Three Cups. One Different. We’re Heading to Nationals.

Three cups. Two identical coffees. One different.

Can you find the odd one out?

That’s the challenge behind the Australian Cup Tasters Championship—and this November, Nothing Beats Coffee is heading to the national stage.

What is Cup Tasters?

Run in Australia by the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA), Cup Tasters tests how quickly and accurately competitors can distinguish between coffees.

Each set contains three cups: two of the same coffee and one different. The task is to identify the odd cup using smell and taste.

There’s no need to name the origin or produce an elaborate flavour description. It’s about noticing differences—even when they’re subtle.

Practise with a simple comparison

A useful approach is to compare coffees from the same origin with different processing methods, or different origins with the same processing method.

Choose two coffees and brew them separately using the same recipe. Ask someone to prepare three identical cups—two from one brew and one from the other—at similar temperatures, then shuffle their positions.

Taste each cup and pick the odd one out.

Start with accuracy, then add speed. Notice what guides your decision: acidity, texture or the lingering finish. Remember that variety, roast and brewing also influence the differences you taste.

Join our journey

Qualifying is a milestone we’re proud to share. The 2026/27 Australian Coffee Championships take place in Melbourne on 19–22 November 2026, with individual competition schedules to follow.

We’ll share more as we prepare for November.

Want to practise at home? Choose two coffees from our single-origin selection, or ask us to suggest a pairing from our current range.

Your next two coffees could become your first tasting challenge.

— Nothing Beats Coffee