Coffee Arena: winners of the Italian Barista Championships announced

The 2025 edition of the prestigious Italian Barista Coffee Championships ended with great success.

In the CIBC Finals - Italian Barista Caffetteria Championship, the title went to Daniele Ricci, a 27-year-old from Brescia, who took first place thanks to his skill and creativity in preparing four espressos, four coffee and hot milk drinks, and four customised espresso-based soft drinks. Completing the podium were Filippo Guarneri, 26, from Brescia, and Irene Giupponi, 22, from Bergamo. The competition, held in the Coffee Arena, follows the rules of the WBC (World Barista Championship), the top international event dedicated to coffee professionals.

For the Italian Cup Tasters Championship, it was Marco Paccagnella, 38 years old and resident of Barcelona, who took the top step of the podium. The silver medal went to Luigi Paternoster, 36, from Gravina in Puglia, while the bronze was awarded to Flavio D'Onofrio, 33, from Pomigliano d'Arco. The competitors demonstrated their tasting skills by quickly distinguishing the differences in taste in eight sets of three cups each of Specialty Coffee. This competition is also valid for the WCTC (World Cup Tasters Championship).

Andrea Batacchi, a 27-year-old from Florence, won the title of Italian Champion Brewers Cup 2025. On the podium, in second and third place, were Gabriele Pezzaioli, from Brescia, 26 years old, and Luana Lazzarone, from Turin, 30 years old, respectively. The ‘Brewers Cup’ preparation method involves the use of manual ‘pourover’ techniques, based on filtration systems in which hot water is manually poured over the coffee powder retained by a filter. Each participant prepared three drinks for the three judges, aiming to achieve not only excellent coffee but also correct extraction, verified with a refractometer to measure solids. The championship is valid for the WBC (World Brewers Cup).

For the CIGS - Italian Coffee In Good Spirits Championship, first place went to Andrea Villa, 44, from Lesmo (MB). On the second and third step of the podium were Marco Poidomani, 49, from Modica (RG), and Luigi Cippone, 35, from Bari. Coffee In Good Spirits is a discipline that combines the world of coffee with that of bartending, resulting in classic or creative drinks. The competitors had 10 minutes to prepare two Irish coffees and two cocktails, hot or cold, based on hot coffee and spirits. This championship is also valid for the WCIGS (World Coffee In Good Spirits Championship).

Stefano Cevenini, 25 years old from Bologna, won the title of CILA - Italian Latte Art Champion. On the podium, in second and third place, were Alessio Panero, 25 years old from Turin, and Michele Intravaia, 34 years old from Canicattì i Bagni (Syracuse). Here, in a maximum time of 10 minutes, they had to prepare four artistic coffee and milk drinks, equal to two by two.

Gianluca Lavacca, 46, from Bari, on the other hand, won the title of Italian Coffee Roasting Champion. Second place went to Emanuele Tomassi, 57, from Aprilia, while third place went to Michael Angelini, 33, from Ascoli Piceno. The roasting competition developed over a busy three-day programme on: green coffee classification, roasting and tasting of roasted coffee.

Talar Bitar, on the other hand, is the winner of the Italian Cezve/Ibrik Championship, the competition that showcases the preparation of coffee by means of the Ibrik, a pot specially designed to prepare a particular type of coffee widely consumed in parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.