Pre Open de Cata – Italy 2025 took place on November 20, 2025 in an emblematic setting for coffee culture: the Accademia del Caffè Espresso La Marzocco, located in Fiesole, in the hills surrounding Florence. A space dedicated to training and excellence, which hosted an intense day of sensory competition.

The event was attended by 9 tasters from different European countries, including Italy, Spain and Germany, creating an international and highly professional atmosphere.

Competition development

The competition was structured in three phases, designed to evaluate sensory memory, discrimination ability and tasting precision.

Sensory Memory – Semifinal

In the sensory memory semi-final, participants worked with coffees from El Salvador and Nicaragua. Two origins with well-defined but complex profiles, which tested the tasters’ capacity for sensory identification and retention.

Sensory Memory – Final

The sensory memory final was dedicated exclusively to coffees from Ethiopia, the absolute protagonists of this last phase. The selection stood out for its elegance, aromatic complexity and sensory depth, raising the technical level of the competition to the maximum.

Triangulation – Final

The triangulation test, already in the final phase, considerably broadened the sensory spectrum, including coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Brazil. This test demanded a high level of concentration and analysis, confronting very different profiles in the same round.

The winner

After an intense day of tastings and close decisions, the winner of the Pre Open de Cata – Italia 2025 was Denes Rajmond, who stood out for his precision, consistency and excellent reading of the sensory profiles throughout all the phases.

Beyond the competition

The Pre Open Cupping – Italy was not only a competition, but also a space for meeting and learning, where coffee professionals from different countries shared their experience, knowledge and passion for specialty coffee.

A day that celebrated the diversity of origins, the quality of the product and the work behind each Coffee, in an environment that perfectly represents these values.

See you at the Open de Cata!