El Diviso, appears much less widespread in comps, however I do know Frank La received with it final yr. Why these two coffees for this routine? 

I actually attempt to style as many coffees as I probably can on a regular basis, each fascinated by coffees with competitors potential, but additionally as a result of I believe that’s the easiest way to study. Starting in April 2024, I began tasting and pattern roasting all the coffees I might get my fingers on—there are most likely over 200 tons in a spreadsheet that we tried. There have been a number of coffees that actually stood out to us alongside the way in which that we might have competed with, however with the constructing blocks presentation, serving each the El Diviso and Finca Deborah got here collectively in a very wonderful means. 

I truly had some hesitation round competing with the Ombligon, given Frank’s success with it final yr, and so I tasted that espresso a number of occasions. What satisfied me is how thrilling that espresso was to somebody who hadn’t tasted it earlier than; it’s so distinct in taste, and I believed that could be a enjoyable expertise to get to share with the judges.

I spoke with Jamison (Savage, founding father of Savage Coffees) a number of occasions, and there’s a perspective that we shared: that your solely competitors is your self, which I actually aligned with. The coffees from Savage are unbelievable, and tasting by all the totally different profiles, it turned obvious to me to select one thing that will work for my presentation and what I needed to share. I served a pure yeast-inoculated Gesha at USBC, which had a very unbelievable tactile high quality.

Keep tuned for half two of this interview later this week, the place we’ll discuss to Kay about profitable the USBC, how he’s approaching the upcoming WBC, and extra. 

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