Roast Masters 2025: A path to victory

The Success of Latvian Coffee Roasters at the European Level - The Story of Raimonds Selga

Raimonds Selga, co-founder of Kalve Coffee and representative of the WCC (World Coffee Championships), shares his experience - the only one from the Baltics and one of 15 in all Europe with regular involvement in competitions around the world.

When Jānis Podiņš and I took on the challenge of participating in the "Roast Masters 2025" competition in Amsterdam, Netherlands, we knew we were up against fierce competition from Europe’s best coffee roasters. I believe we could trust each other's expertise – I could confidently rely on Jānis for beverage preparation, coffee recipes, and our signature drink, while Jānis could count on me when it came to roasting coffee or presenting our values and concept. 

Together, we brought three types of coffee beans:

1. Single-Origin Filter Coffee (Colombia, La Joya) from the Narinjo region, processed using the natural method. We used this in the "Brew Faceoff" discipline, where we had to present filter coffee made in our preferred preparation method and explain our coffee sourcing and roasting concept. This coffee was also used as one of the components in the "Signature Drink" discipline, where we had to create and present a signature drink that aligns with our values.

2. Single-Origin “Red Bourbon” Espresso (Rwanda, Shyira) from our friends' farm in Rwanda, processed using the natural method. This was used in the "Espresso Smackdown" discipline, where we had to make espresso better than our competitors who were currently on stage.

3. Espresso Blend Marmalade (our existing range espresso blend), which we had adjusted for the competition to consist of 70% Costa Rican coffee from Hacienda Sonora and 30% Ethiopian coffee from Chelbesa processing station. We used this in the "Order Challenge" discipline, where we had to prepare two espresso-based drinks and four different filter coffee preparations to a high standard within 9 minutes.

The competition lasted for three intense days filled with various disciplines. In the “Mystery Cupping” test, we received an unknown coffee that we had to identify by origin, variety, and processing.

In “Live Roasting” – we were given green coffee twice, which we had to roast on-site using Aillio roasters, develop a profile, and present it to the judges for blind tasting.

Our roasting style incorporates an empirical approach to achieve the desired result. At Kalve Coffee, we always seek to balance the core flavors in coffee - sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

For the “Espresso Blend” – we were assigned 5 unknown coffees from which we had to create an espresso blend, present its concept, and use it in one "Order Challenge" series in the semifinals by preparing various coffee drinks. 

Winning this competition confirms that our coffee roasting culture is not just a personal standard, but a standard valued by world-class professionals as well. 

I believe our consistency and knowledge in what we do, along with our heartfelt belief in our work, greatly contributed to our success – we were also very honest and transparent both with ourselves and all parties involved.

We want to thank all the enthusiasts in Latvia who work with us to elevate Latvian coffee culture to new heights. We truly have great ambitions to become one of the TOP 5 roasteries in Europe.

Jānis and I believe this is undoubtedly a collective achievement for KALVE, as we brought with us the knowledge we apply in our daily work at both the café and roastery. We will definitely invite the entire team for a communal evening to share our experiences and inspire our colleagues. 

If anyone wants to challenge themselves and understand what it’s like to engage in high physical activity for several days with an average heart rate of 120, while learning and growing immensely, we certainly recommend participating in competitions!

We are confident that faith in ourselves and perseverance are key to success. This is a significant achievement for Latvian coffee professionals, proving that we are on par with other coffee "metropolises."