Romanian awarded at the 2025 International Finals of Lavazza Barista Challenge

The world’s top baristas gathered at La Centrale Nuvola Lavazza in Turin, Italy, for the final stage of the International Finals of Lavazza Barista Challenge, a three-day competition celebrating the bond between Lavazza and the worldwide Barista community, enhancing excellence and innovation in coffee-making.

Day 1 was entirely dedicated to exploring Lavazza’s universe and to coffee education. Day 2 and 3 (8^th to 9^th April), marked the third year of the Challenge, a special edition with many innovations, from a wider geographical span to a renewed format to celebrate and once again spotlight the artistry and skill behind the perfect cup.

In this year’s edition of the Challenge, 17 accomplished baristas from all around the World (Albania, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Maldives, Moldova, Romania, Rep of South Africa, Serbia, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Italy, Poland and the UK) demonstrated their capabilities through the creation of their unique Barista Signature recipes. For the 2025 edition, a new global challenge has been featured – the preparation of a cold recipe for Lavazza, using two blends of the new Tales of Italy range, Galleria (Milano) or Canal Grande (Venezia).

A blend of cultures and styles animated every step of the Challenge, and their preparations served as a tangible representation of their technical proficiency and dedication to the art of coffee-making. The competition underscored the importance of expertise and passion within the barista community: standing out from this immersive showcase, George Nikolopoulos from Greece has been awarded the title of 2025 Lavazza Barista Challenge Champion. Drawing on his extensive 10-year barista experience over the past years, coupled with 4 years specializing in specialty coffee preparation and 1 year of experience as a Bartender, his unique “La Via Perfetta” recipe impressed the judges, with his recipe featuring a freshly brewed espresso of Lavazza Tales of Italy Galleria Milano. The podium was completed by Milos Brankovan from the UAE and Ștefan Manole from Romania, ranking second and third respectively overall. They have both demonstrated how great passion for the artistry, blended with curiosity and drive can lead to incredible results.

After succeeding at National Finals, Ștefan Manole from Romania competed against 17 international baristas and has shown his unique skills at the 3^rd edition International Lavazza Barista Challenge, ranking third overall. Ștefan Manole has proposed a special preparation called “Impresario”. This signature recipe is a balanced mix of 36ml of espresso of Lavazza Tales of Italy Galleria Milano, 20ml of Galliano Liquer, enriched by Bottega Chocolate and Grappa Liquer, and a final top with cream. A key role in his preparation journey to the International Finals has been played by the local Lavazza trainer Adrian-Eduard Oancea, mentoring the barista and helping him further enhance his skills and passion to be ready for the big stage in Turin.

Ștefan has been in the coffee sector of the Bucharest Hospitality Market for 6 years, where he has always tried to showcase his work, realizing the importance of bringing people together in this work field. Thanks to his unique skills and Lavazza’s commitment to support him, Ștefan Manole has also won the “Community prize”: during Coffeeast, the East European Coffee Culture Festival in Bucharest, Lavazza promoted his participation in The International Finals by distributing promotional materials with QR codes linking to the voting page, effectively engaging the entire Romanian coffee community.

Alongside the main title, the 2025 Lavazza Barista Challenge Champion has been awarded a money prize combined with a special “Lavazza support package” to participate in the SCA Coffee Championship, that includes among the others the availability of a place for training and different ingredients, next to the precious guidance of a Lavazza consultant. But Lavazza truly values the role of the Barista Community in general terms, and this is why all participants have had the unique opportunity to attend special masterclasses with experts, designed to further ignite their passion and consolidate their skills, while multiple additional awards have been given throughout the event.

“The passion and knowledge shared throughout this year’s Lavazza Barista Challenge were truly inspiring,” remarked Dionysis Moustis, Lavazza Capabilities Manager. “I am incredibly proud of this third edition, and the commitment demonstrated by all participants. The expertise and creativity showcased were outstanding, and the performances of our finalists and trainers have undeniably elevated the standard of excellence. The dedication to training and preparation was evident, culminating in an unparalleled and peerless event”.

The final event saw the baristas competing on stage both on the 8^th and 9^th of April. The day that the barista was not competing for the Barista Challenge 2025 title, they participated to the Mystery Box activity, an engaging game involving Lavazza employees and new recipes to create together in mixed teams (baristas+ Lavazza employees). The objective was to celebrate the link between consumers (employees) and baristas (trade) that are the pillars of the food service business.

This year’s global challenge centred on the creation of a signature cold drink, showcasing the versatility of Lavazza’s Tales of Italy blends with espresso and different extraction methods, while encouraging competitors to explore innovative flavour profiles using botanical ingredients such as aromatic herbs, spices, citrus, and fruits.

A jury of 5 experts evaluated the work of the 17 finalists: Dionysis Moustis, Lavazza Capabilities Manager, as technical judge, and a panel of cross-industry judges that included Federico Zanasi, executive Chef of the Michelin-starred Condividere restaurant, Lauro Fioretti from Simonelli Group, Dario Tortorella, Mixologist, and Fabrizio Fiorani, Pastry Chef.

The three-day event in Turin also featured live workshops led by Lavazza Ambassadors: Fabrizio Fiorani, Pastry Chef, presented “Unconventional breakfast experiences” to elevate the value of coffee experience in the morning, and Federico Zanasi showcased how to boost coffee relevance beyond morning consumption with his “Memorable aperitivo and after dinner coffee experiences” workshop.

The Lavazza immersive experiences for trainers and baristas culminated in a memorable four-hands menu designed for the Gala Night by Chef Zanasi together with Fabrizio Fiorani, which showcased the blended vision of a journey across Italy, celebrating Tales of Italy range, and a masterclass held by the mixologist Dario Tortorella, who created and offered a tasting signature cocktail menu with 1895 Specialty coffees in honor of the Barista Challenge.

The 2025 International Finals of the Lavazza Barista Challenge have not only crowned a deserving champion but has also ignited a spark of inspiration within the global barista community. The innovative techniques and passionate dedication showcased throughout the competition will undoubtedly influence the future of coffee-making, and Lavazza is proud to support these talented individuals as they continue to elevate the art of coffee around the world.