PARTICIPATION

REGISTRATION BY 22 MARCH 2026

• Registration for the competition must be completed via this form no later than Sunday, 22 March 2026.
• If you need to make changes to a form you have already submitted, please submit a new one. The most recent submission will be taken into account.

DELIVERY OF COMPETITION COFFEE BY 27 MARCH 2026

• One filter coffee entry per company
• The coffees entered into the competition must be delivered no later than Friday, 27 March 2026, either by post or in person, to the following address:
  
  • Kaapelitehtaan Kahvibaari, Kaapeliaukio 3
    00180 Helsinki Finland
  • Please clearly mark the package with: “Helsinki Coffee Festival”.
• We recommend sending two packages in case of possible damage during delivery. There will be up to 6 judges for this category.

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COMPETITION CATEGORIES AND RULES

FILTER COFFEE

• One filter coffee entry per company
• Maximum green coffee purchase price: €30/kg
• The filter coffee must be traditionally washed processed, as the competition emphasizes balance. No added ingredients (co-ferments) or additional fermentation processes (e.g. anaerobic) are allowed
• Coffee must be delivered as whole beans
• The competition product must be available at the event until Sunday, 19 April, and sufficiently available on the Finnish market

DECAFFEINATED FILTER COFFEE

• One filter coffee entry per company
• Maximum green coffee purchase price: €30/kg
• Coffee must be delivered as whole beans
• The competition product must be available at the event until Sunday, 19 April, and sufficiently available on the Finnish market

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COMPETITION PROCESS

BREWING

• The competitions will be held at the Cable Factory on April 1st‍
• All competition coffees will be prepared by a neutral professional barista to ensure consistency
• The main competition partner is Fredman, Finland’s only domestic filter paper manufacturer. Fredman filter papers are produced at their factory in Rauma using a circular economy method from FSC-certified paper‍
• Coffees will be brewed using Wilfa brewers, making the preparation as easy and repeatable as possible in home conditions

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Coffees are evaluated anonymously
• In the event of a tie, the head judge will make the final decision
• Evaluation criteria are sweetness, acidity, balance, and aftertaste

PARTICIPATION

REGISTRATION BY 22 MARCH 2026

• Registration for the competition must be completed via this form no later than Sunday, 22 March 2026.
• If you need to make changes to a form you have already submitted, please submit a new one. The most recent submission will be taken into account.

DELIVERY OF COMPETITION COFFEE BY 27 MARCH 2026

• The coffees entered into the competition must be delivered no later than Friday, 27 March 2026, either by post or in person, to the following address:
  
  • Kaapelitehtaan Kahvibaari, Kaapeliaukio 3
    00180 Helsinki Finland
  • Please clearly mark the package with: “Helsinki Coffee Festival”.
• We recommend sending two packages in case of possible damage during delivery. There will be up to 6 judges for this category.

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COMPETITION CATEGORIES AND RULES

Each company may enter up to two teas per category. In categories where multiple products may be entered, only the higher-ranking product can place in the Top 3.

Tea may be either loose leaf or tea bags. The competition product must be available at the event until Sunday, 19 April, and sufficiently available on the Finnish market.

GREEN TEA

• Unflavored tea

BLACK TEA

• Unflavored tea

OOLONG TEA

• Unflavored, dark oolong

FLAVORED TEA

• This year’s theme for flavored tea is summer tea

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COMPETITION PROCESS

PREPARATION

• The competitions will be held at the Cable Factory on April 1st‍
• The teas will be prepared by a neutral tea professional according to the instructions provided in the company’s competition registration form
• The instructions must specify quantity (g/dl), time (seconds), and temperature (°C)

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The jury will evaluate the teas anonymously based on the following criteria:

• Aroma
• Flavor
• Balance
• Mouthfeel
• Aftertaste

PARTICIPATION

REGISTRATION BY 22 MARCH 2026

• Registration for the competition must be completed via this form no later than Sunday, 22 March 2026.
• If you need to make changes to a form you have already submitted, please submit a new one. The most recent submission will be taken into account.

DELIVERY OF COMPETITION PRODUCTS BY 27 MARCH 2026

• The kombuchas entered into the competition must be delivered no later than Friday, 27 March 2026, either by post or in person, to the following address:
  
  • Kaapelitehtaan Kahvibaari, Kaapeliaukio 3
    00180 Helsinki Finland
  • Please clearly mark the package with: “Helsinki Coffee Festival”.
• There must be a sufficient quantity of product for six judges, and we recommend allowing for possible damage to products during delivery.

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COMPETITION RULES

• Each company may enter up to two kombuchas
• In competitions where multiple products may be entered, only the higher-ranking product can place in the Top 3
• The competition product must be available at the event until Sunday, 19 April, and sufficiently available on the Finnish market

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COMPETITION PROCESS

• The competitions will be held at the Cable Factory on April 1st
• The jury will evaluate the kombuchas anonymously based on the following criteria:
  • Sweetness
  • Balance
  • Aftertaste
  • Overall score

PARTICIPATION

REGISTRATION

• Registration for the competition must be completed via this form no later than Sunday, 5 April 2026.
• If you need to make changes to a form you have already submitted, please submit a new one. The most recent submission will be taken into account.

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COMPETITION COFFEES ARE PREPARED AT YOUR OWN STAND

SCHEDULE: The competitions will take place at Helsinki Coffee Festival on Friday, 17 April. All participating companies will be assigned their own time slot, during which the competition coffees must be ready for delivery to the jury.

CUPS: The Helsinki Coffee Festival team will deliver the cups used in the competition to each participant in advance. There will be approximately 4–6 judges. Cup volume is 1.5 dl, and approximately 1 dl of competition coffee per cup/judge is sufficient.

DELIVERY:The festival team will collect the competition products from the participant’s stand at the pre-announced time and deliver them to the judges.

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COMPETITION CATEGORIES AND RULES

LIMITED EDITION

• One filter coffee entry per company
• No price cap, specified brewing method, or other restrictions apply in the Limited Edition filter coffee category
• Each roastery may provide a short description of the coffee (max. 300 characters)
  • Points may be awarded for the coffee’s innovation, story, origin, or processing method
  • The text must not contain any identifiable information about the roastery
  • This description accounts for 20% of the total score in the Limited Edition category

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• 80% of the score: Sweetness, acidity, balance, and aftertaste
• 20% of the score: Coffee story

Coffees are evaluated anonymously, and in the event of a tie, the head judge will make the final decision.

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LIMITED EDITION - INTRODUCTION

We want to further develop the Coffee of the Year competitions. When the Coffee of the Year – Filter Coffee competition was originally established, the goal was to make better coffee accessible to everyone. We now want to return to that original purpose and highlight consistent, high-quality coffees that suit the everyday consumer.

In the Coffee of the Year – Filter Coffee category, we are looking for a good, balanced coffee that represents the roastery’s craftsmanship. For this reason, coffees entered into the Filter Coffee category must be washed processed and have a green coffee purchase price of under €30/kg.

Alongside the Coffee of the Year – Filter Coffee category, we also want to highlight exceptional, high-end “hobbyist” coffees. Therefore, last spring we introduced the Limited Edition category. In Limited Edition, roasteries can take their craftsmanship to a new—even wild—level, where the story and processing method of the coffee are part of the scoring criteria. Otherwise, there are no restrictions in this category: roasteries are encouraged to be bold and showcase new trends, coffee phenomena, and flavors.

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PARTICIPATION

REGISTRATION

• Registration for the competition must be completed via this form no later than Sunday, 5 April 2026.
• If you need to make changes to a form you have already submitted, please submit a new one. The most recent submission will be taken into account.

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COMPETITION COFFEES ARE PREPARED AT YOUR OWN STAND

SCHEDULE: The competitions will take place at Helsinki Coffee Festival on Friday, 17 April. All participating companies will be assigned their own time slot, during which the competition espressos must be ready for delivery to the jury.

CUPS: The Helsinki Coffee Festival team will deliver the cups used in the competition to each participant in advance. There will be approximately 4–6 judges. Cup volume is 15 cl, and approximately 10 cl of competition espresso per cup/judge is sufficient.

DELIVERY: The festival team will collect the competition products from the participant’s stand at the pre-announced time and deliver them to the judges.

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CATEGORY AND COMPETITION RULES

ESPRESSO

• One espresso entry per company
• Maximum green coffee purchase price: €30/kg

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Coffees are evaluated anonymously, and in the event of a tie, the head judge will make the final decision.
The evaluation criteria are sweetness, acidity, balance, and aftertaste.

ROASTERY OF THE YEAR

The Roastery of the Year is selected based on performance in the following competitions:

• Filter Coffee
• Decaffeinated Coffee
• Espresso
• Limited Edition Filter Coffee

The Roastery of the Year will be awarded at the event.

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AUDIENCE FAVORITE

Visitors attending both the professional day and the consumer days can vote for their favorite stands throughout the event.

The winners will be announced and featured on the social media channels of Helsinki Coffee Festival and Ice Cream and Chocolate Carnival.