Our brand Ambassador, Gab Tan has been crowned the 2026 Australian Barista Champion. In his fifth consecutive year of competing and having previously finished runner up on 3 occasions and third on 1 occasion, Gab has now reached the Pinnacle.

The annual event run by the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) was held at the Big Plans Event Space in North Melbourne over the weekend where Gab overcame a very strong field including runner-up Angus Mackie and third place Liam Pratt. 

Gab's performance was equal parts emotional and compelling as he wowed the judges with an espresso course utilising an anaerobic natural processed gesha from the Janson Estate Los Alpes Farm located in Volcan, Panama. This was followed by his milk course and specialty beverage course that featured a carbonic maceration processed Lini S coffee from Wanoja Estate in West Java, Indonesia. 

His theme focused on how he as a brand ambassador can help make high quality coffee more accessible across different origin countries. Gab travelled to both Panama and Indonesia and formed a strong bond with producers Kai Janson from Janson Estate and Satrea Amambi from Wanoja Estate. 

Next stop is the World Barista Championships in Panama in 2026 where Gab will proudly be waving the Australian flag.

Gab's championship winning espresso from Janson Estate is also our last Pinnacle release of the 2025 season and will be available to pre-order online on Tuesday November 25. Limited bags will then be released in our cafes in Richmond, Surry Hills, Brisbane and Adelaide from Monday December 1 onwards.