Road to Seattle: Starbucks baristas compete for 2026 North America Championship
The 2026 championship journey features evolving challenges, including latte art and service excellence, with finalists advancing to Seattle for a National Coffee Day showdown.
Starbucks baristas highlight the stories behind their favorite brews at the North America Barista Championships
At the North America Barista Championship, the area competitions are underway with the coffee storytelling portion of the competition showcasing the baristas sharing their storytelling skills and the personal connections behind their favorite coffees.
Coffee is even better when you know the stories and the people behind every cup. At the North America Barista Championship, baristas from across the region took the stage to share the stories behind their favorite coffees and what makes each one meaningful to them.
Alongside the storytelling portion, partners brewed their selected coffee while guiding judges through both a sensory and personal experience, building connection and context before the first sip.
Judges evaluated partners on their brewing technique, as well as their precision in guiding them through the four tasting steps: smell, taste, locate, and describe. They also assessed how clearly each partner connected their personal story to the coffee and what made it special to them.
The North America Barista Championship brings together thousands of Starbucks partners across the U.S. and Canada to showcase their skills as baristas and coffeehouse experts, with top competitors advancing for a chance to compete in the final this September in Seattle.
Take a look at highlights from the coffee storytelling portion of the competition and listen in on the stories that make these coffees so special to Starbucks partners.
Micro-foam, major talent: Starbucks partners compete in latte art across North America
Thousands of baristas were evaluated on delivering perfect espresso quality, milk texture and pattern precision for a chance to reach the Seattle finals of the North America Barista Championship.
Thousands of baristas across the U.S. and Canada put their steaming skills, precision pours and creativity to the test throughout May. They competed in a latte art competition for the chance to advance to the next round of the North America Barista Championship and ultimately the finals in Seattle in September.
Each cup became a canvas as judges evaluated everything from espresso and micro-foam quality to pattern definition and presentation. Baristas also put their connection skills on full display through delivering Green Apron Service – Starbucks standard for service excellence.
Take a look at the highlights showcasing the artistry, craft and technical skills of some of the competitors.
Who are the best Starbucks baristas in the U.S. and Canada? Thousands of Starbucks partners in coffeehouses across the U.S. and Canada are competing to find out on the road to the 2026 North America Barista Championship.
Over the course of the spring and summer, partners will showcase the very skills that make them exceptional at their jobs – things like coffee knowledge, storytelling, latte art and crafting beverages at the speed of morning rush. Each month, competitors will face new themed challenges at local and district competitions, and the best of the best will advance to the championship in Seattle on September 29 — National Coffee Day.
“This competition is not only a showcase of what makes a Starbucks barista, but also an ode to coffee and its beautiful impact it has on our earth and our communities,” said Adrian P., a partner in Oregon who was a 2025 Global Barista Championship finalist. “It shows how invested we are in the pursuit of great coffee and great stories … and shows our customers our care for quality and the craft of brewing and making beverages and why we love it so much.”
In April, competitors were evaluated on their Green Apron Service skills, a set of guiding principles to ensure Starbucks partners focus on human connection, speed of service and creating warm, welcoming and personalized experiences for customers. This month, competitors in Green Apron Service will move on to showcase their latte art skills. They’ll be judged on their ability to create a precise, beautiful design with steamed milk atop an all-around exceptionally crafted latte.
Cali H., a partner at the Chicago Reserve Roastery who was one of 12 Global Barista Championship finalists in 2025, offered some advice to all the partners working on their craft.
“Get your milk steaming down, practice your latte art, brew with passion and fall in love with the process. This is a competition, but it’s also a showcase of your talents and love for coffee, so show it off and love the process,” she said. “I think it is really amazing we get the opportunity to branch out and showcase our craft. Sometimes we get so lost in the wide world of coffee we forget that as a company we are a lot of people’s first exposure to what coffee can really be. We are a safe space to ask questions. My favorite part of work is getting to share coffee knowledge with our guests.”
