Brewing Success: Singapore’s Coffee Champions Shine Globally

During the SCTA, the SNCC took place for three days and had 70 participants. The Singapore Coffee Association organised it as a challenge in four primary categories: the Singapore National Barista Championship, Singapore National Brewers Cup, Singapore National Latte Art Championship, and Singapore Cup Tasters Championship. SNCC is undoubtedly the leading competition in Singapore’s coffee industry and constantly seeks to elevate the role of the barista and bring excellence to the preparation and presentation of this fantastic beverage. Winners will be able to represent Singapore at the World Coffee Championships 2025, which will cover three continents.

Wong Ruoqi, better known as Chris, emerged at the top of the Singapore National Barista Championship. Representing Santino as their Head of Coffee, Chris will represent Singapore in the World Barista Championship to be held in Milan, Italy, in October 2025. The competition challenged participants on the ability to fiddle around with new and innovative espresso-based beverages.

Elysia Tan, Director of Home ground Coffee Roasters and champion in the event previously, once again walked away with the Singapore National Brewers Cup. She will represent Singapore in the World Brewers Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia, in May 2025. This competition focuses on the skill of manually brewing filtered coffee.

The Populus’s Tan Jia Min won the Singapore National Latte Art Championship and takes her journey to Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2025 – where the strongest competitors create complicated designs in their lattes, but all by using milk. “The Singapore National Barista Championship sponsored by Santino is a very technical category, and I am very happy that all my preparation and hard work paid off. “Representing Singapore on the world stage would end up being nothing short of an amazing honour, I’m certain. Could hardly wait for the trip to Italy next year in order to demonstrate our creativity and passion in the local coffee community,” Wong Ruoqi (Chris), Singapore National Barista Champion.

Starbucks Coffee Singapore barista Tan Yi Xin won the title of Singapore Cup Tasters Champion. In June 2025 she will represent her country in the World Cup Tasters Championship, also held in Geneva. In this category, competitors have to taste the subtle differences between coffee flavours. “This is indeed a great achievement on a national level because this competition is all about brewing the perfect cup.”. “Yeah, the coffee scene really has picked up in Singapore since the past few years. This win goes to all the impressive jobs that baristas are doing every single day—making those beans into something beautiful. I’m really determined to work harder and improve my craft so I can compete at the highest level,” shared a smiling Elysia Tan, Singapore National Brewers Cup Champion.

The SCTA and SNCC join in glorifying and celebrating the energetic coffee scene in Singapore, which places national talent on the global platform. During the SCTA, there is a great variety of equipment and products of specialty coffee from local and international brands, such as TIMEMORE, DASHER Singapore, and Allpress Espresso. “This was a lot of fun but a bit nerve-wracking, so I’m very elated to be crowned the Champion of Latte Art for Singapore.”. “I would definitely be proud to be able to represent Singapore at that kind of a competition on the world stage in Switzerland next year, and, of course, being able to showcase the best of what I have at a latte art and creativity level,” added Tan Jia Min, Singapore National Latte Art Champion.

Along with the fifth edition of Restaurant Asia and associated shows, the SIGEP Asia Stakeholder Exposition alone attracted more than 11,000 trade visitors and had over 320 brands from over 30 countries. This massive event will be, by circumstances, a beacon for both the world F&B and hospitality sectors: expositions, leadership symposiums, seminars, and master classes on technological innovation and sustainability of the industry by and large from this platform. “Becoming a Singapore Cup Tasters Champion feels almost surreal. After a throat infection throughout, I decided to let my tongue do the talking and trust my taste buds. I’m really looking forward to the World Coffee Championships in Geneva, where I am excited to push my palate to the limit and see how it holds up against elites.”. “I would like to thank the Singapore Coffee Association, my team from Starbucks Coffee Singapore, as well as fellow competitors for this exhilarating experience,” says Tan Yi Xin, Singapore Cup Tasters Champion.

“This year’s SNCC has gathered an amazing quality of talents. Not just technical competence reigning in the work of each competitor, you can actually feel the passion for coffee. Very admirable—that is—and we believe that they will represent Singapore well in the upcoming World Coffee Championships.”. ‘I’d like to thank our judges, who had flown in from Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, for sharing their time and expertise, and my team at SCA for organising the event and ensuring the four competitions ran smoothly,” said Victor Mah, President of the Singapore Coffee Association.

“It has been exciting to hold the SNCC at SCTA as part of our inaugural SIGEP Asia edition, opening Singapore talent up to the world and showcasing the passion of the F&B industry in Singapore to the masses worldwide. We are proud to offer that platform where exceptional talent can shine and inspire others.”. “This indeed is what the SIGEP stands for – world Expo of food service excellence, and we look forward to bridging more communities across continents,” said Ilaria Cicero, IEG Asia CEO in charge of organizing such events.