Key takeaways
- The World Espresso Awards (GCA) recognise the world’s greatest roasteries and the producers who provide their coffees.
- Roasters from over 125 international locations submitted greater than 2,000 samples throughout all competitions in 2025.
- The GCA World Championship was held from 20 to 23 March 2026 earlier than Producer & Roaster Discussion board in San Salvador, El Salvador.
- The highest three winners are Lithuania’s Huracán Espresso, Greece’s KAFEA Terra, and Colombia’s Café Cultor, incomes the title of World’s Finest Roasters.
- In 2026, the GCA will host regional MENA, Asia, Africa, the US & Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Origin Roasted competitions.
The World Espresso Awards (GCA) World Championship befell from 20 to 23 March 2026 forward of Producer & Roaster Discussion board (PRF) in El Salvador.
All through 2025, the GCA hosted competitions within the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin Roasted (any coffee-producing nation) to recognise the very best roasters in these areas and the producers behind their coffees.
Greater than 2,000 samples had been submitted by roasters from over 125 international locations, culminating in one of the various and dynamic competitions within the espresso business. The highest 30 roasters from 16 completely different international locations had been solely invited to the World Championship, the place they competed for worldwide recognition and the title of World’s Finest Roaster.
Lithuania’s Huracán Espresso was introduced the general winner, recognised for its distinctive coffees submitted within the Filter and Flat White Different classes.
This yr, in response to surging curiosity from roasters around the globe, the GCA will increase into the Center East and North Africa (MENA), Asia, Africa, and Latin America to construct on its explosive development.
Learn on to search out out all of the GCA World Championship winners and how one can participate in upcoming competitions.
Study extra about GCA right here.
The World Espresso Awards World Championship
Constructed round regional competitions, GCA invitations roasters of all sizes, from small-batch independents to nationwide manufacturers, to submit their greatest coffees throughout outlined classes.
The awards programme is designed to reward the corporate general relatively than a person, serving to roasters strengthen their branding and advertising and marketing.
“Promoting glorious espresso requires an awesome crew of individuals. It begins with the producer, then strikes by means of sourcing, high quality management, model philosophy, and market analysis,” says Emi Rueda, the Challenge Supervisor on the World Espresso Awards. “It’s a complete system, not only a single individual.”
The GCA World Championship befell earlier than PRF El Salvador, one of many espresso business’s largest and most necessary occasions. The World Championship was supported by Host and Tools Companions Behmor and Technochef.
“Internet hosting the World Championship round PRF means roasters can community with world-leading producers and merchants,” says Martin Suard, a Q grader and head of espresso at L’Arbre à Café in Paris, France. He was additionally the Head Choose on the GCA Europe and the World Championship.
The World Championship adopted a format much like the regional occasions. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze class winners from the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin Roasted classes submitted baggage of roasted espresso for blind analysis, sustaining the identical rigorous judging requirements and brewing protocols.
“It’s been so spectacular to see how dedicated roasters had been to collaborating within the World Championship,” Emi notes.
All entries had been awarded a numerical rating throughout a number of standards. “We added the Omni Roast class to the World Championship so roasters can have their coffees evaluated as each espresso and filter,” Emi explains. “This assessments their versatility, technical ability, and talent to develop roast profiles that carry out nicely throughout a number of brewing strategies.”
On the night of 26 March, the GCA Awards Ceremony and Annual Dinner befell on the Hilton Resort in San Salvador. Throughout this celebration, all profitable roasters from the three regional competitions, the producers behind every profitable espresso, and the newly topped World Champions had been formally introduced, recognised, and awarded trophies.
Profitable producers additionally obtained free tickets to the GCA Awards Ceremony & Annual Dinner, reaffirming GCA’s dedication to recognising the world’s greatest espresso producers.
Saying the 2026 GCA World Championship winners
The winners of the GCA World Championship are:
Gold class winners:
- Filter – Huracán Espresso
- Espresso – KAFEA TERRA
- Flat White Dairy – Terres de Café in Paris, France
- Flat White Different – Huracán Espresso
- Omni Roast – Café Cultor
For subcategories, entrants who obtained similar numerical scores each positioned first to make sure equity and parity.
Gold winners of every sub-category (roaster and producer):
Filter:
- Mix – White Peach Membership, Huracán Espresso & a number of producers
- Single origin conventional – Sarchimor, Huracán Espresso & Edzon Jesus Meza Lopez at Finca Del Alba, Mexico
- Single origin experimental
- Pink Bourbon, Casa Landino in Bogotá, Colombia & Albeirson Prada Devia at Finca Tres Esquinas, Colombia
- Area51 COL Ombligon, KAFEA TERRA & Manuel Lopez Cardenas at SIGILO, Colombia
- TyOxy Typica Mejorado, Terres de Café & Pepe Jijón at Finca Soledad, Ecuador
- Washed – Crown Gesha, Café Cultor (producer undisclosed)
- Pure – Xilontla Gesha, Huracán Espresso & Carlos Alberto Cadena Pale at Finca Xilontla, Mexico
- Honey – Typica Mejorado, Cabra Negra Espresso Roasters in Quito, Ecuador & Mario Hervas at Finca Meridiano, Ecuador
- Experimental – Monteblanco Mango Biche Purole Caturra, Vero Espresso Home in Kaunas, Lithuania & Rodrigo Sanchez at Aromas Del Sur, Colombia
- Decaf – Las Flores Pink Bourbon, Vero Espresso Home & Jhohan Vergara and Nestor Lasso at El Diviso, Colombia
Espresso:
- Mix – Regina (mix of Heirloom, Yellow Catucai, Castillo, Caturra & Colombia varieties), Stamp Act Espresso in Seattle, Washington, US & a number of producers (Kayon Mountain in Guji, Ethiopia; Fazenda Cruzeiro in Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil; Pals of Tolima in Tolima, Colombia)
- Single origin conventional – Don Andres Parainema, Vero Espresso Home & José Nahun and Fernandez Sabillon at Las Flores, Honduras
- Single origin experimental – Area51 COL SL28, KAFEA TERRA & Wilton Benitez at La Macarena, Colombia
- Decaf – Huila Sereno Pink Bourbon, Audun Espresso in Bydgoszcz, Poland & 9 producers in Colombia (Diego Javier Trujillo Apache at Las Delicias; Elkin Ramírez at El Mesón; Willinton Hoyos at El Encanto; Fredy Palomino Parra at El Jardín; Cesar Calles at Los Ángeles; Hernan Florez at La Granja; Rolando Guerrero at Nataima; Derly Herrera at La Siberia; Camilo Andrés Cupitre Aldana at Pomerania)
Flat White Dairy:
- Mix – 3 Reinas Caturra Sarchimor, Café de las Nubes in Alvarado, Mexico & Graciela Cuevas Panzzi at Tierra de Reinas, Mexico
- Single origin – Chiroso, Terres de Café & Hunter Tedman at Black Moon Farm, Panama
Flat White Different:
- Mix – The Gentleman, Huracán Espresso & a number of producers
- Single origin – Xilontla Gesha, Huracán Espresso & Carlos Alberto Cadena Pale
Omni Roast:
- Mix – 3 Reinas Caturra Sarchimor, Café de las Nubes & Graciela Cuevas Panzzi
- Single origin – washed Gesha Eclipse Common, Café Cultor (producer undisclosed)
A world snapshot of the espresso market
Along with the regional occasions, the GCA World Championship offered perception right into a broad vary of specialty espresso markets internationally.
“It’s the fruits of the worldwide journey we’ve seen throughout the 2025 regional editions,” Emi explains. “The outcomes enable us to see how roasters from completely different continents and areas, whose clients have completely different pursuits, palates, and expectations, evaluate with each other.
“It offers us distinctive, particular perception into how individuals internationally drink espresso – a helpful useful resource for any roaster and producer.”
The World Championship showcased a various vary of processing strategies. These included conventional washed, pure, and honey tons, in addition to extra experimental strategies similar to anaerobic fermentation, co-fermentation, and TyOxidator. Unique varieties, similar to Ombligon, Typica Mejorado, Sidra and Pink Bourbon, which are sometimes seen at different high-end competitions, had been additionally submitted.
Filter was the preferred class, demonstrating the drink’s world recognition.
“We are able to clearly see the variations between the European, US, Canadian, and origin markets – the coffees they’re sourcing and the producers they’re working with,” Martin explains. “With this info, everybody turns into far more educated in regards to the world espresso business.”
The very best-scoring espresso was Vero Espresso Home’s Don Andres Parainema within the Single Origin Conventional Espresso subcategory, scoring 9.06 out of 10. “I first bought this espresso, which has tasting notes of blackberry, blackcurrant, and chocolate, on the 2023 Cup of Excellence Honduras public sale, the place it positioned fourth,” says Darius Vėželis, the CEO of Vero Espresso Home. “I then met José in individual at PRF Honduras in 2025.”
Huracán Espresso additionally received within the Filter and Flat White Different classes utilizing espresso from Carlos Alberto Cadena Pale, which positioned fifth on the 2025 CoE Mexico competitors.
What makes the World Espresso Awards so necessary?
The GCA focuses on roasted espresso relatively than inexperienced beans, offering a complete high quality evaluation that encompasses a variety of espresso interesting to various client preferences.
“Roasters achieve worldwide visibility and media protection, and their coffees are highlighted in a method that additionally celebrates the producers,” Martin explains.
Alongside rewarding the world’s greatest roasters, the GCA recognises the producers who develop the profitable coffees. “By way of this, we strengthen the relationships between roasters and producers and assist facilitate extra constructive dialogue,” Emi explains. “This helps producers develop espresso with a goal market in thoughts and permits roasters to higher perceive easy methods to promote extra espresso.”
An goal and clear scoring system is used for each entrant throughout all classes to supply actionable suggestions. “As an business, we hardly ever take into consideration how the top client experiences espresso,” Emi explains. “Many roasters had been grateful for the detailed suggestions, permitting them to enhance the client expertise and strengthen their income.”
The coffees in every class are ready as a client would expertise them in a café, utilizing particular brew ratios and brewing protocols. This real-world evaluation ensures that coffees are judged as precisely as attainable.
“Each roaster will get suggestions on the best way they interpret and roast their coffees. It permits them to have a way more in-depth evaluation of their roasting kinds,” Martin explains. “We use the very same recipes and preparation tips, so it’s extra in regards to the espresso itself than the ultimate cup. It’s geared in direction of advertising and marketing: the roaster can promote the espresso for what it’s, relatively than what they count on it is going to be.”
Every espresso is evaluated by means of a two-stage blind tasting: judges first conduct a two-minute quantitative sensory evaluation to attain and describe the espresso, adopted by a three-minute dialogue led by a coordinator to refine and align qualitative suggestions. All feedback are supposed to be constructive and inspiring, providing clear perception with out pointless technical element.
“The judging course of ensures everyone seems to be calibrated to evaluate the coffees, however the judging panel is made up of individuals from completely different international locations, giving the roaster contemporary perception,” says Martin.
For a espresso within the Filter Experimental Class on the GCA Europe version, for instance, the judges really helpful continued experimentation with roast growth or relaxation time to amplify vibrant fruit notes with out compromising the espresso’s steadiness.
Saying the 2026 GCA schedule
Following its success in 2025, the GCA will increase into new areas this yr.
Judging for the MENA, Africa, and Asia editions was initially scheduled to happen at Cypher Roastery in Dubai, UAE. Given the present battle within the Center East, the MENA, Africa, and Asia editions will now happen within the US. The total 2026 GCA schedule contains:
- MENA (Center East and North Africa): 15 June 2026. Judging will happen at Balzac Brothers in Charleston, South Carolina, US
- Africa (excluding MENA international locations): 16 June 2026 at Balzac Brothers
- Asia (excluding MENA international locations): 17 June 2026 at Balzac Brothers
- US & Canada: 10 August 2026. Judging will happen at Copan Commerce in Tomball, Texas, US
- Latin America: 12 August 2026 at Copan Commerce
- Europe: 12 October 2026. Judging will happen at Belco in Bordeaux, France
For the 2027 version, GCA goals to increase into Oceania for full worldwide protection.
“We’re a worldwide competitors, so we wish to embrace roasters from each area,” Emi says. “Final yr, there was robust curiosity from outdoors the US & Canada, Europe, and Origin Roasted international locations. Roasters from international locations similar to Argentina, Japan, Chile, and Taiwan needed to compete, so we’re giving these roasters a chance for world publicity, too.
“That is additionally why we created separate classes for various coffee-producing international locations, like Asia, Africa, and Latin America,” Emi provides. “We give roasters from these areas who aren’t based mostly in coffee-growing international locations the prospect to compete.”
For roasters based mostly in coffee-producing international locations, there shall be a separate Origin Roasted class within the MENA, Asia, Africa, and Latin America competitions. Because of this if a roastery is situated in a producing nation they usually submit a espresso grown of their house nation, they obtain an automated, free-of-charge entry into the Origin Roasted class.
“Successfully, they double their possibilities to compete,” Emi explains. “This dual-category system ensures we highlight roasters in producing areas, typically much less recognised on a global stage, who’re supporting and representing their nation’s espresso sector.”
In keeping with judging and roaster suggestions, there shall be new classes and subcategories on the 2026 GCA occasions. These embrace:
New classes
- Specialty Drip Bag – Mix, Single Origin, Experimental, Decaf
- Capsules (Nespresso appropriate) – Mix, Single Origin, Experimental, Decaf
- Prepared To Drink (RTD) – Mix, Single Origin, Signature, Dairy Latte, Plant-Based mostly Latte
New subcategories
- Espresso – Experimental Mix and Basic Roast Profile
- Filter – Experimental Mix, Basic Roast Profile, Liberica, Gesha, Co-Fermented, and Barrel Aged
- Flat White Dairy and Flat White Plant-Based mostly Milk (renamed for readability) – Experimental and Basic Roast Profile
“The brand new classes and subcategories are based mostly on what we’re seeing within the espresso market,” says Emi. “There was a increase in experimental processing, as an illustration, and extra younger individuals around the globe are consuming RTD espresso.”
Class availability shall be decided based mostly on regional participation ranges, market relevance, and product recognition. This ensures that every competitors displays the realities of its native and regional market whereas sustaining world consistency in judging requirements.
How can I apply to the GCA?
Roasters of any measurement can compete within the GCA. After choosing an entry package deal, candidates should choose the classes and subcategories during which they want to compete, in addition to the variety of coffees they wish to submit.
All coffees submitted for the GCA MENA, Asia, and Africa editions should be obtained by 1 June 2026. The entry kits, which embrace judging kinds, can be found under:
The profitable regional roasters shall be solely invited to compete within the 2027 GCA World Championships, to be held at PRF 2027, with a location to be confirmed within the coming months. It will embrace the GCA Awards Ceremony and Annual Dinner, giving roasters and producers the chance to community with business leaders and specialists.
The 2026 GCA would be the largest version but, together with extra roasters than ever from around the globe.
By way of its worldwide competitors circuit, the GCA is designed to search out not solely the very best roasters throughout completely different areas but additionally to position them in opposition to one another, culminating in a worldwide champion.
Contact [email protected] and Emi Rueda by way of WhatsApp right here for extra info.
Study extra about PRF right here.
Picture credit: World Espresso Awards
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