Athens was one of the stops on the road to the Open de Cata 2026, in a day where sensory memory, concentration, and a passion for coffee took center stage.

The event was held together with our partner Roasting Warehouse, bringing together baristas, cuppers, and coffee professionals for the world’s most demanding coffee sensory championship: remembering, identifying, and sensorially distinguishing between seemingly identical cups.

Semifinal

During the Sensory Memory semifinal rounds, participants worked with coffees from different origins such as El Salvador, Ethiopia and Nicaragua, with a diversity of Processes and Profiles that put their taste memory to the test.

All the coffees used in this round are available in our warehouse in Greece and can be purchased through our website.

Final

For the final, the competition focused on coffees from Rwanda, all Bourbon Rouge, but with different processes and washing stations, generating very different shades in the cup.

Two of these lots are also available in our warehouse in Greece.

All the coffees used in the event were roasted by IRM Coffee Roasting Machines, guaranteeing consistent roast profiles for the competition.

Winner

After several rounds, the winner of the Pre Open de Cata Athens 2026 was Orestis Sfiris (Greece), with 11 points and a total time of 05:13. Elias Kolovos took second place, while Thanos Klouvatos finished third to complete the podium.

With this victory, Orestis secures his place in the Open de Cata, where he will compete against the winners of the different international Pre Open events.