2023 World Barista Championship Rules Update! WBC Now Allows Plant-Based/Alternative Animal Milks

Updates to the World Coffee Championship Rules

On December 22nd, the Specialty Coffee Association released updated rules and regulations for the 2023 World Barista Championship (WBC), World Brewers Cup (WBrC), World Cup Tasters Championship, and Cezve/Ibrik Championship.

Among these, the updated evaluation criteria for WBrC refocus the competition on assessing competitors' coffee brewing skills. The changes include expanding the categories baristas are evaluated on, decoupling the competition structure from existing SCA cupping forms and protocols, and introducing a new coffee assessment scale.

This scale aligns more explicitly with the SCA's ongoing work, which involves transforming existing cupping protocols and forms into a coffee value assessment system based on research and sensory-science best practices.

Introduction of the Semi-Final Format

WBrC also introduces a semi-final competition format. All participants perform their chosen brewing method in the first round, and 12 competitors are selected to advance to the semi-finals. Six then move on, via the prescribed brewing round, to perform their chosen method in the finals, with their prescribed-brewing scores from the semi-finals carrying forward.

WBC Updates and Inclusive Changes

On the WBC side, the competition introduces two new scoring scales in addition to the traditional 6-point scoring system. These scores help the competition align better with the direction of the Specialty Coffee Association's Coffee Value Assessment System. The weights of different categories have also been adjusted to better reflect the competition's skills and focus areas.

At the same time, competitors may now use plant-based milk or other animal milks to make milk coffee. The SCA appears to have struggled with this decision for some time, because in recent years some industry professionals and competitors have criticized these competitions for lacking inclusivity and accessibility, calling the requirement to use only cow's milk somewhat outdated.

Oatly's Challenge to the SCA

In October of that year, the well-known plant-based milk brand Oatly publicly challenged the Specialty Coffee Association on its official website and accounts, pointing out that as a globally recognized specialty coffee association, the SCA's mission, purpose and core values include the concept of "sustainability."

Oatly argued that research shows oat milk is more environmentally friendly than cow's milk and better aligned with sustainable development, yet the SCA requires WBC participants to use only cow's milk, which is clearly contradictory. They therefore demanded that the SCA immediately change the WBC rules to allow contestants to use oat milk.

Industry Response and Debate

The challenge, however, met with opposition from coffee-industry netizens. Most still believed cow's milk is the best choice, whether for coffee competitions or for everyday coffee shop production. Some pointed out that oat milk foam is unstable, that it tends to overpower the coffee's flavor, and that it is not cheap either. Products made from the two different materials have no reference point or common ground, they argued, so allowing oat milk in the competition would be unfair to any contestant.

All screenshots are webpage translations.

Some former WBC participants said that allowing oat milk could lead to further rule changes, but modifying existing scoring rules requires significant time and human resources, and the competition would become more complex.

The SCA's Compromise and Industry Evolution

Apparently, though, the Specialty Coffee Association compromised this time, establishing new scoring rules that allow all contestants to express their ideas more freely without being limited to cow's milk.

On the decision, some former contestants said this is what the Specialty Coffee Association should be doing. If competitions that receive global attention from the coffee industry cannot reflect the changes in specialty coffee culture, that is not progress. Plant-based milk has already become a flagship product in coffee shops.

Although using cow's milk does taste better and would make the scoring process fairer, insisting on it would also prevent people who cannot consume cow's milk from creating and presenting products that might be even more impressive than milk coffee.

Looking Forward

This change is a good beginning. These world-class competitions often shape the direction of the specialty coffee industry. Whether plant-based milk or another animal milk is used, as long as the entire beverage presentation process is professional, it should count as specialty coffee. This will be an opportunity for specialty coffee culture to expand further.

Image source: internet.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If watching the rules open up has you curious about what to brew at home, FrontStreet's entry-level lineup is a good place to start. From Ethiopia, the FrontStreet sun-dried Huakui and the FrontStreet washed Gutingding Cooperative are two reliable picks: Gutingding is a typical Yirgacheffe representative with jasmine, lemon acidity and berry notes, while Huakui, made with a traditional natural process, leans into berry, floral, jackfruit, melon and honey.

For a rounder, sweeter counterpoint, the Brazil Cerrado is a classic entry-level single origin from a well-known region, offering cream, peanut and cocoa flavors at a price that makes it an easy everyday drink. The FrontStreet Queen Estate, grown higher and made from the rare yellow bourbon, adds butter, sunflower seed, macadamia and almond aromas on top of Brazil's familiar nuttiness, plus a clear sugarcane sweetness and a thick, smooth body that works equally well brewed black or with milk.