Two Gold Medals in Bremen: Felix Hohlmann and Michael Rieker Are German Champions

At the German Coffee Championship of the Specialty Coffee Association in Bremen, our team swept two titles: Felix Hohlmann is German Barista Champion for the second time. Michael Rieker wins the championship in Coffee in Good Spirits. Both have qualified for the World Championships.

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

It began in 2013 with a mishap. Felix, then 22 years old, stood on the stage of the Swiss Brewers Cup for the first time. He chose such a fine grind size for his AeroPress that the glass carafe shattered under the pressure. What looked like failure at the time was the starting shot of a remarkable career.

Over 13 years and more than 20 competitions later, Felix is German Barista Champion for the second time after 2024. At the Barista Championship, competitors prepare four espressos, four milk beverages and four signature drinks in 15 minutes. Judging criteria include beverage quality, presentation, hospitality and technical skills. The discipline is considered the pinnacle of coffee championships.

At the heart of Felix's performance was an exceptional coffee: a Sinaloa Gesha Washed Anaerobic from Ana María Trujillo Rojas, a fourth-generation coffee producer from Huila, Colombia. On her farm, the Gesha variety grows at up to 2,100 metres above sea level and undergoes a three-stage fermentation: 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 extraordinary purity, with floral notes, vibrant citrus fruitiness and a long finish of lemongrass.

As his signature drink, Felix served an espresso combined with house-made kombucha, verjus and malic acid, with aromas of elderflower, kiwi and green apple.

"Preparing for a championship like this alongside my responsibilities as managing director and head of our cafés is quite the challenge," says Felix after his victory. "At the same time, I naturally benefit from the experience of past years. Above all, qualifying for the Barista World Championship in Korea in 2024 taught me a great deal."

The championship was only possible thanks to the team in Basel: "We all benefit from the depth of knowledge within the team, from cultivation to the cup. That gives us deep insight into every coffee process and is the foundation for a success like this."

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

Michael Rieker: Overwhelmed by His Own Victory

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

Michael worked with two carefully selected coffees. For his first course, he used a Natural Anaerobic Heirloom from Tamiru Tadesse in Bensa, Ethiopia. This coffee was grown at 2,400 metres with ten days of fermentation, offering a fruitiness of strawberry and red grapes, which Michael transformed with Barbados rum, koji extract and a 1:1 sugar syrup into a cocktail in the style of an Espresso Martini.

For his Irish Coffee, he chose the Maracaturra from Kaffeemacher's partner farm Finca Santa Rita in Depilto, Nicaragua, processed as Carbonic Maceration by Brid Azul. A sweet, cherry-spiced coffee that Michael paired with Teeling Single Pot Still Whiskey and lactose-free whipped cream.

What made his presentation stand out was a brewing method rarely seen in the coffee world: Michael extracted his coffee using a magnetic stirrer at 98 °C. A technique from the bartending world that produces high aroma density with minimal bitterness, visibly surprising the judges.

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

"After the presentation, I was pleased that the drinks turned out exactly as planned. I immediately noticed a few small mistakes. I wouldn't have expected 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 Coverage: Basel Is Germany's Coffee Capital

The successes of Felix and Michael have attracted attention beyond the coffee scene. Three media reports have been published so far:

The Basel online magazine Bajour named Felix and Michael "Basel Personalities of the Day". The Basel Hospitality Association headlined "Basel Is Germany's Coffee Capital". And BZ Basel reported under the title "Basel Baristas Win Gold at the German Coffee Championship".

For anyone who's curious: Felix Hohlmann and Michael Rieker regularly work behind the espresso machine themselves, at the Kaffeemacher café in Basel SBB train station.