Specialty espresso roasters of all sizes within the US, Canada, Europe, and coffee-producing nations can now compete within the International Espresso Awards. 

The GCA is a prestigious competitors that addresses a niche within the espresso business, recognising the world’s finest roasteries and the producers who develop their coffees. Not like different espresso championships, the GCA rewards the general model somewhat than a person roaster, permitting firms to strengthen their model identification.

Specialty espresso roasters can submit baggage of their prime coffees throughout outlined classes for blind judging by a panel of consultants. Regional winners will then proceed to the worldwide finals, which will probably be held at Producer & Roaster Discussion board El Salvador in March 2026, the place the world champion will probably be introduced. 

Purposes at the moment are open. Learn on to study extra in regards to the GCA, competitor necessities, and how one can apply to submit your coffees.

Study extra about GCA right here.

What are the International Espresso Awards?

From small independents to regional and nationwide manufacturers, the International Espresso Awards invitations roasters within the US, Canada, Europe, and coffee-producing nations to submit baggage of their most distinctive coffees throughout a spread of classes.

“This can be a actually international espresso competitors,” says Henry Wilson, the founding father of GCA. “We’re on the lookout for roasters that take distinctive satisfaction within the high quality of their espresso choices to go head-to-head with the most effective of the most effective.”

For the primary spherical, there will probably be three regional competitions:

• US & Canada: 29 & 30 September 2025 in Houston, Texas, hosted at Copan Commerce
• Origin class (any roaster primarily based in a coffee-producing nation): 1 October 2025 in Houston, Texas, hosted at Copan Commerce
• Europe: 28 & 29 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France, hosted at Belco

A panel of certified consultants will choose all coffees blind. The panel will embody espresso professionals with expertise within the Cup of Excellence and Better of Panama competitions. The judges will use a scoring system that’s goal and clear, designed to supply actionable suggestions for each entrant.

Worldwide professional judges will style the coffees and choose winners throughout every area for each class, awarding Gold, Silver, and Bronze honours.

All Gold regional winners will then advance to compete on the international finals, which will probably be held at PRF El Salvador in March 2026, the place producers who’ve grown their coffees will be a part of them. The general champion will probably be topped through the GCA awards ceremony on the night of the primary day of PRF El Salvador, incomes the title of world’s finest roaster. There may even be a VIP dinner on the identical night.

Awarding excellence in specialty espresso

“The International Espresso Awards is the chance to extend demand for high-quality espresso and improve transparency between roaster and producer, the place the top client finally advantages,” says William Dunaway, a dealer at Copan Commerce, a inexperienced espresso importer within the US and a GCA sponsor.

“What excites me probably the most is with the ability to join with individuals who go the additional mile to ship nice espresso, a compelling story, and transparency,” he provides.

By means of its regional competitors format, the GCA is designed to seek out not solely the most effective roasters within the US & Canada, Europe, and coffee-producing nations, but additionally to put the winners to compete towards one another – culminating in a worldwide champion.

“This distinctive format ranges the competitors enjoying area, particularly with the Origin class,” Henry says. “Roasters in producing nations have a possibility to go head-to-head with their friends within the US, Canada, and Europe, and win the title of world’s finest.”

For future editions, the GCA will develop to incorporate GCC nations and different continents, broadening the attain of the competitors.

Why participate within the GCA?

By submitting baggage of their espresso, roasters will be a part of a worldwide community of modern, forward-thinking business friends which can be serving to elevate high quality requirements, offering worldwide visibility and recognition for his or her model.

The Gold winners are formally recognised as the most effective of their class and area, and may have the chance to compete to be the worldwide champion. This enhances model credibility and validates roasting abilities and experience.

Gold Class Winners will obtain trophies, and all different winners will obtain official certificates. All successful roasters may even be included in an internationally distributed digital catalogue, providing international model publicity.

Each roaster receives judging suggestions designed to assist enhance roast profiles and future GCA submissions. Skilled judges will ship curated, extremely knowledgeable suggestions that roasters can apply to their enterprise operations, together with roast profile improvement.

Taking part roasters may even obtain digital and bodily Gold, Silver, and Bronze International Espresso Awards seals. These are distinctive marks of excellence that they will show on their packaging, advertising supplies, web sites, social media channels, and menus. This provides credibility and visibility, demonstrating to prospects and wholesale purchasers that GCA opponents are main international manufacturers.

The GCA workforce will reverse-engineer the successful coffees to determine the producers chargeable for rising them. Which means when a roaster submits a bag of espresso, they routinely enter the producer who grew the espresso into the competitors.

The workforce will then ship complimentary invites to the successful producers to attend the worldwide finals and awards ceremony. This recognises producers alongside roasters and creates actual alternatives for face-to-face connection and relationship constructing. 

Profitable producers may even obtain a GCA seal and certificates of excellence, acknowledging their essential position within the business.

How will the GCA work?

Roasters can submit baggage of their espresso into 4 fundamental classes and a number of other subcategories:

• Filter (roasted particularly for handbook or automated pour over brewing)
  • Pure
  • Washed
  • Honey
  • Experimental processing technique
  • Mix
  • Single origin
  • Robusta 
  • Decaf
• Espresso (roasted particularly for espresso to be served with out milk)
  • Mix
  • Single origin
  • Decaf
• Flat White – Dairy (roasted particularly for espresso to be served with dairy as a flat white)
• Flat White – Different (roasted particularly for espresso to be served with a plant milk as a flat white)

“All classes and subcategories have been rigorously curated in keeping with suggestions from among the world’s finest roasters, reflecting core choices in addition to trending coffees,” Henry says. “We needed to create a contest that encapsulates all of the coffees obtainable available on the market, from mainstream to area of interest, so that each one roasters really feel represented and may participate.”

The coffees will probably be despatched to rigorously chosen specialty inexperienced importer companions within the respective areas, together with Copan Commerce for the US, Canada, and producing nations, and Belco for Europe. 

The GCA’s judging system was created in partnership with licensed Q graders and CoE cuppers. Earlier than the primary analysis, all entries bear a cupping spherical, which follows the SCA 100-point protocol. The highest 20% of coffees, or as much as 100 per subcategory, will advance to the ultimate judging stage.

For the Filter and Espresso classes, this contains scores between 5.00 and 10.00 for 9 standards:

• Aroma
• Flavour
• Aftertaste
• Acidity
• Physique
• Steadiness
• Defects
• Sweetness
• Total

For each Flat White classes, this contains scores between 5.00 and 10.00 for 5 standards:

• Sweetness
• Steadiness
• Espresso presence
• Mouthfeel
• Total

Judging on the GCA

The panel contains a number of judges with distinct tasks:

• One lead choose: Oversees calibration, ensures all judges comply with protocols and requirements, and leads the analysis course of
• 4 licensed Q-grader sensory judges: Chargeable for scoring and sensory analysis
• Eight shadow judges: Chargeable for getting ready the samples in accordance with formal recipes and protocols, and supporting decision-making in tie-breaking conditions

The ultimate variety of judges per competitors will rely upon the variety of submissions, and it will likely be disclosed nearer to the occasion date.

“My choice to help and participate within the GCA is predicated on the fervour I’ve for espresso analysis, particularly roasted espresso,” says Jayson Galvis, a former Espresso High quality Institute teacher and COE choose, in addition to the Lead Choose for the Origin and US & Canada competitions on the GCA. “My first expertise, each private {and professional}, was centered on assessing roasted espresso as a completed product. 

“I additionally deeply worth the aim of this occasion, which seeks to recognise espresso manufacturers and producers who’re gaining relevance available in the market, each in how they promote espresso and elevate high quality requirements.”

All judges start with a compulsory calibration session and proceed calibrating all through the competitors to take care of consistency and accuracy.

Taking part in shadow judging on the GCA affords espresso professionals the chance to study firsthand about cupping and occasional tasting protocols and have interaction with among the most skilled cuppers within the business. To be thought-about for this judging place, fill out this type.

The International Finals

All regional Gold winners will advance to the worldwide finals, which will probably be held at PRF El Salvador in March 2026, the place they are going to compete for worldwide recognition.

“I’ve a deep reference to this type of initiative, one which seeks to focus on and provides relevance to the craft of roasting and the industrial efforts of many firms centered on high-quality espresso and area of interest markets,” Jayson says. “Many of those roasteries are positioned in small neighbourhoods, in modest city areas, and even in rural areas of manufacturing nations, the place espresso retailers sit proper subsequent to the farms.

“The prospect to judge these kind of coffees is an enormous problem, however the purpose is evident: to help the neighborhood, particularly roasters and producers who give attention to high-quality espresso.”

As soon as successful coffees are confirmed, the GCA workforce will ship a personalised invitation to the producers, cooperatives, or associations that grew them to attend the awards ceremony. This permits successful producers to go to farms, meet roasters and inexperienced espresso patrons, and study from like-minded farmers.

Who can apply?

All GCA members should be commercially registered roasters and legally registered firms.

The competitors will have a good time roasters of all sizes, from small-batch micro roasters to increasing unbiased, regional, and nationwide manufacturers:

• Micro roasters – Smaller roasters, typically with a single location, that target high-quality heaps and direct commerce relationships with producers
• Independents – Established roasters with a number of places and an increasing presence in cafés and wholesale markets
• Regional – Bigger specialty espresso roasters with broad distribution throughout a number of channels, together with cafés, wholesale, and retail
• Nationwide & worldwide – Giant-scale espresso firms with vertically built-in fashions and expansive buyer base throughout nationwide and worldwide markets

Participation permits roasters of any measurement to attach and affiliate themselves with distinguished, influential worldwide manufacturers. This opens up alternatives to construct networks, develop into new markets, and leverage the experience of well-established firms.

The GCA workforce may even host the What are the International Espresso Awards? Every part You Have to Know webinar on 30 July at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST/4:00 PM GMT to elucidate extra about how the competitors works and the way roasters can apply. There may even be a Spanish webinar.

How can I apply?

To compete within the GCA, roasters should first select their 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. Roasters should submit no less than one bag of espresso.

To be eligible for the title of total regional champion, a roastery should compete in no less than three completely different classes inside their respective area. Roasters can compete in all classes and subcategories, and may submit as much as 5 baggage of espresso per subcategory. 

As factors for regional winners are allotted primarily based on the variety of class factors awarded, the extra classes you take part in, the upper your probabilities of successful.

All coffees submitted for the International Espresso Awards should be acquired by:

• US & Canada and Origin classes: 26 September 2025
• Europe: 26 October 2025

To order their spot within the competitors, roasters should pay entry charges prematurely. There will probably be a normal entry price per firm submission, however reductions will probably be obtainable for early-bird registration.

As soon as cost is confirmed, roasters can fill out their entry varieties and submit their coffees. It’s endorsed that roasters full their entry varieties and ship samples properly prematurely of the submission deadline to make sure immediate arrival.

Entry kits

Entry kits for the respective regional competitions are beneath:

Earlier than starting your submission, it’s endorsed to obtain your respective entry equipment to study extra in regards to the classes, judging course of, and delivery deadlines.

To order your spot, go to the GCA web site.

The International Espresso Awards will recognise the world’s most distinctive specialty espresso roasters and the producers behind them.

The competitors will push the boundaries of excellence and status within the espresso business, giving roasters a worthwhile alternative to raise their branding and obtain worldwide recognition.

Contact data@globalcoffeeawards.com and the GCA challenge supervisor, Emi Rueda, by way of WhatsApp right here for extra data.

Apply to compete within the GCA right here.

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