--- title: "M’sian Ditches Finance Career To Become World’s No. 2 Barista At 2026 Championship" url: https://weirdkaya.com/msian-ditches-finance-career-to-become-worlds-no-2-barista-at-2026-championship/ date: 2026-11-05 modified: 2026-11-05 lang: en author: "Yu Ang Tan" description: "A Malaysian who once studied finance and economics has made history after swapping the corporate path for specialty coffee and becoming the world’s No. 2 barista. Tan Shing Win finished..." categories: - "Society" tags: - "#Trending" - "2026 Championship" - "Finance Career" - "m'sian" - "Malaysia" - "World Barista" image: https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/Msian-Leaves-Finance-Career-Behind-Becomes-Worlds-No.-2-Barista-At-2026-Championship.png word_count: 467 --- # M’sian Ditches Finance Career To Become World’s No. 2 Barista At 2026 Championship ## TL: DR - **Tan Shing Win secures** second place at the 2026 World Barista Championship in Panama City from Oct 22 to 25, earning Malaysia its first podium finish. - **One Half Roastery** in Petaling Jaya and Tri-Up Coffee SEA associate with Tan, who enters the global stage after winning the 2025 Malaysia Barista Championship. - **Panama Geisha coffee** anchors Tan's 15-minute competition routine on moisture control, surpassing Jason Loo's fourth-place finish in 2025 as detailed in the full story. **A Malaysian who once studied finance and economics has made history after swapping the corporate path for specialty coffee and becoming the world’s No. 2 barista.** Tan Shing Win finished second at the 2026 World Barista Championship (WBC) in Panama City, giving Malaysia its first-ever podium finish at the prestigious global competition. ![Tan Shing Win 03](https://weirdkaya.com/wp-content/uploads/Tan-Shing-Win-03.png)Photo via[ IG/shing_win](https://www.instagram.com/shing_win/) The championship was held from Oct 22 to 25 at the Panama Convention Center, where Tan progressed through the preliminary rounds and semi-finals before reaching the final six. According to [World Coffe Championships](https://wcc.coffee/latest-news/announcing-the-2026-world-barista-champion-pan-wei?utm_source=chatgpt.com), China’s Pan Wei eventually took first place, while Frederick Ruben of the UAE finished third. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/De7Or8OGpd-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)[A post shared by Coffee Media (@coffeemediaoficial)](https://www.instagram.com/p/De7Or8OGpd-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) ## From finance to specialty coffee Before building a career in coffee, Tan had an academic background in finance and economics. He left the conventional office route after completing a short internship and decided to pursue coffee full-time instead. ![Tan Shing Win 02](https://weirdkaya.com/wp-content/uploads/Tan-Shing-Win-02.png)Photo via[ IG/shing_win](https://www.instagram.com/shing_win/) Over the next six years, he built experience across different parts of the specialty coffee industry, including sourcing green beans, working with coffee producers, business development and serving customers. He is associated with One Half Roastery in Petaling Jaya and green coffee company Tri-Up Coffee SEA. Tan had also won the 2025 Malaysia Barista Championship, earning the opportunity to represent Malaysia on the world stage. ## 15-minute routine focused on moisture For his World Barista Championship routine, Tan centred his presentation on something that had caught his attention while making coffee in different environments: moisture. He noticed that even when the same beans and brewing recipe were used, the final cup could taste different depending on the surroundings. ![Photo via IG/shing_win](https://weirdkaya.com/wp-content/uploads/Tan-Shing-Win-04.png)Photo via[ IG/shing_win](https://www.instagram.com/shing_win/) That led him to explore how moisture affects coffee throughout its journey, from processing and drying at the farm to brewing and extraction by the barista. **For the competition, he used a traditionally washed Geisha coffee from Panama, with his 15-minute presentation demonstrating how controlling moisture can influence and preserve flavour. ** ## Malaysia’s best-ever WBC result Tan’s runner-up finish surpassed Malaysia’s previous best result at the competition. In 2025, Malaysian barista **Jason Loo placed fourth**, which had been the country’s highest position until Tan reached the podium this year. ![Tan Shing Win 01](https://weirdkaya.com/wp-content/uploads/Tan-Shing-Win-01.png)Photo via[ IG/shing_win](https://www.instagram.com/shing_win/) The achievement was even more significant as this was Tan’s first appearance at the World Barista Championship. Speaking after the competition, Tan said finishing second brought mixed emotions, as he felt happy and proud but also knew first place had been within reach. He also credited the people around him for the achievement, including his coach, mentor and team, who had supported him throughout his preparation. For Tan, what started as a decision to walk away from a career in finance eventually led to six years of building his craft — and Malaysia’s highest-ever finish on the world barista stage.