Estimated studying time: 12 minutes
Key takeaways
- The International Espresso Awards (GCA) recognise the world’s greatest roasters and the producers behind their coffees.
- The MENA (Center East and North Africa) version was held on 15 June.
- The general winner of the MENA version is Woods Specialty Roastery from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
- The highest-scoring espresso was a Gesha within the Filter Single Origin Experimental class. The espresso was produced by the Aguirre Household at El Injerto, Guatemala and roasted by Brew 92 from Madinah, Saudi Arabia, on a 25kg drum roaster.
- All Gold, Silver, and Bronze class winners are invited to compete within the 2026 GCA World Championship.
The MENA version of the International Espresso Awards (GCA) came about on 15 June 2026. Roasters from throughout the area submitted their greatest coffees throughout a number of classes and subcategories.
Every pattern was assessed double-blind by a head choose and a minimum of three judges. All judges are Q graders with expertise at competitions such because the World Barista Championship and Cup of Excellence. Previous to the competitors, all judges have been interviewed and chosen by an knowledgeable panel.
Utilizing an goal scoring system, the judges offered actionable suggestions to all entrants, permitting them to enhance roast profiles and future submissions.
Learn on to seek out out who the winners are and study extra in regards to the upcoming GCA competitions.
Be taught extra in regards to the GCA right here.
Recognising the booming MENA espresso market
GCA is structured round regional competitions. Roasters of all sizes, from small-batch independents to large-scale nationwide manufacturers, are invited to submit their most distinctive coffees throughout outlined classes.
“The GCA showcase the very best requirements in roasting the world over, together with in thrilling rising markets just like the MENA area, the place specialty espresso consumption is rising quickly,” says Mark Zhou, founding father of MTPak Espresso, a number one international provider of custom-printed espresso packaging and the International Espresso Awards Gold Sponsor.
“In keeping with our deal with spotlighting distinctive espresso packaging, we chosen one roaster from every competitors that had essentially the most artistic, eye-catching, and forward-thinking designs.”
After profitable editions within the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin Roasted nations (any coffee-producing nation) in 2025, the GCA expanded into MENA this 12 months.
“The expansion of the MENA espresso market has been inconceivable to disregard in recent times,” says Emi Rueda, Gross sales and Relationship Supervisor on the International Espresso Awards. “The GCC espresso market alone is estimated to be price over US$6.8bn, and low manufacturers are utilizing nations just like the UAE to ‘crack’ the area and scale.
“The GCA’s enlargement into MENA is then important,” she provides. “Roasters within the area are innovating quickly and creating market developments in actual time, leading to one in all our most dynamic editions but.”
Initially scheduled for Dubai, the competitors was hosted at Balzac Brothers.
“The GCA makes use of a rigorous, goal judging course of to judge espresso,” says Eurie Chen, Gross sales & Advertising at GCA Tools Associate Hiroia. “Probably the most thrilling a part of the competitors has been seeing the sheer variety and distinctive high quality of the submissions.
“Seeing entries from each established and rising markets reveals simply how a lot ardour there’s in espresso proper now. It’s extremely rewarding to see the information and cupping scores come to life.”
The GCA judging course of
All judging on the International Espresso Awards follows a strict double-blind protocol. No figuring out data is shared with anybody concerned within the course of, together with the Sensory Judges and the barista group making ready the samples. Which means all coffees are assessed on high quality alone, reasonably than a roastery’s identify or status.
The judging panel consists of a Head Decide, a licensed Lead Sensory Decide, licensed Q-grader Sensory Judges, a Head Barista, and a barista group. Each pattern is assessed by a minimum of three judges and a Head Decide.
Earlier than judging begins, each choose completes a one-day calibration session to align on scoring classes and standards. Actual-time check-ins throughout the judging course of keep this consistency all through.
Each submitted espresso receives written suggestions based on outlined evaluation protocols. Entries are evaluated purely on sensory high quality, giving roasters clear, actionable insights into their roasting kinds and learn how to enhance.
The MENA classes have been Filter, Espresso, Flat White Dairy, Flat White Plant-Primarily based Milk, and Specialty Drip Bag. Every class included a number of subcategories, resembling Experimental Mix, Basic Roast Profile, Gesha, Co-Fermented, and Liberica.
All coffees have been ready as a client would expertise them in a café, utilizing particular brew parameters and brewing protocols to take care of consistency and guarantee truthful, correct judging.
Tools Associate Hiroia offered Hikaru automated pour over techniques and Jimmy Scales. Tools Associate GH Grinding + Brewing Options offered particularly modified Bentwood Vertical 75 grinders. Water purification and remineralisation techniques have been offered by Water Sponsor Bluewater Group.
Every class had its personal separate goal scoring system. All judges used a judging kind to assign a numerical rating throughout a number of standards, together with aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, physique, stability, sweetness, and mouthfeel. You will discover detailed details about the judging standards right here.
The winners of the 2026 International Espresso Awards MENA
The winners of the 2026 GCA MENA version are:
Total winner: Woods Specialty Roastery from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Class winners:
- Filter – Woods Specialty Roastery
- Espresso – Brew 92 from Madinah, Saudi Arabia
- Flat White Dairy – Oasis Espresso Buying and selling Firm from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Flat White Plant-Primarily based Milk – Woods Specialty Roastery
- Specialty Drip Bag – CMI Roastery from Abu Dhabi, UAE
Listed below are the gold winners of every sub-category (roaster and producer, exporter, or co-operative). Entrants who obtained similar scores in a subcategory each positioned first, making certain the outcomes stayed truthful.
Filter
- Barrel aged – Narino from Ritual Espresso Firm from Cairo, Egypt and Andre Mauricio in Colombia
- Mix – Guatemala x Indonesia Typica & Sigar Utang from Oasis Espresso Buying and selling Firm and varied producers from Sucafina and Gayo Mandiri Espresso
- Basic roast profile – Los Colores Bourbon and Pacas from El Salvador from 48 East Roasters from Salmiya, Kuwait (producers undisclosed)
- Co-Fermented – Colombia Grape Caturra from Oasis Espresso Buying and selling Firm and Alexcafe in Colombia
- Decaf – Pink Bourbon sugarcane from Woods Specialty Roastery and Jhoan Vergara at Finca Las Flores in Colombia
- Experimental mix – Home Mix Heirloom Gesha & Catuai from Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Colombia from Woods Specialty Roastery (producers undisclosed)
- Gesha – Gesha Suprema from Cypher City Roaster from Dubai, UAE, and Finca Los Rodriguez in Bolivia
- Honey – Doga Napoles Catuai & Caturra from Kohi Espresso Roasters from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Las Lajas in Costa Rica
- Pure – La Fresa Castello from Kohi Espresso Roasters and High Style Buying and selling Co. in Colombia
- Single origin – Uraga Heirloom Ethiopia from Woods Specialty Roastery and producers at Guji PLC
- Single origin experimental
- Gesha from Brew 92 and the Aguirre Household at El Injerto, Guatemala
- River Circulate Washed CF10 74158 selection from Archers Espresso from Sharjah, UAE and Eliyas Dukamo & Atiklit Dejene at Elto Espresso in Ethiopia
- Washed – Santamaría Property Gesha Washed Lot 7 from Archers Espresso and Edwin Santamaria & household in Panama
Espresso
- Mix – Home Mix 2 Brazil, Colombia, and Nicaragua from CMI Roastery (producers undisclosed)
- Basic roast profile – Arrogate Caturra and Castillo Colombia from The Espresso Manufacturing facility from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (producers undisclosed)
- Decaf – Pink Bourbon sugarcane from Woods Specialty Roastery and Jhoan Vergara at Finca Las Flores
- Experimental mix – Home Mix Catuai, Gesha, and Heirloom Guatemala, Colombia, and Ethiopia from Woods Specialty Roastery (producers undisclosed)
- Single origin – Guatemala Villaure Gesha from Brew92 and Aurelio Villatoro at Finca La Esperanza in Guatemala
- Single origin experimental – Gesha from Brew 92 and the Aguirre Household at El Injerto, Guatemala
Flat White Dairy
- Mix – Guatemala x Indonesia (50% Typica and 50% Bourbon) from Oasis Espresso Buying and selling Firm and varied producers at Sucafina
- Basic roast profile – Silk Milk Castillo & Catuai Brazil and Colombia from Ritual Espresso Firm and Fonda Paean and Cesar Junior Dos Santos
- Experimental – Ethiopia Chelchele Worka Heirloom from Oasis Espresso Buying and selling Firm and Al Fanoos in Ethiopia
- Single origin – Colombia Sudan Rume from Brew 92 and Rigoberto Herrera at Café Granja La Esperanza in Colombia
Flat White Plant-Primarily based Milk
- Mix – Home Mix Catuai, Gesha, and Heirloom Guatemala, Colombia, and Ethiopia from Woods Specialty Roastery (producers undisclosed)
- Single origin – Pacaya Catuai from Woods Specialty Roastery and Pablo in Guatemala
Specialty Drip Bag
- Decaf – Anaerobic fermentation Purple Bourbon from CMI Roastery and Wilton Benitez at Granja El Paraiso 92 in Colombia
- Experimental – Prolonged fermentation Ardour Fruit Caturra from CMI Roastery and Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia at Aromas Del Sur in Colombia
MTPak Packaging Award winner: Roasting Home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
All collaborating roasters obtained detailed suggestions varieties for every pattern submitted. For instance, for an entry within the Filter Pure subcategory (an Ethiopian espresso roasted on a 60kg drum roaster), the judges really helpful a barely longer Maillard section, paired with a sooner drying stage and a decrease finish temperature, to assist construct extra sweetness and physique, permitting the espresso’s fruit character to turn into extra built-in and rounded.
Roasters additionally obtained digital Certificates of Achievement and International Espresso Awards seals in Gold, Silver, and Bronze. These are distinctive marks of excellence that they’ll show on their packaging, advertising and marketing supplies, web sites, social media channels, and menus.
You will discover all of the GCA MENA class and subcategory winners right here.
Upcoming International Espresso Awards editions
The total 2026 GCA schedule consists of:
- US & Canada: Judging will happen at Copan Commerce in Houston, Texas, US. The entry package is right here, and all samples have to be obtained by 5 August 2026.
- Latin America & Caribbean: Judging will happen at Copan Commerce. The entry package is right here (accessible in English and Spanish), and all samples have to be obtained by 3 August 2026.
- Europe: Judging will happen at Belco in Bordeaux, France. The entry package is right here, and all samples have to be obtained by 21 October 2026.
The GCA Asia version was held on 17 June 2026, and the winners can be introduced on 14 July.
For roasters primarily based in coffee-producing nations, there can be a separate Origin Roasted class. Which means if roasters are situated in a producing nation, resembling Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala, and submit a espresso grown of their house nation, they obtain computerized, free entry into the Origin Roasted class.
The Easy methods to Compete within the International Espresso Awards webinar, going down on 8 July, is designed for roasters contemplating the upcoming US & Canada competitors. The webinar will present an outline of the competitors course of, together with espresso choice, submission technique, judging, scoring, and class choice.
Attendees may also hear immediately from top-performing roasters from the 2025 International Espresso Awards, together with Eric Garcia at Sur Espresso in San Diego, California, the GCA US & Canada Gold Flat White Different winner. Eric will share how he chosen Sur’s coffees and ready submissions for the competitors. You possibly can register right here to attend the English webinar.
A Spanish model of the webinar may also be held on 15 July for roasters contemplating the Latin America and Caribbean competitors. Confirmed audio system embody Adriana Villanueva from four-time GCA Origin Roasted Gold winners Café Cultor (Bogotá, Colombia) and Norberto Vásquez from GCA Origin Roasted Cabra Negra (Quito, Ecuador), which received Gold within the GCA Origin Roasted Flat White Different Single Origin Conventional subcategory. You possibly can register right here to attend the Spanish webinar.
The 2026 GCA would be the largest version but, that includes extra roasters from world wide than ever.
By way of its worldwide competitors circuit, the GCA is designed not solely to determine the perfect roasters throughout areas but additionally to pit them in opposition to each other within the World Championship, culminating within the World’s Finest Roaster.
Contact [email protected] and the GCA Gross sales and Relationship Supervisor, Emi Rueda, through WhatsApp right here for extra data.
Apply to compete within the GCA right here.
Good Day by day Grind
Photograph credit: International Espresso Awards, Woods Specialty Roastery, Brew 92, Oasis Espresso Buying and selling Firm, CMI Roastery, Archers Espresso, Roasting Home, Cypher City Roaster
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