Abu Dhabi – Qahwa World
The Specialty Coffee Association – UAE Chapter (SCA UAE) has officially announced the 48 competitors who will take part in the 2025 UAE National Cup Tasters Championship, to be held during Global Food Week in Abu Dhabi from 21 to 23 October 2025.
This highly anticipated national competition brings together some of the UAE’s most skilled coffee professionals and sensory experts, offering them a platform to demonstrate their ability to identify coffee flavors and profiles with exceptional accuracy under globally recognized standards sanctioned by World Coffee Events (WCE).
According to SCA UAE, this year’s competition has attracted remarkable talent representing leading roasteries, cafés, and coffee institutions across the country. Among the confirmed participants are:
1. Sulaiman Alalawi – The QC Roastery
2. Pratama Rakhmatullah – Encounter Coffee Roasters
3. Amritha Varsha – Cartel Coffee Roasters
4. Neil Golez – Form Roastery
5. Edwar Andres Salinas – Wala Coffee Roasting and Packaging LLC
6. Brian Cunanan – AST Coffee
7. Christian John Ileto – Alico Fine Coffee Roasters
8. Earven Air Marabiles – Emirati Coffee Co
9. Ricky Mendoza Arquero – Emirati Coffee Company
10. Mohammad Yousefi – Taste Up Coffee Trading
11. Mark Uy – Ubec Coffee Roasters
12. Bilawal Khan Bilal – Nowbl Speciality Coffee Boutique
13. Salman Kadar Khan – Retro7
14. Daudi Kubona – ROR Coffee Solution
15. Rasam M. Adabi – Coffee Market Innovations L.L.C.
16. Amna Almansoori – Independent
17. Saeed Al Mannaee – S3Cafe
18. Rhyan Velarde – Llama Cafe
19. Sherryl Inocencio Napit – The Ore Coffee
20. Karlo Fulgueras – Doppio Roasters
21. Ahmed Elsayed – Koob Al Qahwah
22. Harmon Nataya – Archers Coffee
23. Alex Bernardo – Toga Cafe
24. Vinay Poonacha – Bevarabia
25. Sagar Ghale – Coterra Coffee Roasters
26. Mira Yunita – Heaf Coffee
27. Amer M. Ayman Mohammad – The Espresso Lab
28. Sunny Kumar – Crack Coffee Roastery
29. Jonathan Wamala – Bevarabia
30. Muhammad Rosyid Ubaidillah – Refill Roastery
31. Audie Sales Jr – The QC Roastery and Academy
32. Husnain Ghulam Nabi – Refill Reserve
33. Julfikly Raymond Ampuan – Coffee Architecture
34. Jimuel Merjilla – Syteo International
35. Mbonisi Mpilenhle Bamala – Rosewood Abu Dhabi
36. Basil Musthafaz – White Mantis
The competition will test participants’ ability to distinguish between different coffee cups based on taste and aroma alone, emphasizing sensory acuity and consistency. Over the course of three days, competitors will undergo multiple rounds of tasting, with the top-performing cup tasters advancing to the national finals. The winner will earn the honor of representing the UAE at the World Cup Tasters Championship on the global stage.
Organized under the banner of the Specialty Coffee Association – UAE Chapter and sanctioned by World Coffee Events, the championship will form part of the Global Food Week program — an event that continues to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a regional hub for coffee excellence and innovation.
The SCA UAE extended its best wishes to all competitors, encouraging the community to attend, volunteer, and celebrate the spirit of the specialty coffee industry as it continues to grow in the UAE and across the wider region.
