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Second place at the Roasters Challenge 2025!

We’re proud to share that our Roaster, Ivan, placed 2nd at the Roasters Challenge on October 25th — competing among 12 of Finland’s top coffee roasters!

The Roasters Challenge is a prestigious competition for Finland’s best small roasteries, built around a simple yet fascinating question: if everyone received the same green coffee and the same amount of time — who would roast it best?

The competition was first organized in 2019 during Helsinki Coffee Week to answer exactly that question. Since then, the Roasters Challenge has become the annual event that brings together the country’s most skilled and passionate roasters.

In the 2025 edition, all competitors roasted the same natural Brazilian coffee from Fazenda Capoeira. The 12 coffees were first cupped and evaluated by the roasters themselves, and the top six advanced to a second round for final judging.

Final results:
🥇 1st place – Kahiwa Coffee Roasters (Lahti)
🥈 2nd place – Cafetoria (Helsinki / Lohja)
🥉 3rd place – Lehmus Roastery (Lappeenranta)

The rest of the competitors were: Good Life Coffee, Kaffa Roastery, Kirjalan paahtimo, Inka Paahtimo, Espoon paahtimo, Samples coffee, Haimoon, Pirkanmaan paahtimo and Makea coffee.

About Our Roaster

Iván Oré is the founder of Cafetoria, together with his wife Mia Nikander-Oré. Originally from Peru, Iván began his career as an electrical engineer in Lima before moving to Finland in 1999 to pursue a Master’s degree in Telecommunications at Aalto University (formerly Helsinki University of Technology). What was meant to be a two-year study plan turned into a lifelong journey.

While working at Nokia Networks, where he was recognized as one of the Nokia’s Top Inventors in 2007, Iván and Mia founded Cafetoria in 2002 — inspired by an unexpected encounter with organic coffee producers in Peru. Iván is the creative force behind Cafetoria’s flavor philosophy. Even after more than two decades of roasting, he continues refining his craft to highlight the natural character of each coffee. His goal is to express Cafetoria’s identity in every cup — one that is rich and sweet, velvety in texture, and full of playful, lingering aftertastes. 

In 2023, Iván expanded his creative pursuits with the founding of Gelatoria, Cafetoria’s artisan gelato venture. Applying the same principles of balance, purity, and sensory expression, Iván has quickly become a relevant actor at the gelato scene — winning all four national gelato competition categories in just two years! 

Some recognitions:

  • 2007 – Finnish Cup Tasting Champion, Speciality Coffee Association of Europe – Finland chapter
  • 2017/2018 – “Filter of the Year”, 2nd Place, Helsinki Coffee Festival 
  • 2024 – Winner of the “Gelato of the Year”, Ice Cream & Chocolate carnival
  • 2024 – Winner of the “Sorbet of the Year”, Ice Cream & Chocolate carnival 
  • 2025 – Winner of the “Vegan Ice Cream of the Year”, Ice Cream & Chocolate carnival
  • 2025 – Winner of the “Ice Cream of the Year”, Ice Cream & Chocolate carnival 
  • 2025 – Roasters Challenge, 2nd Place, Helsinki Coffee Week
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Appreciations to our beautiful coffee from Juan Lisaraso, Cusco-Peru!

The coffee from Juan Lisaraso, from Cusco-Peru, was one of the four microlots that arrived to our roastery last January. After my first cupping (coffee tasting) of it, it tasted so good already that I knew this coffee would amaze me and impress me even further with each updated and improved roast of it. Not only did its taste impress me, but also the region and farm where it comes from, let me tell you more about it:
Cusco, is the capital of the Incas – the empire that dominated almost all of South America, which is also home to one of the seven wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. As well as coming from such an inspiring and beautiful region, the farm that these beans come from also has a story worth telling. Juan Lisaraso has been cultivating coffee since he was a child, his parents owned the farm previously and he had taken over with his wife and children. The family run farm is not only a great coffee producer but they also take care of an endangered species of bear, called the spectacled bear, a bear that populates the Andes of South America. The name was given to them due to their facial markings that make them look like they are wearing spectacles! I have only learned about this species of bear recently, but as quickly as I fell in love with the coffee – I also fell in love with these cute animals! Here at Cafetoria, we loved them so much that we have made plans to donate to a conservation Institute in Peru who take care of them.

The coffee from Juan Lisaraso, is quite a rare and difficult varietal to find nowadays – Typica. This has made our experience of it even more magical and unique. The time Ivan brought the first sample roast of it, is a memory I won’t forget so quickly. Together, we cupped the four micro-lots that arrived on the same day to our roastery. Two of them being from the Cusco region and the other two from Puno. From the first sip of each coffee I picked out Cusco as my favorite. I could feel on my tongue the playful and bouncing acidity that I have always enjoyed in coffee. The vanilla like sweetness swelled in my mouth, this taste has stayed with each improved roast of Cusco and it’s the thing I love most about this particular coffee. Even though this coffee had scored lower than the other three, there was something wonderful and inspiring about it. It felt like a journey from the first sip to the last drop.
I have often described coffee taste with colours – it helps me focus further on the flavours and so: yellow, pink, orange and red have always been in my mind when tasting Cusco. Changing, developing and evolving over time but always growing more saturated, bright and more sophisticated with each roast. If you have tried this coffee at our cafe or bought it for at home and have been brewing it, I’m sure you’ve been just as impressed with it and I hope it took you on a journey of flavours that it always takes me on. If you feel like you have not reached its full potential, I’m here to help with a little brewing guide, as I truly want everyone to get the most out of this coffee.
My Brewing tips for Juan Lisaraso’s coffee:
My favourite brew method has always been with the Hario V60, so I will guide you how I brew this coffee and get the most wonderful flavours out of it! I always start with the basic recipe, 18g of coffee to 290g of water, this makes two small cups, but if you are like me and consume more coffee than most, this is only enough for one. I recommend using 92 degrees for the water as this temperature brings out the desirable vanilla-like sweetness. I recommend grinding fresh, if you don’t have a grinder, we can always grind the coffee for you at any of our cafes – just ask. The grind size should be medium-coarse. Pro tip: I always rinse my filter paper with hot water! This gets rid of undesirable paper or chemical tastes in my final cup.
Now, you’ve got your V60, your recipe, your water heated, your paper rinsed, your coffee ground – what’s next? The brewing! The first step is what we call a pre-infusion, or what some people call a “bloom”. For this step, I do a double-pre infusion, this means I add 8g of coffee to my brewer, wet the grounds just a little bit, add the rest of the coffee and thoroughly wet the rest of the grounds (go up to roughly 65g). The blooming process should time at around 30 seconds. Then I start my pulses! The first pulse, we discovered works best if you go in bravely and pour vigorously and a substantial amount. Roughly up to 170g – then wait for it to drain a little, but don’t let the coffee bed dry up. The aim is to have my brew between 2:30 – 3:00 minutes long. With this in mind, I often end up doing two more pulses. If you follow all of these steps you should end up with the most mouth-watering cup of Cusco!
Hope you enjoy and have as an amazing experience with this coffee as I have had!
Signing off,
Gabi.

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Christmas breakfast at our Töölö Café

You are welcome to join our Christmas breakfast and celebrate with your loved ones the most exciting season of the Year! Our Breakfast will be offered during the Saturdays and Sundays of the two last weeks before Christmas (weeks  50&51).
To make the weekends even more special we are offering a tasty Christmas breakfast which incorporate flavours from our multicultural team – Ireland, Peru and Finland!☕️.

CHRISTMAS MENU

• Hand-made granola, topped with chia pudding and our home-made cranberry jam.
• Bosc pears – poached in Glögi de la Casa . Served with oat yogurt.

• Traditional Spanish toasted bread, topped with fresh tomato and ham.
(veggie option available with feta cheese)
• Triple Sandwich – Peruvian avocado, fresh tomatoes and boiled egg.

• Spiced Christmas cake – cranberries, dates and lot of Christmas spices
• Banana Bread, served with an extra flare – cream cheese and maple syrup.

Menu (in Finnish) below.
Price of the Breakfast: 20e
Please be aware that due to social distancing regulations, we will limit the spaces that are available and you may need to wait during peak times. We hope you can be patient. If you want to make a reservation for a group, contact us privately or via email. Slots available will be at 10:30, 12:00 and 13:30.

#töölö #christmasbreakfast #joulu#kahvila #myhelsinki #visitfinland#kahvi #coffeetime #jouluinen

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Welcome to the Latin Party at Otaniemi!

This Tuesday 28.07 come to Otaniemi to enjoy good Latin music, great food, drinks, and artisan coffee and beers. We will be serving popular and authentic dishes from the Peruvian gastronomy such as the world-famous Ceviche, Pisco sour and Chilcanos.  You will find also great coffees from our artisan roastery and artisan beers from our our colleague Coolhead brewery.  Live music from DJ El Pibe and Cumbia band “Una de Gato” will be playing in our big terrace where you can also join and dance!.
Welcome to join this unforgettable day! More information about this event at Facebook.
We start at 16:00 and will not stop till 22:00!

  • Address: Cafetoria Aalto. Otaniementie 14 (few meters from Aalto University metro station)
  • FREE ENTRANCE
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Join our first REMOTE cupping session

Do you want to improve your coffee tasting skills and learn how to cup coffees like a PRO? Then, join our first remote cupping session which will be held via ZOOM this Friday 10.07 at 10am. The cupping will be hosted by our Barista Levi de Nascimento and will be arranged in English.

In this session you will prepare coffees according to our instructions following a very simple cupping protocol which allow you to identify the organoleptic properties of our coffees including: aroma, flavour, acidity and body. We hope this cupping session will help you to get not only more familiar with our coffees but also to identify the kind of properties that are more suitable to your palate.
The coffees to be cupped are available to order from our e-shop. We have prepared a set of samples which includes the following coffees (70g/sample, 350g total):
  • Finca Las Cortaderas – Peru (light roast)
  • Karimikui AA – Kenya (light roast)
  • Black peaberry – Kenya (dark roast)
  • Summer Wind – Blend (medium roast)
  • Mitad del Corazon – Peru (OMNI roast)
These sample can be order from here. 
Requirements:
At your place, you will only require hot water, spoon, cups (preferable 150ml cups) and our coffee samples. Although it is not mandatory to order these samples and just follow up the session, we strongly suggest to order this sample pack so you can share your experience with Levi and with other participants.
Meeting details (via ZOOM)
Cafetoria is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Cupping with Cafetoria
Time: Jul 10, 2020 10:00 AM Helsinki
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 919 6465 6402
Password: Cafetoria
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Welcome to our Summer terrace Opening!

We gladly invite you to join and enjoy a new and refreshing experience of good coffee, alcohol drinks and food from our Finnish-Peruvian kitchen.
Our new terrace is located at the heart of Otaniemi. With a imponent view to the University’s main building designed by Alvar Aalto and surrounded by a harmonious environment, our terrace will make your happening something very special.
“Cafetoria y su Salsa” express the concept of our offerings to you. Being a coffee roastery with Finnish and Latin roots, it has always been a desire to bring out flavours from the Latin America that we know and have being growing with. Here you will enjoy a selection of different, authentic drinks and dishes from the Peruvian gastronomy like including Ceviche and Pisco sour. Our selection of food and drinks includes options or family members and Vegans. The 65m² terrace can be booked for any occasion from 4 to 20 people.

  • Location: Otaniementie 14. 02150 Espoo
  • Time: 11-18

How to reach us:
Cafetoria at Aalto University is located just few meters from the Abloc mall and Otaniemi metro station. We are located at the Väre building, in front of the University’s main building. Here some tips:

  • By Metro: 18 minutes from Kamppi to Otaniemi station
  • By car: 10 minutes from Helsinki downtown
  • By bike: 20-25 minutes from Helsinki downtown (we tested it personally!)

Parking available at the Abloc mall and also nearby the University.

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Cafetoria is now at the heart of Otaniemi!

As strange as it sounds, Aalto University (ex. Helsinki University of Technology) can be considered as an incubator for Cafetoria, one of the oldest artisan Finnish coffee roasteries. Indeed, it was thanks to an International Master Program, that few students from different parts of the World arrived to Finland, including the Peruvian Ivan Ore, the founder of Cafetoria roastery.
Coming back to Otaniemi was then a confortable decision for us. We are excited to become part of the university community and be surrounded by young and brilliant minds. We are located in the Väre building which host the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The interior design of our Café was inspired on the traditional artisan markets from Latin America and on traditional Vintage Cafés from Berlin. The Finnish concepts of minimalism and simplicity helped those two inspirational ideas to coexist.

Cafetoria Aalto portrays the same feeling and soul than our Töölö café, known by its delicious fresh roasted coffees and homemade delights. Here at Otaniemi, you will enjoy a friendly, relaxing and warm environment accordingly to our Nordic and Latin roots. Being Cafetoria roastery an independent coffee roastery, you will find in this place passionate Baristas ready to brew the best cup of coffee. Our selection of coffees includes also organic beans and directly traded coffees.

We have a kitchen!

Having a kitchen has been one of our dreams and now that we have this we plan to create fresh and tasty food which will incorporate a growing presence of Latin America flavours. Stay on the loop and follow us in our social media to get updated information about our food offering!

Address:
Cafetoria Aalto
Otaniementie 14. 02150 Espoo
Opening time: TUE-SAT 10:00-17:30
Instagram: cafetoria_aalto, Facebook: cafetoria_aalto

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Summer is here and our Summer coffees too!

I am writing this post during a rainy Friday of a Finnish Spring! Anyway, the Sun was shining during early days and that was enough to get inspiration about the content of this post!
When thinking about Summer coffees, here at Cafetoria we think about bright coffees, light roasted, with sweet and vibrating aftertaste and fresh notes of fruits and berries. Thus, drinking a cup of a Summer coffee for us at Cafetoria would be like enjoying a cup of juice!  We know that some coffee drinkers do not like to find “weird flavours” on their cup but a cup of coffee that resembles COFFEE. If you are that type of coffee person, we have some interesting proposals for you at the bottom of this post.
For this Summer 2020 we encourage you to try the following refreshing coffees:

Kenyan coffees, compared to the Peruvian ones, have a more complex aftertaste. This subtle “explosive” aftertaste is what I always look for in the coffees. Kenyan coffees can be, however, a bit too complex for some people who would rather prefer a more approachable and “down-to-earth” coffee. Here is where our Peruvian coffee complements quite well the Kenyan. Both Peruvians cause on the consumer the same effect as a candy does for a child. They enchant the drinker with a more simple but addictive message of sweetness. So if you are looking for a coffee which you can drink several times per day, the Peruvians will do a good job.
Interestingly, the coffees listed above are from recognised coffee farms. Our Kenyan Karimikui AA placed 2nd at the Helsinki Coffee Festival 2017. Peru Perlamayo, from our Compadre Juan Heredia, placed 5th place at the 2019 Cup of Excellence (this coffee is from the same Finca but obviously not from the same lot, as otherwise we will certainly price it much more!) and, finally, Las Cortaderas placed 30th place at the 2018 Cup of Excellence. Unlike Perlamayo, this lot of Las Cortaderas belongs to the same lot used during competition.
Last, but not least, our Summer Wind is another beautiful coffee which we just launched some weeks ago. This blend was created with the idea of offering a fruity coffee yet balanced and with a subtle aftertaste. This nice medium roast coffee will delight you with its subtle flavours of berries, tangarine and milk chocolate. A pleasant summer coffee that will satisfy all demanding coffee drinkers!
And now, for the conservative ones ……
For our conservative coffee drinkers, we can suggest you some coffees with clear notes of chocolate: Gran Palomar light roast, House Blend and Rwanda Mahondo. Specially on the two first coffees, you will find nice notes of chocolate and pleasant sweetness!
Decafs coffees for this Summer? Yes we have!
Our organic decaf coffees, chemical-free, are becoming the favourites of all coffee drinkers who have chosen freedom to drink coffee anytime! We have two beautiful suggestions for Summer. First, our Ethiopia Sidamo will delight you with notes of flowers and cherries and will give you a sensation of drinking a nice cup of tea. If you want something more like coffee, our Decafe will be a nice, easy going coffee with notes of chocolate and a nice carob-like sweetness.
BREWING TIPS

Some light roast coffees out there requires special grinding and preparation settings to get the best result. Our Summer coffees, however, perform very well with any kind of brewing tools. Some standard coffee machines such as MoccaMaster does a good job producing consistently good cups although due to high temperatures used, the fruity notes are not strongly present. And here is where those manual pourover methods can be so satisfying. For getting the vibrant after taste, try brewing it with Hario V60. We use a medium coarse grinding and 18g, 300g of hot water between 90C and 93C. In Aeropress you will also get a nice and smoother profile, though you will miss a bit the vibrant aftertaste.
Have a good Summer!
Juanca Oré / RoastMaster at Cafetoria

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Coffee Influencer of the Year 2020

We are pleased to hear that Mia Nikander and Ivan Ore, founders of Cafetoria, have been nominated for the “Coffee Influencer of the Year 2020”
Ivan has long been active in the Finnish coffee market. After graduating from Aalto University with a Master’s degree in Telecommunications, he worked for Nokia Networks as a research engineer developing 3G/4G mobile phone networks, but, at the same time, enthusiasm for coffee arose and he founded our small coffee roastery in 2002. Very soon our coffee roaster joined SCA and get involved in different coffee trainings around the world, including Switzerland and Belgium, South Korea and Italy.
Ivan is Finland’s first Cup tasting champion (2007), an important feature for a coffee roaster to know how to distinguish flavors and nuances. At the moment, in addition to roasting, Ivan also seems to be one of the few AST coffee trainers in Finland. He is an Authorized SCA Trainer for a few years now.
Mia Nikander has been promoting speciality coffees in Finland since our first batch of coffee arrived in 2003. Since then, she has been tireless promoting organic cultivation and specialty coffees. It is not a secret that, although she enjoys different kinds of coffees, her favourite one is the Peruvian coffee Gran Palomar. It is thanks to her efforts that the Peruvian smallholder farmers have been looking the future with hope and optimism knowing that they can count on the Finnish market.