27/01/2026
When Jane Cabusas Espante lifted the trophy at the World Coffee Championships inside World of Coffee Dubai, it wasn’t just a personal victory. It felt quieter than that, and stronger. A moment brewed through years of discipline, migration, and showing up long before anyone was watching.
A proud daughter of Compostela, Cebu, Philippines, Jane claimed the 2026 Cezve/Ibrik World Championship, officially representing the United Arab Emirates. Her win opened the 2026 World Coffee Championships season, making it the first championship event of the year. The competition ran from January 18 to 20, 2026, held as a centerpiece of World of Coffee Dubai.
The Cezve/Ibrik Championship brought together specialists in one of coffee’s most ancient brewing methods. Competitors from around the world took the stage over three days where each performance was judged on technical precision, sensory excellence, and cultural expression. After the final round, Jane Espante (UAE) emerged as champion.
Cezve/ibrik coffee isn’t about speed. It’s about control, patience, and intuition, the kind that only comes with time. The method uses a cezve (or ibrik), a small pot with a long handle and a distinctive flared brim, traditionally made from copper, brass, or ceramic. This style of brewing has been practiced for centuries across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Every movement matters, every second counts.
Jane’s journey mirrors that philosophy.
Before the world stage, there were long shifts and steady work in hospitality and food service in the Philippines. She carried that work ethic to the Middle East, where Dubai’s competitive coffee scene sharpened her craft. Over time, she rose through the ranks, becoming a Barista Training Manager, shaping standards not just for herself, but for others around her.
This matters because titles like this aren’t won by accident. They’re earned by people who understand systems, flavors, pressure... and people.
On paper, Jane competed under the UAE flag. In reality, her story is unmistakably Filipino.
Like many overseas Filipinos, her excellence was refined abroad, but rooted at home. Her win fits into a larger, familiar narrative that Filipinos quietly shaping global industries, not through noise, but through consistency, care, and craft.
There’s something poetic about a Filipina championing cezve/ibrik brewing (one of coffee’s most ancient methods) on a modern global stage. It bridges cultures. It honors tradition. It proves that talent doesn’t need borders to travel far.
The 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Championship wasn’t just about scores or sensory notes. It was about cultural expression. Storytelling through coffee. Remembering where you came from while choosing where you’re going.
Jane Espante reminds the world that Filipino excellence doesn’t always announce itself loudly. It shows up prepared, grounded, and undeniable.
From Compostela, Cebu to Dubai, from local kitchens to global stages—this is a story many Filipinos will recognize, and proudly claim.
Sometimes, history doesn’t knock. It brews quietly until the whole world takes notice.
📸 Photo by World Coffee Championship
