Wenbo Yang Crowned 2026 U.S. Roasters Champion at Roastronix Houston

Wenbo (Joe) Yang took the top prize at the 2026 U.S. Roasters Championship held at Roastronix HQ in Houston, Texas, after three days of competition that ran the weekend of February 27–March 1, 2026. The event gathered 24 competitors from across the United States and concluded with Yang listed as champion while representing Story Coffee (Bellevue) and Cozy Monster Coffee.

Yang’s victory adds a roasters title to a competition résumé that already includes the 2023 U.S. Brewers Cup Championship and the 2024 Latte Art Championship, underscoring a string of national-level wins across different competition formats. Those prior titles frame the 2026 result as a continuation of Yang’s cross-discipline performance in U.S. coffee competitions.

The Roasters Championship format tested competitors across green coffee evaluation, sample roasting, cupping, roast curving, and audience service over the three-day schedule. Organizers ran the format at Roastronix HQ, with judges and live audiences watching timed rounds of sample roasts and cuppings as part of the final scoring process.

Final placements released for the event list Peter Shim of Olympia Coffee as runner-up and Alex Huang in third place. Fourth place went to Steve Cuevas of Freelance Coffee Project, fifth to Zachary Steele of Talavera Coffee, and sixth to Tony Auger of Goshen Coffee. The results reflect head-to-head performance in the multi-stage roast and cup evaluations that defined the weekend’s competition.

Seasoned competitors in the field included Tony Auger and 2017 Cup Tasters Champion Steve Cuevas, both named among the top challengers during the event. The breadth of competitors and disciplines represented at Roastronix highlighted the crossover skills needed to win in the roasters format, from green assessment to audience service.

Community response included social confirmation from an Instagram post by user elizdinh on March 3, 2026, which identified Wenbo “Joe” Yang as the Roasters Champion and registered 121 likes and 9 comments in the captured post. With this 2026 win, Yang expands a portfolio of national titles and establishes a presence in the roasters discipline alongside his Brewers Cup and Latte Art achievements.