World Coffee Championships names 2026-2027 WBC sponsor, decaf rules in focus

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration closed a reopened public comment period on a food-additive petition tied to decaffeination solvents and is weighing next steps. That keeps methylene chloride and similar decaf methods in the spotlight for drinkers, roasters and processors who depend on a stable rulebook.

The dispute has been building for years. In March 2024, the National Coffee Association spoke against proposed bans on a decaf chemical, and in 2020 the Clean Label Project targeted methylene chloride, a substance routinely used in some coffee decaffeination. A November 2023 explainer on decaf laid out how the coffee is made and whether it is really caffeine-free, while a July 2024 chemistry piece framed the core problem as preserving flavor while removing caffeine. The stakes are not niche: the National Coffee Association says about 10% of American adults, roughly 26 million people, drink decaf coffee.

On the competition side, World Coffee Championships announced the 2026-2027 World Barista Championship qualified sponsors, including Weber Workshops’ Unibasket as the official espresso basket sponsor. The basket may look like a small part of the toolkit, but it is essential on stage, shaping distribution and flow in every shot a competitor pulls under the clock.

That matters because equipment sponsors help define the standardized gear competitors must use, and that standardization reaches into cafe culture long after the trophies are handed out. The World Coffee Championships describe the World Barista Championship as one of seven annual skills-based competitions hosted at events around the world, and the sponsor cycle follows the model the Specialty Coffee Association used when it announced the 2022-2025 WBC qualified sponsors on Jan. 12, 2022. For baristas who track gear the way others track green lots, an espresso basket name on the WBC roster is more than a logo swap: it is a clue to what tools will sit at the center of the next championship run.

Barista Magazine’s roundup also pointed readers to new research on coffee’s health benefits and fresh concern about El Niño’s impact on coffee production. Even so, the clearest immediate changes are still the ones with the most practical reach: how the FDA handles decaf solvents, and which espresso basket competitors will be locked into when they step onto the WBC stage.