French Press Coffee Roasters has been crowned the world champion of espresso, winning the top prize at the prestigious Golden Bean World Series in Antigua, Guatemala. The company, with locations in Parksville and Qualicum Beach, took home the gold for its Colombian “co-ferment”, which uses cherry as its base ingredient.
Jeremy Perkins, owner of French Press Coffee Roasters, believes the judges awarded the top honor for the coffee’s balance of cherry, almond, tropical fruit, and a hint of chocolate. However, he explained to PQB News that the judges’ official comments had not yet been posted online, so he could only speculate about the reasons behind the win.
“It’s not necessarily about the medal,” Perkins said. “For me, it’s more about someone saying, ‘Yeah, you’ve done a good job with that coffee.’ I don’t have a boss because I’m self-employed, and it feels like there’s someone overseeing my work.”
The 2025 Golden Bean World Series took place from Feb. 17 to Feb. 20 and is open to winners of regional championships, including Golden Bean Americas and Golden Bean Asia.
Perkins’ winning coffee uses an advanced technique known as co-fermentation, where coffee is fermented anaerobically (without air) alongside an additional ingredient. In this case, cherry powder is added to the coffee cherries, which are then fermented for up to 72 hours before being naturally dried. The result is a coffee with enhanced inherent properties and a unique flavor profile.
“In this instance, we’ve added ground-up cherries to the co-fermentation process,” Perkins explained. “After a period of time, we’ve dried it naturally and removed the cherry. That’s how you get the final product.”
This victory highlights the rapid advances in the specialty coffee industry and French Press Coffee Roasters’ continued innovation and expertise.
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