PORVOO, Finland – Robert Paulig Roastery’s and Artisan’s A+RPR placed third in the filter coffee of the year competition. The unique A+RPR placed third in the filter coffee competition by Helsinki Coffee Festival, the largest coffee festival in Northern Europe. A+RPR is a light-roasted coffee with multiple layers and berry nuances. It was developed in cooperation between two artisan roasteries, Robert Paulig Roastery and Artisan Café & Roastery, and it features Columbian beans.
“It is great to see that our ground-breaking partnership with Jani Mikkonen, Barista from Artisan Café & Roastery, has yielded such amazing results,” says Jarkko Issukka, Coffee Ambassador at Robert Paulig Roastery.
A+RPR represents the so-called fourth wave of coffee. The fourth wave is all about a holistic attitude to coffee that encompasses every detail, from the entire supply chain to the final taste experience.
The beans for A+RPR come from the El Paraison farm in Columbia, and its manufacturing involves a unique anaerobic fermentation process. The fermentation process gives the coffee its layered, berry-like flavour.
“Our operations are guided by our passion for good coffee as well as sustainability in everything we do, both in the coffee beans’ countries of origin and here in Finland,” Issukka says.
Sustainability is at the core of A+RPR, and this can also be seen in the coffee package. The fully biodegradable cardboard package is printed in Finland, and there are Douglas tree seeds under the false bottom. After enjoying the coffee, you can place the used coffee grounds back to the outer box with a bit of soil and plant the box on the ground to grow a Douglas tree.
The inner packaging is recycled as plastic. Growing a tree from a coffee package is circularity at its best. The entire package, including the grounds, can be recycled. Tree planting is also climate-wise, because trees absorb CO2 emissions over their lifecycle. Robert Paulig Roastery, located in the Tolkkinen district of Porvoo, uses energy that is locally produced as its coffees are roasted using Finnish biogas and self-produced solar energy. We also invest in sustainable actions in the coffee beans’ countries of origin, where we support the well-being of farmer communities and educate farmers on how to grow coffee sustainably and profitably.
The best three were selected among 19 filter coffees
Helsinki Coffee Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but fortunately, the best filter coffee of the year was still selected for the fourth time on December 10. A total of 19 coffees took part in the competition, and the three best coffees were Kenia AB Fram by a micro roastery in Pori, Kenya AA Gatina by Cafetoria Roastery and A+RPR by Artisan & Robert Paulig Roastery.
The members of the panel were coffee industry professionals and other influential people in food: Viivi Ahtiainen, acknowledged professional in the coffee industry, Tuomas Meriluoto, expert in wine, Lari Salomaa, influential figure in coffee and author, and Meri-Tuuli Väntsi, chef and author of cookbooks.
“This year’s competition featured a wide range of different coffees. Many of the coffees had interesting berry notes, and they came from around the world. Kenya and Columbia were the most common countries of origin,” says Lari Salomaa, coffee industry professional and author.
Helsinki Coffee Festival
For one weekend, Helsinki becomes home to the largest coffee shop and pop-up café in Finland, with an extensive selection of coffees from roasteries of all sizes. The festival nowadays focuses on two popular hot drinks: coffee and tea. There is a range of teas and coffees available at the event to satisfy all tastes. You can also test different coffee machines, learn new ways of making coffee at home and find your new favourite coffee at the festival. The best filter coffee of the year was selected for the fourth time.
www.helsinkicoffeefestival.com
