In his sixth year competing and fourth time in the finals, Kay Cheon broke through to become the newest U.S. Barista Champion.
BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Featured photo courtesy of Onyx Coffee Lab
In the first section of this two-part interview, we learned how Kay Cheon—who works as head of wholesale and education at California’s Dune Coffee Roasters—won the 2025 U.S. Barista Championship (USBC) last month in Raleigh, N.C., after several near-wins, including finishing second at the 2020 USBC and third in 2018 (his first year competing).
In today’s conclusion of the interview, we get more details from Kay on his routine, as well as hear how he’s preparing for this fall’s World Barista Championship (WBC)—and much more.
Chris Ryan: Your theme this year was about building blocks to flavor, and coffee’s part in that. Can you discuss how you landed on that theme and what it means to you?
Kay Cheon: Before the presentation came into focus, I was playing around with this idea of creativity and curiosity, inspired by when I was younger playing with LEGO. For me, I’ve found that the creativity and desire to build new things was the same, whether it was with LEGO or with coffee—but with coffee, there’s an additional joy of getting to share something tangible with others through flavor.
I was first introduced to specialty coffee by some friends that were baristas and roasters, and it was such a casual interaction with something so exciting that’s changed the trajectory of my life. From that point on, there’s been an equal desire to continue learning as much as I can, and to share that knowledge with others, in the hope that something that I do might create the same experience that I first had with coffee long ago for someone else.
It’s a really meaningful presentation to me and one that I hold really close, and while it took some time to refine for the USBC stage, I’m really proud that it’s this presentation that I got to share this year.
Competing since 2018, you’ve seen the quality of competition get increasingly better. What has your mindset been over those years of competing, and how have you tried to improve and stay viable each year as it gets increasingly challenging?
I’ve never really thought about how many years I’ve competed, or at least, I never thought to myself that if I just kept competing, it would eventually happen. The level of competition in the U.S. is so high, and so for me, it’s never been about trying over and over until I’m able to break through. I know that sharing the stage with so many amazing and dedicated competitors over the years has made me a better competitor overall.
My mindset this year looked a bit different, and in some ways it was the same way I tried to approach the first year of competing. Instead of considering results, I wanted to set out to grow in as many ways as possible, from how I trained, to my understanding of competition, to the quality of the drinks I served. A lot of it was unfamiliar, and there were moments of doubt, but I knew I had to push past that doubt because the unfamiliarity of doing and trying something new was part of the process of learning for me.
How are you processing finally winning the USBC? And how are you thinking about and preparing for WBC, which this year doesn’t happen until October?
It’s still sinking in! Getting to share the process has definitely allowed me to reflect on what we’ve been able to accomplish. There’s plenty of preparation to do ahead of WBC, so while there’s maybe more time than in previous years, as a team, we want to make the most of the time in order for us to put our best foot forward in Milan.
It’s really important to rest from the work that we’ve done and find new inspirations for the work ahead, but we’re already starting some preparation for WBC in a few different ways. There are a few things I’ve always hoped I would get to do should I have the chance to present at WBC, and so I’m hoping to follow through on those things in the buildup to Milan.
Finally, what’s your job at Dune, and what’s your day-to-day like? And, in an industry where some folks change jobs a lot, what has worked for you at Dune to stay there long-term?
Like many coffee companies, a lot of us at Dune wear different hats, but day to day, I oversee sales and education, with a small wholesale and training team that I manage. I also work with Todd (Stewart, Dune’s co-owner) on the sourcing and QC side, as well as supporting some of our marketing work on the coffee side.
I feel fortunate that part of my competition team is also the Dune team (Felix, director of retail operations, and Mal Preheim, Dune’s chief operating officer), so it helps that I get to work with some close friends. Beyond that, the work that I get to do on a daily basis—that is, learning about and sharing specialty coffee—is something that I really enjoy.
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