From Edmonton to Montreal: Rogue Wave Coffee at the Brewers Cup and Cup Tasters Competitions
Last month, Ply, Jessie, and Steely packed their bags and headed to Montreal to take part in the 2025 Canadian National Brewers Cup and Cup Tasters competitions. Held November 21–24 at Origine117, these events were hosted by the Canadian Chapter of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) with support from Café Saint-Henri and Apex Coffee Imports.
What Are the Brewers Cup and Cup Tasters Competitions?
The Brewers Cup is all about showcasing brewing skills. Competitors prepare and serve three beverages in different rounds: a Compulsory Service using a provided coffee and an Open Service where they choose their own coffee and pair it with a presentation.
Cup Tasters is a test of taste and smell. In each round, participants taste eight sets of three cups (called triangles) to pick out the one cup that’s different. It’s a fast-paced challenge that takes focus and a sharp palate.
Rogue Wave’s Results
We were excited to have Ply, Jessie, and Steely competing in the Cup Tasters Competition. They gave it their all, and we’re so proud of their hard work! Jessie had an great performance in the first round, Steely made it to the quarterfinals (finishing 4th out of 84 competitors in the first round), and Ply advanced to the semifinals as the 4th fastest to achieve a perfect 8/8 in the quarterfinals.
During Brewers Cup, Ply took to the stage, competing against 39 talented brewers from across Canada. This competition had three stages:
- Open Service, where competitors chose their own coffee and presented it to the judges. The top 12 went through to the semifinal round.
- Semifinal Compulsory Service, where competitors used a provided coffee, water, grinder, and service cup.
- Final Open Service, where the top 6 competitors from the semifinal faced off.
The result? Ply took first place, becoming the 2025 Canada Brewers Cup Champion! He’ll now represent Canada at the World Brewers Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia in May 2025. We couldn’t be more proud of him and can’t wait to see what he’ll bring to the world stage.
From Ply:
“I want to thank Lissette, the best coach I could ask for. You were there for so many tastings, coffee selections, practice runs, timekeeping sessions, and note-taking marathons. Some days from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. dialing in. Your help made this win possible. Two wins in one year—Cezve and Brewers Cup!"
The Winning Coffee: Panama Geisha from Mount Totumas
The winning coffee was a stunning Panama Geisha from Mount Totumas. This coffee was the result of a collaborative effort between producer Karin De La Rosa and Ply during visits in 2023 and 2024, where they co-developed the processing method.
The water used was @apaxlab, specially formulated for this Geisha with help from Simon (founder of Apax), which was 74ppm, with a 2:1 ratio of Lylac to Jamm.
The brewing setup featured one of the original cone drippers, the KONO Meimon MDN-21, paired with KONO paper filters.
Looking Ahead & Special Thanks
Events like this are all about growing and celebrating the Canadian specialty coffee community. We’re so grateful to the Canadian Chapter of the SCA for organizing such a great weekend and to everyone who cheered us on along the way.
From the team:
There are so many more people to thank as well, from our team, and other supporters that help with the logistics and tasting. Including Jerry and Kunie (the 2024 Canada Brewers Cup Champion) that came to taste, give feedback, and tasting notes. Jerome, who helped with some roasting profiling with the Link Roaster. The team at Rogue Wave as well for working extra hard to allow for the competitors to go and compete. Thank you.
As Ply gears up for the World Brewers Cup, we’ll be sharing updates on his journey. Stay tuned, and thank you for supporting Rogue Wave Coffee!