World Coffee Championships Publishes 2026 Grinder Procedures for World Brewers Cup

World Coffee Championships has released a detailed set of grinder procedures for the World Brewers Cup that codifies how grinders will be supplied, configured and managed during competition. The 2026 World Brewers Cup Grinder Procedures aim to reduce variability between stations and answer common competitor questions about equipment, making contest prep and on-stage operations clearer for competitors and organizers.

The document, written and approved by the WCC Rules and Regulations Committee, was published on January 28, 2026 on the WCC Rules & Regulations page and is presented as supplemental information to the WBrC Rules. Competitors are directed to section 5.3 of the WBrC Rules for further grinder detail and are told that “Any questions may be directed to compinfo@wcc.coffee.”

Under the new procedures, competitors will use a shared grinder for both Open Service and Compulsory Service; the competition’s Qualified Filter Grinder Sponsor will provide the equipment for all competitors. The supplied grinders will arrive without a mechanical coarse stop: “Zero limiter not installed, allowing grind size adjustment beyond one full rotation with no coarse setting limitation.” The grinders will ship with “Built-in anti-static functionality enabled (factory configuration; can be disabled upon request).” Within the event configuration, competitors retain control: “Grind size and RPM may be freely adjusted by competitors within the provided configuration.” Event staff will prepare machines between runs: “Grinders cleaned and reset prior to handover to each competitor.”

Competitors who bring personal grinders have new clarity on what is permitted and how equipment will be checked. “Burr-alignment procedures that competitors have already applied on their personal grinders will be allowed and will NOT be considered ‘modifications’ under the rules.” At the same time, personal machines must be otherwise unaltered and use manufacturer-original parts, and they will be processed before practice: “All grinders that competitors bring themselves will have their status verified by OPTION-O prior to competitor practice time. A sticker will be applied to seal the grinder, which may not be opened from that point.” If an opened grinder must be accessed later, “If it becomes necessary to open any grinder at any point, the grinder must be resubmitted to OPTION-O for inspection and sealing.” The procedures stress stage checks: “All grinders will have their seals inspected before they are allowed on stage.”

The document also outlines cupping and Production Roast handling. Sample prep calls for precise dosing — “Samples should be weighed out as whole beans to the ratio of 8.25g per 150ml of water” — and a guarded workflow: purge the grinder before the first cup, grind individually into cups, place lids immediately, and cover samples between grinding and brewing. For cupping, the sequence and parameters are strict: “Once the judges finish dry fragrance evaluation, one judge or stage manager will pour hot water directly onto the measured grounds to the rim of the cup, making sure to wet all the grounds. The grounds will be left to steep undisturbed for a period of 4 minutes before evaluation begins. Subsequently, judge(s) or stage manager(s) will break the crust of all cups.” Water specs include freshly drawn water at approximately 93ºC (200ºF), no chlorine, calcium hardness 50–175 ppm CaCO3, alkalinity at or near 40–70 ppm CaCO3, and pH 6–8. Evaluations should prepare “3 to 5 cups from each sample” to check uniformity. The grinder setting for the Production Roast Evaluation will not be pre-published: “The grinder setting used for the Production Roast Evaluation will be announced on site at the orientation meeting at the discretion of the head judge.”

The published excerpts do not name the Qualified Filter Grinder Sponsor or list specific grinder models, and OPTION-O’s precise role beyond verification is not detailed in the text. Verify sponsor identity, grinder models and any additional numbered steps in the full procedure by contacting compinfo@wcc.coffee or consulting section 5.3 of the WBrC Rules. For competitors, this update means confirming equipment expectations, preparing permitted burr alignment work, and being ready for seals and on-site settings so you arrive to competition with no surprises.