SOLO BATTLE

Everyone brews on the same dripper, on the same clock, in front of the same three judges. The format is standardised down to the water, so all that is left to compete on is the brewing. The cup is the only argument.

How it works

Four rounds, and one ranking that everybody is in.

The clock: 5 · 7 · 3
Fifteen minutes a round, five to prepare, seven to brew, three to clear. The same fifteen from the opening round to the final.
The field: Thirty six players, then eighteen, then nine, then the four who brew the final.
The ranking: One board
A heat is a slot on the clock, not a bracket. Every player from every heat enters the same ranking, so the whole field decides who goes through.
The judging: Three judges
Every cup in a heat is scored by all three, and the panel is international. No speech to memorise and no story to perform. The scores go up on the screen and a line is drawn across the board.

The four rounds

The coffee changes every round. The equipment never does.

Round one

one lot

First coffee

Everyone gets the same coffee.

Round two

one lot

Second coffee

A second coffee, again the same for everyone.

Round three

three lots

Make a blend

Three coffees arrive and you build a blend from them. It has to include both of the coffees you have already brewed.

Final

geisha

Geisha

A Geisha, and everything the first three rounds taught you.

Read the format and rules

The kit

Every competitor gets a SOLO. Every registered brewer receives an official SOLO Battle kit.

1 × SOLO DripperYours
1 × SOLO Daily PaperYours
1 × SOLO HiFlux PaperYours

Provided on the day, handed back

Hand grinder (Chestnut S5 Pro)Kettle (Fish Pro X)Scale (Black Mirror Basic 3)ServerGlasswareTrayTDS meterCompetition water (Aquacode minerals)

Daily and HiFlux offer different flow characteristics, so even the paper becomes part of the brewing decision. All standard brewing equipment is provided by the organiser and must be used according to the official competition rules. Already own a SOLO Dripper or SOLO SPIN? It can be brought as a second brewer, and a competitor using two brewers may also bring one additional scale and one additional vessel or server for that second setup. Your own cup and spoon for tasting are welcome. No other personal brewing equipment may be brought or used. Grinding, water and all other standardised competition equipment remain the same for everyone.

Editions

Edition 02, Vietnam 2026

Open

The battle leaves Prague for the first time, into a room full of brewers we have not met yet. The partners and the running order go up here as they are confirmed.

Venue: BT5-28, Khu BT Đoàn ngoại giao, Xuân Đỉnh, Hà Nội
Date: 11 October 2026
Entry: 1,200 Kč
Field: 36 players

Edition 01, Czech Republic 2026

Completed

The first one, run inside Barista Roku 2026. Thirty six brewers took part and registration closed with people still asking for a place.

Venue: Sportovní hala Královka, Prague
Date: 19 April 2026
Field: 36 players

Final standings

1 Vadym OrnatskyiChampion
2 Shoma Sato1st runner up
3 Vojtěch Sedláček2nd runner up
4 Suki Ma4th finalist

From the floor, Edition 01

Host an official edition

SOLO Battle was never meant to live in one city. We are looking for partners who want to bring an official edition to their own country and run it as the local organiser.

A partner can be a coffee company, a SOLO distributor, a café, an event organiser, a coffee community or a local team with the network and the resources to run a proper competition. It is not sponsorship of somebody else's battle. It is your battle, in your country, run to the same format, rules and scoring as every other edition.

You bring the venue, the organisation, the team, the community and the knowledge of your market. We bring the format, the identity, the drippers, the scoring system and the support to run it.