Two gold medals in Bremen: Felix Hohlmann and Michael Rieker are German Champions

Our team cleaned up at the Specialty Coffee Association's German Coffee Championships in Bremen, taking home two titles: Felix Hohlmann is the German Barista Champion for the second time, and Michael Rieker has won the Coffee in Good Spirits championship. Both have now qualified for the world championships.

Felix Hohlmann: Germany's Best Barista for the Second Time

It all began with a mishap in 2013. Felix, then 22, was on the stage of the Swiss Brewers Cup for the first time. He chose a grind so fine for his AeroPress that the glass carafe shattered under the pressure. What looked like a failure back then turned out to be the starting point of a remarkable career.

Over 13 years and more than 20 competitions later, Felix is the German Barista Champion for the second time since 2024. In the Barista Championship, participants must prepare four espressos, four milk-based coffee drinks, and four signature drinks within 15 minutes. The drinks are judged on quality, presentation, hospitality, and technical skill. This discipline is considered the blue-ribbon event of coffee championships.

Spontaneous livestream of Felix's barista presentation in the final.

The centerpiece of Felix's performance was an extraordinary coffee: a Sinaloa Gesha Washed Anaerobic by Ana María Trujillo Rojas, a fourth-generation coffee producer from Huila, Colombia. On her farm, the Gesha variety grows at altitudes of up to 2100 meters and undergoes a three-stage fermentation process: 48 hours of oxidation, 48 hours of anaerobic fermentation, followed by 72 hours of hydrofermentation in a hermetically sealed water tank. The result is an espresso of exceptional clarity, with floral notes, vibrant citrus fruitiness, and a long finish reminiscent of lemongrass.

For his signature drink, Felix served a mix of espresso, homemade kombucha, verjus, and malic acid, with aromas of elderflower, kiwi, and green apple.

"Preparing for a championship like this, alongside my duties as Managing Director and head of our cafés, is quite a challenge," says Felix after his victory. "At the same time, I naturally benefit from the experiences of past years. I learned a great deal, especially from qualifying for the World Barista Championship in Korea in 2024."

He notes that the championship is only possible thanks to the team in Basel: "We all benefit from the wealth of knowledge within the team, from cultivation right through to the cup. That gives us deep insight into all coffee processes and is the foundation for success like this."

In the autumn of 2026, Felix will travel to the World Barista Championship in Panama.

Michael Rieker: Overwhelmed by His Own Victory

While Felix is already familiar with the big stage, Michael Rieker experienced his personal breakthrough in Bremen. The 30-year-old barista trainer at the Kaffeemacher-Akademie competed in the Coffee in Good Spirits category, a championship where coffee and spirits are meant to merge into a single entity. It was only his second appearance in this discipline.

Michael worked with two select coffees. He designed the first course using a Natural Anaerobic Heirloom by Tamiru Tadesse from Bensa, Ethiopia. This coffee was grown at 2400 meters with ten days of fermentation, resulting in strawberry and red grape fruitiness, which Michael transformed into an Espresso Martini-style cocktail using Barbados rum, koji extract, and a 1:1 sugar syrup.

For his Irish Coffee, he used the Maracaturra from Kaffeemacher partner farm Finca Santa Rita in Depilto, Nicaragua, processed as a carbonic maceration by Brid Azul. A sweet, cherry-spicy coffee that Michael combined with Teeling Single Pot Still Whiskey and lactose-free whipped cream.

The highlight of his presentation was a brewing method rarely seen in the coffee world: Michael extracted his coffee using a magnetic stirrer at 98°C. This technique, borrowed from the bartending world, creates high aromatic density with minimal bitterness and clearly surprised the judges.

Timo Uebersax from Herz Bar in Basel helped with the selection of the right spirits. A sign that there is a Basel community behind this title as well.

"After the presentation, I was satisfied that the drinks turned out as planned. I immediately noticed a few small mistakes. I didn't expect it to be enough for the title, but I'm simply overwhelmed," says Michael.

At the end of June 2026, he will travel to the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in Brussels.

Media Response: Basel is Germany's Coffee Capital

The successes of Felix and Michael have garnered attention beyond the coffee scene. Three media reports have appeared so far:

The Basel online magazine Bajour named Felix and Michael the "Baselites of the Day". The Wirteverband Basel-Stadt headlined "Basel is Germany's coffee capital". And the BZ Basel reported under the headline "Basel baristas win gold at the German Coffee Championship".

For those who have become curious: Felix Hohlmann and Michael Rieker are regularly behind the portafilter themselves at the Kaffeemacher café in Basel SBB station.

Further information:

• Photos from Bremen by Andreas Behr. Many thanks for the great pictures.
• To SCA Germany.