The Indianapolis-based coffee pro used a yeast-inoculated SL28 from Colombia to earn the title, advancing to the world competition in May.
BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photos courtesy of Team Indy
When Justin Bull set out to compete in the Brewers Cup event in the U.S. Coffee Championships in 2023, he wanted to represent not just Helm Coffee—the roasting company where he works as lead roaster—but also the tight-knit Indianapolis coffee community.
His initial Brewers Cup run was successful, as he placed well enough in the qualifier to earn his way to nationals, where he placed ninth at the 2023 U.S. Brewers Cup. In 2024, though, Justin placed 21st at qualifiers—one place shy of returning to the national competition, meaning he would be watching from afar.
“That was one of the things fueling me this year,” Justin says. “I knew I could do better. I worked diligently on both compulsory service, alongside the coffee and accuracy portions of my open service.”
The extra work paid off for Justin: After placing sixth at a qualifying event to earn his way to the 2025 U.S. Brewers Cup, which took place Feb. 20-23 in Durham, N.C., he shined on the big stage, earning first place and the title of 2025 U.S. Brewers Cup Champion. He’ll now advance to the World Brewers Cup, taking place May 15-17 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
We talked to Justin about preparing this year’s routine, his experience on stage, and much more.
Chris Ryan: This was your third year competing in Brewers Cup; why did you decide to compete originally, and why have you continued to do it?
Justin Bull: I’ve always had a competitive spirit: I ran cross country, used to compete in karate tournaments, and raced in downhill skateboarding events. I started competing because I wanted to push myself. I wanted to improve as a barista. I wanted to improve my palate, my ability to dial in, and better understand how to brew better coffee. Competition was a means to an end for that, and one of the few ways to accomplish that without going out and getting my Q certification.
I also specifically did Brewers Cup because, at Helm, we spend quite a bit of our focus on filter coffee and pourovers, so it fits with our ethos as a shop and roaster. It is where I get to explore the technical side of coffee brewing, and my passion truly is for filter expressions of beautiful coffees.
Can you describe your 2025 coffee and why you chose it?
Absolutely! I used a yeast-inoculated natural SL28 from Edinson Argote in Colombia. I sourced this coffee through Juan Diaz of Know Where Coffee. Edinson was a new producer to me this year, but immediately the coffee jumped out on the cupping table: wonderful flavor intensity, beautiful red fruit notes, a sweet, candy-like presentation, alongside delicate and fleeting purple florals.
The coffee was chosen for several reasons: The U.S., in my experience, values that flavor intensity, and it was a coffee I could keep clean through brewing decisions and roast choices. It maintained good flavor separation and was a dynamic cup, with complexity and cup profile changes as the coffee cooled.
What brewing method did you use?
For brewing, I used the Hario Switch along with Sibarist B3 Hybrid filters. I used a hybrid approach, choosing to highlight the cup’s vibrant acidity using percolation in the first pour, and following that up with a steep to capture sweetness and provide mouthfeel and balance, and an added filtration stage by allowing the fines to settle on top of the coffee bed, cleaning up the finished cup.
The B3 filters are my personal favorite from Sibarist. They still draw down quickly—my brew time was 2:25. But, they also have more surface area than the fast filters, allowing for a cleaner presentation and increased flavor clarity in my experience. My brewing decisions were all about best highlighting Edison’s processing decisions to produce the best version of this SL28 that I could.
You also altered your water to improve the brew, right?
Yes, the final variable was water, and I used Apax Lab this year. It’s a dropper-based system that allows me to dial in post-brewing, meaning I could re-mineralize each individual cup making flavor decisions on the fly, which allowed me to get away from my very numbers-based style from years previous. I was able to care more about how the final cup tasted than the precise ppm and ratio of minerals. When I arrived on a final mineralization, I easily scaled it to a full kettle.
What was the experience like for you through finals? Was the experience much different from your first two forays into competition?
Finals was a treat—I had already made the top six. That was my goal this year, and anything more was just an added bonus. We had incredible sponsors this year with Weber Workshops and Empirical Water. It’s a joy to go up there and do what I get to do every day at the shop, dial in wonderful coffee. Always a bit nerve-wracking, but I practiced and improved immensely from last year. I closed out the show—the last finals routine. I’ll be honest: It was a lovely day in Durham, and I spent the hour leading up to my routine outside, clearing my head and making sure I had flavor calls at least partially memorized.
I have to shout out Molly Lumnitzer, Hugo Cano, Jessa Dressel, and Josh Clements, the group of people who helped me do this. We were prepared this year, we had an idea of what we thought could win, and I had a routine and coffee I believed in. You learn so much every single year, so this felt like another progression of all the many hours of work over the last two seasons.
And what was the experience like to actually win?
Winning is surreal—(during) the countdown, you’re up there just waiting, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. A little flutter at fourth place, when they called Josh from Amberson Coffee, also in Indianapolis. When it was down to myself and Christian (Bak of Be Bright Coffee), you just had to stand there and take it in—proud of the person next to you, proud of yourself, and proud to be able to showcase a coffee like Edinson’s on stage. The coffee community here is so genuinely incredible, and I just appreciate all of the love and support.
You’ll now represent the U.S. at the World Brewers Cup in Jakarta in May. How are you feeling about that so far?
I will be! I am extremely excited, and I would be remiss to say that I wasn’t initially overwhelmed. But again, I have to give credit to the incredible group I have alongside me in addition to the wonderful community beyond. We have such a rich competition community, and the outpouring of support has been so appreciated. To have former champions, competitors, and so many others willing to lend a hand, their palates, and their knowledge—again, I am so incredibly grateful and honored to represent this community on the world stage.
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