Joris Pfaff named Best Coffee Roaster in France for 2015

The French Coffee Association held its 29th Coffee Roasting Conference from 28 – 29 September in Bordeaux, France. The event saw more than 100 exhibitors gather, and more than 1000 professionals attend. For the sixth year running, the group held the Best Coffee Roaster of France award. To compete participants have to complete a blind cupping of five coffees, roast on a 2-kilogram machine seven origins of choice, and identify the origin, variety and processing method of 10 green coffees, all in under 4 hours. Joris Pfaff emerged the winner of the event, with a score of 90.18 out of 100. The 36-year-old has been roasting coffee since 1998, in a family business set up in 1930. Philippe Gare from Le Grain de Café in Cognac won second place while Francois Guiavarch from Cafés Duchossoy in Havre won third. The event also held the second annual Espresso Blend competition, with Sylvain Caron from Brulerie Caron in Chatillon emerging the winner. He used a mix of Bourbon beans from Salvador and Cerro Azul beans from Colombia. Second place in the espresso competition went to Philippe Gare from Le Grain de Café in Cognac, and third place went to Philippe Exbrayat from Limoges.