- The Global Coffee Awards recognise the world’s best roasteries and the producers who supply their coffees.
- The European edition was held on 29 & 30 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France.
- The overall winner is the UK’s Origin Coffee, named the best roaster in Europe.
- All Gold, Silver, and Bronze category winners from the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin Roasted competitions are invited to compete in the global finals. These will be held at Producer & Roaster Forum El Salvador on 26 & 27 March 2026, where the world champion will be announced.
The European edition of the Global Coffee Awards, a competition that honours international roasting excellence, took place on 29 & 30 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France.
Roasters from 25 countries submitted their coffees across multiple categories, including filter, espresso, and milk-based drinks, which were blind-tasted by a panel of professional judges.
Using an objective scoring system, the judges provided actionable feedback to all entrants, allowing them to showcase the full potential of their coffees and generate new revenue streams.
Read on to find out who the winners are and learn more about the upcoming global finals.
Learn more about the GCA here.
Honouring European roasting excellence and diversity
From small independents to regional and national brands, the Global Coffee Awards invited European roasters of all sizes to submit bags of their most exceptional coffees across various categories.
Designed to reward the overall company rather than an individual roaster, allowing companies to strengthen their brand identity, the GCA is a prestigious competition that also recognises the producer who grew the coffee. This bridges a gap in the industry, acknowledging and raising awareness of excellence across the supply chain.
“It was a real pleasure to lead the GCA’s European judging panel,” says Martin Suard, the head roaster at L’arbre à Café in Paris, France, a Q grader, and a national coordinator of the SCA French chapter.
“Spending a few days with colleagues from all over Europe was a rich learning experience,” he adds. “It also allowed us to have a snapshot of the sensory skills standards of each country.”
As one of the most diverse coffee-consuming markets in the world, Europe plays a pivotal role in global coffee trade.
According to the European Coffee Federation, the EU27 bloc consumed an estimated 2.53 million tonnes of coffee in 2023, making it the world’s third-largest coffee market. Germany, Italy, and France are the leading consuming countries in the region, according to the ECF’s 2023/24 European Coffee Report.
“The competition allows us to gain a better understanding of the consumption habits of our European neighbours and get an overview of the region’s coffee trends,” Martin adds.
The continent is home to both heritage brands and specialty coffee roasters, culminating in a varied coffee market unlike most others. Scandinavia, for example, is known for its preference for light roasts and its pioneering role in creating modern filter coffee culture.
In some Western European countries, such as France and Austria, tradition still holds considerable sway, while specialty coffee culture thrives alongside it. For example, Viennese coffee houses have received UNESCO recognition as an intangible part of the country’s cultural heritage. At the same time, the country is also home to some of the world’s most respected specialty coffee shops and roasters.
“Europe is a highly diverse coffee market, both in terms of roasting and sourcing,” says Andrea Melo-Leon, the COO of GCA. “Many different countries contribute their own unique flavours, traditions, and market dynamics.
“While some countries have more established specialty coffee culture, others are emerging as specialty coffee consumers,” she adds. “In these countries, where the markets are less saturated, a number of roasters are surfacing as market leaders, driving innovation and explosive growth.”
Eastern Europe, for instance, is markedly different to other parts of the continent. While some major cities have rapidly growing specialty coffee scenes, many countries in this region are still regarded as emerging markets with lower per capita consumption than other regions.
The GCA judging process
The competition focuses on roasted coffee rather than green beans, providing a comprehensive quality assessment that encompasses all types of coffee appealing to diverse consumer preferences.
“The GCA is about recognising all coffees, and acknowledging the positive, unique aspects of each one,” says Andrea. “Blind cupping roasted coffee is an unprecedented competition format in the industry; we’re helping drive consumption and allowing roasters to better understand how to sell more coffee.
“Taking part is a small investment to receive constructive, actionable feedback, and roasters also gain global exposure,” she adds. “Moreover, all of the judging feedback is constructive, not punitive, so roasters obtain as much value from competing as possible.”
The categories are designed to recognise the unique qualities of different coffee-based drinks, rather than relying solely on cupping. Additionally, the subcategories recognise a wide variety of processing methods, ensuring judges can evaluate them independently.
“Belco operates at the heart of the coffee sector, promoting a global and sustainable approach to quality across the supply chain,” says Denis Mialocq, the head of quality and training and Q grader at green coffee importer Belco in Bordeaux, France.
“Guided by this vision and by its central position between origin and consumption, Belco is proud to have hosted the Global Coffee Awards Europe,” he adds. “The competition reflects our values: it celebrates the diversity of coffees, origins, and skills (from producers to roasters), promoting excellence at every step of the chain.”
The panel consisted of one lead sensory judge, one lead shadow judge, nine sensory judges, three coordinators, and six shadow judges. The day before the event, all judges calibrated their palates and agreed on the best brew ratios and standardised brewing processes.
An objective and transparent scoring system was used for every entrant across all categories. These include Filter, Espresso, Flat White with Dairy, and Flat White with Alternative Milk. Each category contains several subcategories, with up to three points available for each coffee.
The coffees in each category were prepared as a consumer would experience them in a café, using specific brew ratios and brewing protocols:
- Filter: prepared using Fellow Ode grinders and Fellow Aiden brewers provided by Equipment Partner Fellow
- Espresso: prepared using two Linea Mini espresso machines and two Pico grinders provided by Equipment Partner La Marzocco
- Flat White with Dairy and Flat White with Alternative Milk: prepared using the automated MilkPal, provided by Equipment Partner Marco Beverage Systems
The scoring system for each category included:
- Judging form – provided a numerical score across multiple criteria and a sensory snapshot (tasting notes and key descriptors)
- A coordinator form – provided a sensory snapshot, guidance on how to improve roast profile development, and food pairing suggestions from the judges
As part of a two-stage blind-tasting process, the judges first completed a two-minute sensory evaluation. For the Filter and Espresso categories, the judges assigned numerical scores between 5 and 10 for nine criteria, including aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, sweetness, and balance. For both Flat White categories, numerical scores were given for five criteria, including sweetness, balance, and mouthfeel.
The judges also noted down any qualitative points. The coordinator then led a three-minute discussion with the judges to discuss their feedback in detail, ensuring that all judges were aligned.
“By bringing together passionate experts around a rigorous evaluation process, the GCA aligns with Belco’s mission: to contribute to a stronger, more coherent, and more resilient coffee sector, capable of progressing collectively toward a sustainable future,” Denis says.
Who won at the GCA Europe competition?
The winners of the GCA Europe competition are:
Overall winner: Origin Coffee in Cornwall, UK
Category winners:
- Filter – Ombú Bcn Tostadores in Barcelona, Spain
- Espresso – Origin Coffee
- Flat White Dairy – Rocket Bean in Riga, Latvia
- Flat White Alternative – Rocket Bean
For subcategories, entrants who received identical numerical scores both placed first to ensure fairness and parity.
Gold winners of each sub-category (roaster and producer):
Filter
- Blend – Fester blend, Badger & Dodo in Cork, Ireland & various producers from Colombia, Burundi, and Ethiopia
- Single origin traditional – Hangout, Huracán Coffee in Vilnius, Lithuania & various producers in Kenya
- Single origin experimental – Dimello Colombia Special Edition, Kafea Terra in Peania, Greece & Micava Santuario Farm in Colombia
- Washed – Humming Bird, Spojka Roastery in Prešov, Slovakia & Café de Altura San Ramon in Costa Rica
- Natural – Camino Lot 25, Origin Coffee & Aliss Hartmann in Panama
- Honey – Colombia Pink Ranger, Ombu Bcn Tostadores & Ana María Donneys in Colombia
- Experimental
- Sidra, Café Piha in Bordeaux, France & Jhonatan Zúñiga in Colombia
- Java Las Flores, Terres de Café in Paris, France & Jhoan Vergara in Colombia
- Decaf – Colombia natural, Rocket Bean & Jairo Arcila in Colombia
Espresso
- Blend – Amour à Kyoto, La Brûlerie du Books & Coffee in Bordeaux, France & various producers in Colombia and Guatemala
- Single origin traditional – Gerba Dogo, Café Piha & Shonora in Ethiopia
- Single origin experimental – Area51 Colombia SL28, Kafea Terra & La Macarena in Colombia
- Decaf – N°09 Décollage Colombie, Les Révélations in Paris, France & El Fenix in Colombia
Flat White Dairy
- Blend – India and Kenya blend, Audun Coffee in Bydgoszcz, Poland & various producers in India and Kenya
- Single origin traditional – Magic Pussy natural Ethiopia Guji Shakisso, Rocket Bean & Gigesa washing station in Ethiopia
- Single origin experimental – Java Las Flores, Terres de Café & Jhoan Vergara
Flat White Alternative
- Blend – Rocket Fuel House Espresso, Rocket Bean & various producers in Colombia and Brazil
- Single origin traditional
MTPak Packaging Award winner: Spojka Roastery
Participating roasters will also receive digital Certificates of Achievement, as well as Gold, Silver, and Bronze Global Coffee Awards seals. These are distinctive marks of excellence that they can display on their packaging, marketing materials, websites, social media channels, and menus.
All winning roasters will also be included in an internationally distributed digital catalogue, offering global brand exposure.
You can find all the GCA European category and subcategory winners here.
Key trends in the European coffee market
In addition to crowning the best roasters in Europe, the GCA provides a snapshot of broader consumer and industry trends in the European market.
The competition showcased a range of processing methods. These included traditional washed, natural, and honey lots, as well as more experimental techniques such as anaerobic fermentation, anoxic fermentation, and mosto. Exclusive varieties, such as Sidra and Papayo, which are often seen at other high-end competitions like the World Barista Championship, were also submitted.
This resulted in a wide range of flavour profiles – from dulce de leche to white pepper, orange blossom, wine, kumquat, brioche, and milk oolong tea. These reflected the region’s diverse coffee market, where both traditional and innovative tasting notes are celebrated.
The three most popular categories were Filter Single Origin Traditional, Filter Single Origin Experimental, and Filter Washed. Historically, espresso has dominated Western European markets, so the popularity of the Filter category demonstrates shifting consumption patterns across the region.
“We had roasters from both mature and emerging specialty coffee markets taking part, creating a truly unique competition where brands from less established consuming countries can showcase their skills and passion,” Andrea says.
Roasters from 25 different countries took part. These included Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.
There were also noticeable country-specific trends, reflecting the complex, fragmented nature of the European coffee market.
Single origin experimentally processed coffees were particularly popular among Greek, French, and Slovakian roasters, for example, signalling the diverse preferences of consumers in these countries. Meanwhile, Irish, Swiss, Belgian, and Norwegian roasters submitted more washed coffees, demonstrating consumer preference towards more traditional, clean flavour profiles.
Supporting roasters to sell more coffee
A key part of the GCA is providing all entrants with actionable feedback that enables them to enhance their roasting skills and refine their menu offerings.
“The GCA is a wonderful initiative, allowing so many roasters to obtain constructive, supportive, and informative feedback,” Martin says. “It provides a global vision of the market, one’s position within it, and even the possibility of understanding how to expand into other countries.”
For example, for an entry in the Filter Natural subcategory (which was a Rwandan coffee), the judges recommended roasting it longer to bring out more sweetness and prolong the aftertaste and finish, creating a more well-rounded flavour profile.
Meanwhile, for a coffee in the Filter Washed category (with notes of orange blossom, wine, panela, and pineapple), the judges suggested pairing it with cheeses such as Brie with honey, blue cheese, aged cheddar, and Comté.
This high-level, specific feedback not only allows roasters to improve their skills and apply them directly to their operations, but it also ensures they can develop curated, complementary food and beverage offerings that elevate their menus.
“The competition also highlights the producer-roaster duo, which is too often underestimated,” Martin adds. “Many competitions focus on only one or the other, rarely on this essential combination of both.”
The GCA global finals
All Gold, Silver, and Bronze category winners of the US & Canada, Origin, and Europe events will be invited to compete at the global finals, which will be held at PRF El Salvador on 26 & 27 March 2026, where they will compete for international recognition.
There will also be regional winners’ awards ceremonies, which will take place on the evening of the first day of PRF.
The GCA team reverse-engineered the winning coffees to establish the producers responsible for growing them. This means that when a roaster submits a bag of coffee, they automatically enter the producer who grew the coffee into the competition.
The team will send complimentary invitations to the winning producers to attend PRF El Salvador. This gives roasters a unique opportunity to meet the producer behind their coffee, thereby strengthening long-term commercial relationships and ensuring that producers share in the recognition for coffee excellence.
Winning producers also receive a GCA seal and Certificate of Excellence, acknowledging their crucial role in the industry.
Through its regional competition format, the GCA is designed to find not only the best roasters in the US & Canada, Europe, and coffee-producing countries, but also to place the winners to compete against each other, culminating in a global champion.
This unique format levels the competition playing field, allowing international roasters to go head-to-head and claim the title of world’s best in the finals.
Learn more about PRF here.
Photo credits: Dušan Holovej, Terres de Café
Perfect Daily Grind
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