Nomad’s Barista Takes the Stage at the 2026 Canadian National Barista Championship

The 2026 Canadian National Barista Championship wrapped up last week, and right there on Day 1, taking his turn on stage, was our own Ben from Nomad Coffee.

Fifteen minutes on stage. Short in the moment, but behind those fifteen minutes were months of prep, practice, and more shots pulled than we could count. Recipes refined, a story rehearsed and re-rehearsed, the same espresso dialed in again and again until it was just right. We had a front-row seat to all of it, and we know exactly how much work went into that stage time.

Winkie, Jason, David, Lexi, Matthew, Komal, Karine, and Ben, the eight baristas who opened Day 1, set the tone for the whole competition. And having one of our own team members among them made it that much more special for us.

Ben, just getting to that stage is already an achievement worth celebrating. Win or lose, the consistency and heart you brought to your prep reflect exactly the kind of care we try to put into every cup at Nomad. We're proud of you today, and we'll keep cheering you on.

Great work out there, Ben. We're all proud of you.

You can taste the coffee he brought to that stage right now at our Kitsilano location. Come try what months of practice and dialing in taste like, one cup at a time.