Germany was another stop on the road to the Open de Cata 2026, during two days where sensory memory, concentration, and passion for coffee took center stage.

The event took place at Alrighty Coffee, who also collaborated in the organization of the competition. We would like to thank their team for hosting the event and supporting the organization of this Pre Open de Cata.

Over the course of two days, baristas, cuppers, and coffee professionals gathered to take part in the world’s most demanding coffee sensory championship: remembering, identifying, and sensorially distinguishing between seemingly identical cups.

Day 1 – Qualifications

On the first day, 30 participants competed in the qualification round, which focused exclusively on Sensory Memory.

Competitors had to rely on their palate and concentration to identify matching cups among sets of coffees with very subtle differences. At the end of the round, the best 12 competitors advanced to the semifinals taking place on the second day.

Day 2 – Semifinal

During the semifinal round, the 12 qualified competitors faced two different challenges: Sensory Memory and Triangulation.

This stage increased the level of difficulty, testing both the competitors’ ability to remember cups and their skill in identifying the different coffee within a triangulation set.

After these rounds, the best 8 competitors advanced to the final.

Final

The final round focused once again on Sensory Memory, where the finalists had to demonstrate exceptional precision, speed, and sensory focus to identify the correct cups.

Winner

After two intense days of competition, Aurore Ceretta won the Pre Open de Cata Germany, securing first place.

Takuya Sato finished in second place, while Huong Quach (Lucy) completed the podium in third.

With this victory, Aurore Ceretta earns a place in the Open de Cata 2026, where she will compete against the winners of the different international Pre Open events.