HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam made coffee drinking history, after Lê Quang Cường took the trophy at the 2026 World Cup Tasters Championship (WCTC) over the weekend in Thailand.

The championship awards the professional coffee cupper who demonstrates speed, skill and accuracy in distinguishing flavour differences in specialty coffees.

Coffees of the world have many distinct flavour profiles. In this competition, the objective is for the taster to distinguish between them. Three cups were placed in a triangle, with two cups being identical coffees and one cup being a different coffee. Using smell, taste, attention and experience, competitors had to identify the odd cup in the triangle as quickly as possible.

The maximum completion time was set at eight minutes. Results prioritised the number of correctly identified coffee cups, followed by the completion time.

Cường (known as Nicky) earned a spot at the championship after he won a local tournament held in HCM City last month. He was the first Vietnamese person ever to take part in the competition, beating out 45 rivals from all over the world to take the historic podium.

According to the newly crowned coffee champion, the WCTC gathers competitors from countries that are members of the World Coffee Championships. He said that the tests are much more difficult than those at the national level.

"This year, 46 contestants took part in the event. We are all national champions and faced tough tests," Cường said.

He went on to note: "At the national level, each country can choose familiar coffee varieties to make their tests, while at the world level, the organisers gather many different types of coffee from around the globe, then blend them to challenge the contestants.

"The world championship is a rigorous test of sensory precision, where competitors distinguish flavour differences in specialty coffees under significant time pressure, and awards the professional coffee cupper who demonstrates their abilities."

Cường said the competition this year was particularly fierce. Even in the qualifying round, 17 contestants correctly guessed all eight coffee cups. But the organisers only selected 16 for the next round, based on completion time.

"Even a few seconds' delay can lead to elimination," he said, adding that the challenge becomes more difficult after each round.

In the first round, Cường placed third, and went on to earn sixth place in the quarter finals. He came second in the semi-finals before taking the top spot on the podium.

In the final, he scored seven out of eight cups in 3.35min, setting himself apart from the other three finalists.

"Nicky rose above the field, demonstrating exceptional speed, accuracy and mastery of smell, taste and attention to claim the title," the tournament website reported.

He was followed by Catherine Queiroz of Switzerland, Mehmet Sogan of the US and Mizuki Tagami of Japan.

Six months of training

Cường said he didn't think about winning the championship title, but tried to learn from the contestants and discover the world of coffee.

He practised for six months and took part in local tournaments to improve his abilities.

According to Cường, each person's ability to accurately identify coffee flavours varies. Without careful training, after just three rounds of smelling, the aromas become neutralised and the sense of smell becomes confused, making accurate differentiation impossible.

Competition organisers also set many traps. If contestants didn't concentrate intensely and practise continuously, they would make mistakes. Aside from each competitor's natural talent, discipline and long-term training are both very important.

"Distinguishing different types of coffee is like finding flavours of bottled drinks. Some are sweeter, some have a smoother flavour. The challenge is that we have to find the differences as the flavours become increasingly similar."

Cường said his best memory from the event was winning the trophy and being remembered as a Vietnamese representative. He added that he hopes his win can help international friends learn more about Việt Nam and its coffee.

"I think this will be a memorable milestone for the Vietnamese coffee community, and will inspire the next contestants," he said. — OVN/VNS