BEST ROASTER — Nordic Coffee Fest

WHAT IS BEST ROASTER?

Best Roaster is a peer-assessed, uncompromising challenge, focused on the real-world skills and expertise of the world’s best coffee roasters. More than that, it is a celebration of the hard work and dedication that goes into being one of the world’s best coffee roasters.

THE OFFICIAL FINALISTS OF NORDICS BEST ROASTER 2026

The Selection Round is complete!

An esteemed panel of judges cupped 25 coffees from some of the Nordic´s best roasters to narrow the field to just 10. These finalists will go on to compete for the title of Nordics Best Roaster 2026 at Nordic Coffee Fest in February. Congratulations to our finalists!

Country of origin: Colombia
Region: Antioquia – Ciudad Bolivar
Varietal: Caturra
Crop year: September-October 2024
Producer: Cumbres
Processing: Fully Washed with prolonged aerobic fermentation
Price per kg: 12,13USD/KG
Country of origin: Kenya
Region: Kibirigwi, Kiriniaga
Varietal: SL28. K7. ruiru11. Batian
Crop year: 2024
Producer: Kibirigwi Farmers Cooperative
Processing: Washed
Price per kg: 9,2 USD/Kg
Country of origin: Kenya
Region: Kiambu
Varietal: SL28 SL34 RUIRU 11 BATIAN
Crop year: 2025
Producer: Gitwe Farmers Coop
Processing: Fully washed
Price per kg: 17.50USD/Kg
Country of origin: Ethiopia
Region: Wete Kebele of Konga Woreda, Yirgacheffee
Varietal: Heirloom
Crop year: 2025
Producer: Small-scale farmers from Wete Village in Konga
Processing: This coffee is processed using the washed method. The cherries are handpicked, then pulped to remove the mucilage. The beans are soaked for 48 hours and dried on African beds for 18 to 21 days.
Price per kg: 16,25USD/Kg
Country of origin: Ethiopia
Region: Gedeb, Gedeo
Varietal: Heirloom
Crop year: November - December 2024
Producer: +400 smallholders near the Danche washing station
Processing: Washed
Price per kg: 14,67USD/Kg
Country of origin: Colombia
Region: Huila
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Crop year: 22/23
Producer: Jhoan Vergara
Processing: The coffee, as cherries, have gone through 60 hours oxidation process along with a 50 degrees Celsius thermal-chock process.
Then, 80 hours of submerge with (A yeast* is added to catalysed and enhance the flavours of the cherries).
Then the coffee is dried, as cherries, in a silo for 24 hours, and then dried under the sun for 15 days.
Then, the coffee is de-pulped
*The yeast is the "mosto" that they are using during the fermentation process.
Mosto is the "juice/liquid" result of the fermentation of ripe fruit from a previous lot/batch. This is used during the fermentation process to enhance the flavours of the coffee.
Price per kg: 29,84 USD/kg
Country of origin: Colombia
Region: Quindío
Varietal: Gesha
Crop year: February 2025
Producer: Sebastián Gómez
Processing:
1. Harvest & Sorting: Only ripe cherries were hand-picked, floated, and manually sorted to remove underripe or defective coffee cherries.
2. Fermentation Protocol:
o 24 hours of aerobic fermentation in whole coffee cherries.
o 50 hours of anaerobic fermentation in GrainPro bags, maintained below 22°C.
o No additives, co-fermentation, or external agents were introduced at any stage. Only clean water was used for flotation and quality control.
3. Drying: After fermentation, the cherries were dried on raised beds inside a greenhouse, with regular turning and careful monitoring until reaching a moisture content of 9.5–11%.
According to the producer, this coffee was processed following a Natural EF2 protocol, strictly limited to aerobic and anaerobic fermentation stages of the whole cherry. No additives, foreign yeasts, bacteria, spices, fruits, powders, or liquids were introduced. The only substance used beyond the harvested coffee cherries was clean water for flotation, managed under an environmentally responsible filtration system
Price per kg: 43,76USD/Kg
Country of origin: Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe
Varietal: Kurume or 74158
Crop year: Late November 2024 -start January 2025
Producer: Habtamu Fikadu Aga
Processing: Extendet washed(72h soak Kenya style)
Price per kg: 13,2 USD/Kg
Country of origin: Kenya
Region: Kirinyaga
Varietal: SL 28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru 11
Crop year: 2025
Producer: Inoi Farmers Cooperative Society
Processing: Washed
Price per kg: 16,77USD/Kg
Country of origin: Kenya
Region: Kiambu, Central Province
Varietal: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
Crop year: 2025
Producer: Thiririka Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS)
Processing: This coffee is processed as fully washed. After delivery to the washing station, the cherries are hand sorted before being pulped. The parchment is then fermented overnight and washed the following morning. During washing, it is separated into grades: P1, P2, P3, and P lights. Drying takes place over 15 to 21 days.
Price per kg: 19,62USD/Kg

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The finals will take place on February 27 in Gothenburg, with the winner announced on the closing day of Nordic Coffee Fest.

COMPETITION FORMAT

Roasters must first pass the selection round, where they submit a coffee to a jury of expert cuppers who blind cup the coffees twice to select a final 10 competitors.

From there, each finalist roasts two coffees; a mandatory coffee provided to them, as well as a sourced coffee they select themselves.

The final round is judged by the roasters themselves along with a small panel of VIP judges to determine the Nordics Best Roaster.

RULES AND COFFEE CRITERIA FOR 2026

In 2026, the sourcing criteria is the same for both the application round and the final round:

Region: Any

Varietal: Any

Maximum price: 45 USD/kg (all in cost paid to get the coffee to your door).

Process: Any processing and fermentation protocol is allowed, but no co-fermentation. No additives, except water, may be added to coffee after harvest. This includes exposure to other fruit, substances, foreign yeasts & bacteria, spices, liquids, powders, etc.

READ FULL RULES