After months of competing since the beginning of the year, hundreds of tea-ristas from across Indonesia have been narrowed down to three top teams competing at the Grand Final of the Chatime Tea-rista Competition 2026, held at Living World Alam Sutera, South Tangerang. This annual event once again served as a stage for tea artisans to demonstrate that crafting a beverage is not only about taste, but also about creativity and storytelling.
This year marks the sixth edition of the competition since its inception in 2019, with the theme "Celebrate the Craft, Story, and Flavor of Tea."
Thousands of Steps Toward the Final Stage
The road to the grand final was anything but easy. More than 300 tea-ristas from 433 Chatime outlets across Indonesia took part in a multi-stage selection process, starting from regional preliminary rounds through to the semifinals, where competition grew increasingly fierce.
Out of hundreds of participants, only three teams advanced to the grand final:
- Team 1: Julya Permatasari (Chatime Grand Outlet Karawang) & Febriani S (Chatime Living Plaza Pettarani Makassar)
- Team 2: Tri Mulyati (Chatime Living Plaza Bintaro) & Hendita Trimurti Larassati S. (Chatime SPBU Nginden Surabaya)
- Team 3: Ratna Sri Rahayu (Chatime Bogor Trade Mall) & Salsabilla Natasya Achmad (Chatime Bencoolen Bengkulu)
These six tea-ristas came from different cities across the country, each bringing their own style and experience to the same stage.
More Than Just Mixing — It's About Storytelling
On stage, the challenge facing the finalists went far beyond simply blending ingredients. Each team was tasked with creating a signature tea beverage that not only excelled in taste and presentation, but also conveyed a story that reinforced the beverage's character to the panel of judges.
The competition was assessed by a panel of five judges: Devin Widya Krisnadi, CEO F&B ID; Daniel Yahya, Operations General Manager F&B ID; Sarah Merci, Marketing General Manager F&B ID; Riyan Setiadi, Product Specialist Chatime; serta Neysa Valeria, Tea Specialist dan Co-founder Havilla Tea, who joined as a guest judge.
Daniel Yahya, Operations General Manager of F&B ID, explained that this year's assessment went beyond technical brewing skills. "Mixing a beverage is a skill, but delivering an experience is an art. This year, we wanted to see how tea-ristas translate and combine brewing technique, creativity, and storytelling into a creation that customers can truly enjoy," he said. As a result, storytelling, teamwork, and presentation skills before the judges became key elements of this year's assessment.
Chatime Tea-rista Competition 2026 Concludes with the Crowning of the Best Tea-rista
Following a rigorous judging process, the title of champion at the Chatime Tea-rista Competition 2026 went to Team 2, comprising Tri Mulyati (Chatime Living Plaza Bintaro) and Hendita Trimurti Larassati S. (Chatime SPBU Nginden Surabaya), with their creation titled Ruby Secret Garden. The beverage was judged to have successfully met every assessment criterion set by the panel.
Here are the full results from this year's competition:
- 1st Place: Team 2 – Tri Mulyati & Hendita Trimurti Larassati S. with their creation, Ruby Secret Garden
- 1st Runner-up: Team 3 – Ratna Sri Rahayu & Salsabilla Natasya Achmad
- 2nd Runner-up: Team 1 – Julya Permatasari & Febriani S
The competition once again affirms that the world of tea brewing continues to evolve through fresh ideas from tea-ristas on the ground, while also serving as a space for them to learn, explore, and inspire one another, an innovation spirit that is upheld at every edition of the Chatime Tea-rista Competition.
