The Helsinki Coffee Festival has chosen the best filter coffee, the winner is Porin Paahatimo

The Helsinki Coffee Festival has chosen the best filter coffee, the winner is Porin Paahatimo

The largest coffee festival in Northern Europe had to be cancelled this year due to the COVID19 pandemic, but the Helsinki Coffee Festival organised the filter coffee competition on 10 December.  

At this festival, the best coffee of the year prepared using the espresso and filter method is selected. For this edition, the prize for the best black tea of the year was added. However, the event, which was cancelled due to the COVID19 pandemic, decided to hold a competition to choose the best filtered coffee.

Judges during the selection cupping

19 coffees from different roasters participated in the filtered coffee competition.

The coffee of the roaster Porin Paahtimo in the city of Pori is the best filter coffee of the year

The jury chose the winner, Porin Pahhtimo, a roaster located in the city of Pori, from among 19 coffees. He presented a coffee from Kenya AB Fram in the competition.

The jury evaluated the sweetness, balance and aftertaste of the coffee. All of the participating judges are coffee professionals as well as food industry influences, including Viivi Ahtiainen, who worked as a coffee professional, wine expert Tuomas Meriluoto , influential coffee author Lari Salomaa, and chef and writer Meri-Tuuli Väntsi .

"This year's competition had coffees from different origins although most came from Kenya and Colombia" describes Lari Salomaa - coffee professional and author.

"It is wonderful that so many small roasters are involved and it is great to see the high quality that the small Finnish coffee roasters offer. In ten years, the level of Finnish roasters has increased dramatically. It is also great to see so many valuable Kenyan coffees involved in the competition. Although there was a lot of dispersion among the coffees, most were clearly of high quality" describes Viivi Ahtiainen - coffee professional.

"It is also good to see the great roasters involved who respond to the challenges and trends of the market," continues Lari Salomaa.

These were the best coffees of the year:

First place - Kenya AB Fram, Café Solo Oy

Second place - Kenya AA Gatina, Cafetoria Roastery

Third place - "A + RPR" by Artisan & Robert Paulig Roastery (Colombia)

The winning coffee is a washed Kenyan coffee, originating from southwest Kenya and grown in the Kiambu region on mineral and red clay soils at an altitude of 1860m. The coffee variety is SL28, SL34. The Fram coffee farm has been in operation since 1958 and is managed by James Kariuki.

The winning coffee for the filter competition for 2020 was selected from 19 coffees roasted by different roasters, who would have participated in the Helsinki Coffee Festival.

These are the coffees that participated in the competition: