Rules of the 2026 Dubai Coffee Technicians Championship

Opening of Applications:

Applications for this competition will be open from March 1, 2026, until March 15, 2026.
Only field technicians are eligible to apply. Trainers or technical directors cannot participate. All technician applications will be accepted for the pre-selection process.

Pre-selection of the 8 Finalists:

A pre-selection will be held before the competition to determine the 8 finalists for the final round.
This pre-selection will take the form of an online questionnaire, which will be available during the first two weeks of March.
The questionnaire will consist of 20 multiple-choice questions. It will be timed, with a maximum time limit of 15 minutes.
In case of a tie in the number of correct answers, candidates will be ranked based on their time.

For the final, there cannot be two finalists from the same company. If two candidates from the same company achieve the top 8 results in the multiple-choice questionnaire (Q&A), only the best of the two will be selected for the final, and the 9th candidate in the Q&A will become a finalist (and so on if this occurs again).

In the final Event of the Dubai Championship there are 3 battles: the winner of the battle will exceed the next round.

There are 3 battles, 1vs1:

First round: 4 battles

Semi-finals: 2 battles

Final: 1 battle.

First round – Speed test replacing a part.

The speed test will take place in front of an audience.
The jury will consist of 3 members, all from the coffee industry, with strong technical expertise.
The order of candidates will be drawn randomly on the day of the event.
The duration of the event will be max 25 minutes, preceded by 5 minutes to prepare the workstation.

The competitors will replace a component in the machine like a standard service in the safest and fastest way.

Important: 10 seconds over the allotted time = -1 point. This penalty will accumulate (e.g., 50 seconds over time = -5 points). A candidate will be disqualified if they exceed the time by more than 3 minutes.

The event will begin with the announcement of the part to be replaced by a person of the staff.

Scoring will be divided into 4 parts:

Part 1: Initial evaluation, based on personal organization and tools. (Score: 1-10)

Part 2: Technical evaluation, based on the candidate’s skills and technical knowledge. This includes safety, dexterity, use of proper tools, explanations, and methodology. (Score: 1-10)

Part 3: Final evaluation, based on validation tests performed, the cleanliness of the work, and the care taken in the actions performed. (Score: 1-10)

Part 4: Who complete earlier the replacement will have additional 15 points.

Semi-Finals – Troubleshooting Test

The troubleshooting test will take place in front of an audience.
The jury will consist of 3 members, all from the coffee industry, with strong technical expertise.
The duration of the event will be 25 minutes, preceded by 5 minutes to prepare the workstation.
Important: 10 seconds over the allotted time = -1 point. This penalty will accumulate (e.g., 50 seconds over time = -5 points). A candidate will be disqualified if they exceed the time by more than 3 minutes.
The event will begin with the announcement of a malfunction by a person acting as the client. The candidates may ask a few questions before starting their troubleshooting and repair actions.

The competitors will fix the machine in the most professional, fastest, and safest way.

Scoring will be divided into 3 parts:

Part 1: Technical evaluation, based on the candidate’s skills and technical knowledge. This includes safety, dexterity, use of proper tools, explanations, and methodology. Resolving the malfunction on the machine will play a significant role in scoring. (Score: 1-10)

Part 2: Final evaluation, based on validation tests performed, the cleanliness of the work, and the care taken in the actions performed. (Score: 1-10)

Part 3: Who complete earlier the round will have additional 5 points.

Final – Quality Check Test

The quality check test will also take place in front of an audience.
The same jury will evaluate the candidates.
In summary, the quality check will involve changing the group seals, shower screens, grinder burrs, water filter, and performing checks related to these operations: the standard preventive maintenance plan.

Additionally, the candidate will need to prepare 4 espressos for the jury, using a coffee provided at the beginning of the event, along with the prescribed recipe.

The duration of this event will be 45 minutes, preceded by 5 minutes to prepare the workstation.
Important: 10 seconds over the allotted time = -1 point. This penalty will accumulate (e.g., 50 seconds over time = -5 points). A candidate will be disqualified if they exceed the time by more than 3 minutes.

Scoring will be divided into 3 parts:

Part 1: Technical evaluation, based on the candidate’s skills and technical knowledge. Safety, dexterity, use of proper tools, explanations, methodology, and final checks will be particularly evaluated. Cleanliness will also be assessed during this part. (Score 1-10)

Part 2: Evaluation of the preparation of the 4 espressos (grinding, technique, result in the cup). (Score 1-10)

Part 3: Who complete earlier the round will have additional 5 points.

IMPORTANT: Machines, grinders, spare parts, coffee, and cups will be provided and must be used as prescribed. Finalist candidates must provide their electrical certification and sign a liability waiver.

The Jury:

The jury will consist of 3 recognized professionals from the Dubai coffee scene (technical managers and/or coffee or machine experts). Candidates will be evaluated on their technical knowledge and abilities, but also on their general knowledge of coffee, water, and the environment of a traditional coffee machine and grinder.
Many prizes will be available, including a Nuova Simonelli OSCAR machine, cash prizes and many other surprises provided by all partners.

Safety:

During the events, candidates must adhere to safety rules related to troubleshooting coffee machines and grinders (working off power, depressurizing boilers if necessary, wearing appropriate protective equipment, etc.).
Candidates will be responsible for their own actions during the event.