Photo: Niki Nagy / Pexels
The Berlin World Coffee Championships are getting closer! There’s still some time before competitors begin packing their bags—make sure to check out some answers to Berlin competitor FAQs on the competition experience, rules, and more. If you have a question you would like included, please email compinfo@wce2.flywheelsites.com.
General Competition Logistics
A: The Berlin World Coffee Championships are hosted at World of Coffee, which takes place at Messe Berlin Expo centre from 6-8 June. The street address is as below:
Messe Berlin ExpoCenter City – South Entrance
Messedamm 22, 14055
Berlin, Germany
A: The area around the show is well serviced by public transport — you can use the map on this website to plan your journey.
If you plan on taking a taxi, you can use the MyTaxi app to hail from your phone.
A: The show is located in the west of the city, with most popular areas to stay, and attractions in the centre. We recommend staying in the centre and commuting to the show each day. The World of Coffee website has a hotel reservation portal, which gives special rates to attendees.
A: The overview schedule for competitors is available here. The first item that all competitors should plan on attending is Competitor Orientation. This is mandatory, and competitors who do not attend will be disqualified. The timings for each vary by competition, but will all take place at the show venue.
World Latte Art Championship
Wednesday June 5th – 7:30 to 9:00 AM
Location: WLAC/WCIGS Stage
World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship
Wednesday June 5th – 1:00 to 2:30 PM
Location: WLAC/WCIGS Stage
World Cup Tasters Championship
Thursday June 6th – 7:30 to 9:00 AM
Location: WCTC/CIC Stage
Cezve/Ibrik Championship
Thursday June 6th – 9:30 to 11:00 AM
Location: WCTC/CIC Stage
A: The overview schedule has been released, with more information on performance times and social events to be confirmed closer to the event.
A: You can find information on the provided Qualified Equipment in each of the championship rule sections below. Further information on sponsored equipment, and ingredients will be available closer to the event.
A: To enter Germany, some of you might need a visa. To check if you need a visa, check the information here: https://www.germany-visa.org. You do NOT need a visa if your country is a member of the Schengen Agreement.
Important: if you need a visa, start with the application as soon as possible. WCE does not have control over the visa issuing process and cannot guarantee a positive outcome.
We can provide invitation letters for you and your coach. Send a scan of your passport page to compinfo@wce2.flywheelsites.comto get your invitation letters.
A: WCE can provide visa letters for competitors and their coaches. If you require one, please email compinfo@wce2.flywheelsites.com with the following info:
- Competition and national body you represent
- Scan/photo of your passport page
Beyond competitors and their coaches, visa letters will be automatically generated through the World of Coffee registration system. You will be able to obtain a free electronic copy of the letter upon completing a short form, and you can find this link by contacting: info@eventhaus.ie
A: Each competitor will be able to collect a pre-registered badge for entry to the show. If you provided a coach name when you registered, your coach’s badge will also be available. Additional badges can be purchased online.
A: Backstage access is for the competitor, coach, and one helper/translator. Each team will be allowed a total of three people (including competitor) backstage. Any teams found in violation of this may be subject to disqualification.
A: Yes, if you plan on using an interpreter you should be familiar with the Interpreters Best Practice document.
The Competition Experience
A: The competition water standards are detailed here, and will be provided on-site by Pentair/Everpure.
A: Markthalle Neun is in Kreuzberg, and supplies a lot of the great restaurants and some of the bio/organic markets that are all over the city. Sommerfeld Spirituosen and Galeria Kaufhof also stock a range of spirits. You can find stores that stock each of the provided WCIGS spirits in the WCIGS Rules Questions section below. If you are in need of nut milk, cold press juice, or any other very specific items, it could be worth checking in with Janne at Back to the Roots. Metro is a wholesale-type store that requires a specific card to purchase from, which a local business might be able to help you with.
Street addresses:
A: Ikea (Lichtenberg/Spandau/Tempelhof/Waltersdorf), Muji (centre), and Gallerie Kaufhof (Lichtenberg/centre) are all good options for small wares. KaDeWe is also a good place for smallwares as they have many stores, and it’s considerably closer to the exhibit hall than most other places in Berlin.
Street addresses:
Ikea Lichtenberg
Landsberger Allee 364
10365 Berlin
–
Ikea Spandau
Gewerbehof 10
13597 Berlin
–
Ikea Tempelhof
Sachsendamm 47
10829 Berlin
–
Ikea Waltersdorf
Am Rondell 8
12529 Schönefeld
–
Muji
Hackescher Markt 1,
10178 Berlin
–
Galleria Kaufhof (Centre)
Alexanderplatz 9
10178 Berlin
–
Galleria Kaufhof (Lichtenberg)
Frankfurter Allee 115-117
10365 Berlin
A: Dry Ice Energy offers next day delivery, and their website is available in English.
A: The official voltage in Germany and most European countries is 230 V @ 50 Hz. The sockets used are type C and type F.
A: The World of Coffee website has a great guide to Berlin, featuring general tips, transport, food & drink, parks & neighbourhoods, museums & shops, and of course recommended stops for coffee.
WLAC Rules Questions
A: WLAC Qualified Equipment includes the San Remo Café Racer, Anfim SP-II Special Performance, Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder. Water filtration will be provided by Pentair/Everpure.
Provided Products & Ingredients:
- Dairy: Lobetaler Bio Organic cow’s milk (3.7% fat)
- Espresso: Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta Region, Colombia – Washed Castillo & Caturra (Arabica)
- Ceramics: Loveramics Egg – 300ml and 80ml.
A: The provided milk will be organic, 3.7% fat cow’s milk from Lobetaler Bio.
Nutrients per 100g
Calories: 268 kJ (64 kcal)
Fat: 3.70 g
of which saturates
Fatty acids: 2.47 g
Carbohydrates: 4.70 g
of which sugars: 4.70 g
Protein: 3.20 g
Salt: 0.10 g
A: Competitors must used the provided milk, which will be whole cow’s milk.
A: Competition machines will have 20g VST baskets.
A: The official WLAC latte cup is the 300ml Loveramics Egg model, with an 80ml cup provided for espresso macchiato. These will be distributed to competitors at Orientation.
WCIGS Rules Questions
A: WCIGS Qualified Equipment includes the San Remo Café Racer, Mahlkönig PEAK & EK43, Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder. Water filtration will be provided by Pentair/Everpure.
Provided Spirit Bar Ingredients:
- Licor 43 Original
- Licor 43 Baristo
- Grey Goose Vodka
- DaVinci Gourmet Syrups:
- Blood orange
- English toffee nut
- Chocolate
- Peach
- Grenadine
- Salted caramel
- Vanilla
- Simple syrup
Provided Stage Performance Ingredients:
A: Locations and online stores that stock the provided spirits are listed below. The Competition Experience section also includes some locations where you can find ingredients and other spirits.
Provided Spirit Stockists:
- Licor 43 Original/Baristo
- Grey Goose Vodka
- Gin Méridor (online stores only)
A: The WCIGS Spirit Bar round will be held on-site at World of Coffee this year.
A: You can find details on the provided Irish Coffee glasses here.
A: You can find the round-by-round breakdown below.
Spirit Bar:
One of the above alcohols will be selected randomly for each competitor. The competitor’s randomly selected alcohol must be used in their drink recipe for this round, per the rule specifications. The competitors must also use at least one of the provided DaVinci syrups in their recipe (no quantity is specified) Available syrup flavours will include an assortment of citrus, nutty/chocolately, fruity, and sweet. Cane sugar will also be provided, as a valid option
Preliminary Stage Round: Gin Méridor must be used in at least one of the courses (either hot/warm or cold). It may be used for both courses, if the competitor desires; however, only one course must use the gin as a mandatory component.
Final Round: Gin Méridor must be use in the designer drink. The Irish Coffee course has no mandatory alcohol usage.
Cezve/Ibrik Championship Rules Questions
WCTC Rules Questions
A: The WCTC Qualified Equipment is the Technivorm Moccamaster, Urnex Cafiza® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder and Puro® Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder. Water filtration will be provided by Pentair/Everpure.
