2026 US Barista Champion Jak Michael Ryan sits down with Kevin Bohlin to talk about competing as yourself, the Honduran coffee behind his win, and what it means to grow sideways.
“I grow sideways and not towards the sun.”
Jak Michael Ryan won the 2026 US Barista Championship as himself: a former professional dancer from Melbourne who spent years believing that doing things his way meant he’d never get his time in the sun. He sat down with Kevin Bohlin at the Saint Frank roastery in San Francisco, before leaving for the World Barista Championship in Panama.
Jak won with a coffee grown by Benjamín Paz in Honduras. Saint Frank’s Jason Yeo placed second with the same coffee, and Jake McFarland competed with it too.
Taste & See is a podcast from Saint Frank Coffee in San Francisco.
Produced by Christian Brown and Kevin Bohlin. Music by Tony Anderson.
Write to us at tasteandsee@saintfrankcoffee.com
Saint Frank Coffee: www.saintfrankcoffee.com
2026 USBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pXblLUif9k&t=203s