Melbourne-based barista Jack Simpson from Axil Coffee has been named as the 2025 World Barista Champion.

The competition has been the culmination of years of work, with Jack first placing third at the World Barista Championships in 2023, and coming in second place last year.

Coming in second place was Simon SunLei from China, with Ben Put from Canada placing third. The competition was held as part of HOSTMilan last month, and saw competitors from more than 50 countries take to the stage to compete across five days.

The championship was based around three categories: espresso, milk-based and specialty, with each barista given 15 minutes to create four of the same drink. These were then judged on criteria including taste, technical skills, presentation and storytelling.

According to Time Out, Jack’s winning brew combined two coffees – from Panama and Colombia – and mixed it with a housemade honey vinegar and passionfruit husk distillate. The result was a fizzy, refreshing drink that had notes of raspberry and mango.

“It’s an incredible honour to bring the World Barista Championship title home to Australia,” Jack told Time Out.

“This win celebrates not only me, but the producers, roasters, and the entire Axil Coffee team who have supported me along the entire journey.”

It’s the second time an Australian has claimed the top spot, after Axil Coffee founder and managing director Dave Makin won in 2022.