Key Take-Aways from the Article
- Event details
- The European edition of the Global Coffee Awards (GCA) was held on 29–30 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France.
- The competition is judged blind, with a focus on roasted coffee rather than just green beans, and aims to reward roasteries (and producers) rather than individual roasters.
- Judging panel: a mix of lead sensory judges, shadow judges, and coordinators.
- Brewing protocols:
- Filter coffees used Fellow Ode grinders and Aiden brewers.
- Espresso used La Marzocco Linea Mini machines + Pico grinders.
- Flat White (both dairy and alternative milk) used automated MilkPal.
- Overall Winner
- Origin Coffee (UK, Cornwall) was named the overall best roaster in Europe.
- Category Winners
- Filter: Ombú Bcn Tostadores (Barcelona, Spain)
- Espresso: Origin Coffee (the same overall winner)
- Flat White – Dairy: Rocket Bean (Riga, Latvia)
- Flat White – Alternative: Rocket Bean (again)
- Gold Subcategory Winners
These are more granular (by processing method, origin, etc.). Some highlights:- Filter – Blend: Badger & Dodo (Cork, Ireland) & producers from Colombia, Burundi, Ethiopia
- Filter – Single Origin Traditional: Huracán Coffee (Lithuania) & producers in Kenya
- Filter – Natural: Origin Coffee & Aliss Hartmann in Panama
- Filter – Honey: Ombú Bcn Tostadores & Ana María Donneys in Colombia
- Espresso – Blend: La Brûlerie du Books & Coffee (Bordeaux, France) & producers in Colombia/Guatemala
- Espresso – Decaf: Les Révélations (Paris) & producer El Fenix in Colombia
- Flat White Dairy – Single Origin: Rocket Bean & Gigesa washing station in Ethiopia
- Flat White Alternative – Blend: Rocket Bean & producers in Colombia/Brazil
- Special Award
- MTPak Packaging Award: Spojka Roastery (Prešov, Slovakia) got this.
- Trends & Insights
- There was a wide diversity of processing methods submitted: washed, natural, honey, and more experimental (e.g., anaerobic, mosto).
- Judges noted very diverse flavor profiles (e.g., kumquat, wine, brioche, milk oolong tea).
- Because the competition is company-wide rather than on individual roasters, it helps elevate brand identity and acknowledges the producer-roaster partnership.
- All entrants received constructive feedback from judges (not just winners), which can help improve roast profiles, menu design, and business.
- Next Steps / Global Finals
- Gold winners (Europe, US & Canada, Origin) will compete in the global finals at Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) El Salvador, 26–27 March 2026.
- Winning roasters and their growers will be recognized together (producers also get seals/certificates).
My Thoughts / Analysis
- Significance: This is a big deal for European specialty roasters. The GCA isn’t just about individual roasters — it’s about roastery brands, which means winning can elevate the entire company.
- Market Trends: The diversity of processing methods suggests roasters in Europe are experimenting a lot, which points to a mature but still very innovative specialty market.
- Opportunities: For roasters, even participating (not just winning) is valuable — the feedback from judges is actionable, and having a GCA seal could be a strong marketing / credibility tool.
- For Producers: Because the farmers behind the winning coffees are also identified and recognized, this model helps strengthen producer–roaster relationships and bring more visibility (and possibly better terms) for producers.
Kenya Coffee Farmers Awards (KCFA) is coordinated and Founded by Kenya Coffee School by Alfred Gitau Mwaura
Kenya Coffee School and Barista Mtaani