Best Israeli Coffee Beans of 2026: The Good Coffee Contest Winners

The results are in! 142 coffee blends and single-origin coffees from 27 Israeli roasteries and coffee brands competed in The Good Coffee Contest 2026, Shotim Magazine's annual competition for Israeli coffee. Scroll down to see the winning coffees in each category.

After a full day of blind tastings with hundreds of sips, the fifth edition of The Good Coffee Contest has come to an end. This year, 27 roasteries and coffee brands from across Israel submitted no fewer than 142 different coffees – a new record for the competition, surpassing last year's record of 122 entries.

The coffees submitted this year included a wide range of single-origin coffees, different types of blends and Turkish/Arabic coffee. All of them were evaluated in a blind tasting, with the goal of finding the best Israeli coffee in each category.

One of the major changes this year was the introduction of a dedicated Anaerobic Processing category. The decision was made in response to the continued rise in popularity of anaerobic processing in recent years, and particularly because of the distinctive flavor profiles it can produce compared with more traditional processing methods.

How was the competition judged?

The judging day took place on July 9 2026, at Gan Ha'ir Mall in Tel Aviv, with a professional and independent judging panel consisting of Uri Katan, Or Schiefer, Gabi Gluck, Lior Assal and Benny Hemi.

As in previous years, all coffee samples were evaluated in a completely blind tasting. Every coffee was prepared using the Cupping method under exactly the same conditions, while the judges had no idea what they were tasting or which roastery had submitted each sample. Each of the five judges independently awarded every coffee a score from 1 to 10, without consulting the other judges. The final ranking was determined by the average score given by the judges.

In the event of an exact tie, the coffees share the same ranking and the same title.

The judging panel was carefully selected to ensure that none of its members owns or works for a roastery participating – or not participating – in the competition. The judges come from different professional backgrounds within the coffee industry, including coffee education and consulting, work on coffee farms, café management, content creation and barista training. The goal was to create as diverse a panel as possible and provide every coffee with a professional, balanced and independent evaluation.

And the winners of The Good Coffee Contest 2026 are:

Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

1. Cupdate
   Yirgacheffe Dumerso
2. Roasters Jerusalem
   Yirgacheffe; Washed process; Medium-light roast
3. URU
   Yirgacheffe; Washed process

Ethiopia

1. Chupchik
   Guji Hambella Wamena; Natural process
2. Blooms Specialty Coffee
   Guji Dimtu Tero Farm; Heirloom variety; Natural process
3. You Need Coffee
   Sidamo; Heirloom variety; Washed process

Brazil

1. Elijah's Coffee
   Luzia Collective Peaberry; Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo and Catuai varieties; Natural process; Medium roast
2. microlots
   Santurio Sul Geisha; Geisha variety; Natural process; Medium roast
3. Blooms Specialty Coffee
   Moka Caracolito; Mundo Novo and Catuai varieties; Natural process

Papua New Guinea

1. Coffee at the Market – Tel Aviv
   Papua New Guinea
2. Espressotech
   Sigri; Washed process; Light roast
3. Rooster
   Kimel; Washed process; Medium roast

Indonesia

1. Blooms Specialty Coffee
   Sumatra Sesongot Gayo; Abyssinia, Gayo, Timtim and Caturra varieties; Natural process
2. Roasters Jerusalem
   Sumatra; Washed process; Medium-light roast
3. Cupdate
   Sumatra Orangutan

Kenya

1. Cafe 14
   Rukira; Washed process
2. Shukaffe
   Kiambara; Peaberry; Washed process; Light roast
3. microlots
   Mount Elgon; SL28, SL34 and Batian varieties; Washed process; Medium roast

Colombia

1. Shukaffe
   La Palma; Geisha variety; Light roast
   Also sharing first place:
   Shukaffe
   Caturra variety; Natural process; Light-medium roast
2. Chupchik
   Huila Descanso; Castillo variety; Natural process
3. Blooms Specialty Coffee
   Paicol Huila; Castillo variety; Natural process

Africa

1. Elijah's Coffee
   Uganda Kimuli; SL-14 and SL-28 varieties; Washed process; Light roast
2. Chupchik
   Rwanda Nyakibanda; Natural process
3. TOSTATO
   Rwanda Nyakibanda; Natural process

Central America

1. Roasters Jerusalem
   Guatemala, Antigua; Washed process; Medium-light roast
2. Roasters Jerusalem
   Costa Rica, Tarrazú; Washed process; Medium-light roast
3. Borkin Bread
   Mexico; Swiss Water decaffeinated; Dark roast

Anaerobic Processing

1. Canopy
   Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe; Grade 1; Anaerobic Natural process; Light roast
2. Shukaffe
   Colombia; Ombligon variety; Anaerobic Natural process; Light roast
3. Blooms Specialty Coffee
   Nicaragua, Finca Santa Maria de Lourdes; Red Catuai variety; Anaerobic Natural process

Premium Colombia – 250 NIS/kg and above

1. Canopy
   Papayo; Carbonic Maceration; SCA score 88; Light roast
2. You Need Coffee
   Buena Vista Farm; Wush Wush variety; Washed process with aerobic fermentation; SCA score 87; Blonde roast
3. Coffee at the Market – Tel Aviv
   Chiroso; Natural process

Premium Coffee – 250 NIS/kg and above

1. You Need Coffee
   Ethiopia, Diima Chelbesa; Anaerobic Natural process; SCA score 87.8; Light roast
   Also sharing first place:
   Chupchik
   Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe Tore Woreda; Anaerobic process
2. Ishu Coffee
   Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe Tore Badiya; Heirloom varieties; SCA score 88; Anaerobic Natural process
   Also sharing second place:
   Espressotech
   Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe; Anaerobic process; Filter roast

100% Arabica Blends

1. Mataim Coffee Farm
   Tranquila Blend; Costa Rica Tarrazú Washed, Guatemala Antigua Washed, Brazil Cerrado Natural and Colombia Supremo Washed; Medium roast
   Also sharing first place:
   Roasters Jerusalem
   Citrus Bliss Blend; Colombia and Ethiopia; Washed process; Light roast
2. Canopy
   Organic Blend; Colombia and Ethiopia; Medium roast
   Also sharing second place:
   The Coffee Gallery
   Shapira Blend; Light roast

Blends – Up to 15% Robusta

1. CoffeeShuk
   Romeo Blend; 10% Robusta
2. Shukaffe
   Espresso Napoli Blend; Guatemala, Costa Rica and Brazil; 15% Robusta; Italian roast
3. Mataim Coffee Farm
   Daber Elai Baprachim Blend; 12% Robusta; Costa Rica, Sumatra, Yirgacheffe and Rwanda; Medium-light roast

Blends – 20% Robusta and above

1. The Coffee Gallery
   Neve Sha'anan Blend; 30% Robusta
2. Reut Roasters
   Erez Blend; South American Arabica and Indonesian Robusta; 20% Robusta; Medium roast
   Also sharing second place:
   Kolim Bool
   King Hassan Blend; approximately 30% Robusta
3. Kolim Bool
   Malana Cream Blend; approximately 40% Robusta

Turkish/Arabic Coffee

1. Ishu Coffee
   Colombia, Finca La Julia; Pink Bourbon; Anaerobic Natural process
2. Shukaffe
   Caffe Baghdad Blend; with cardamom
3. Ace Coffee
   Sharshamil Ya Jamil Blend; with cardamom
   Also sharing third place:
   CoffeeShuk
   Turkish coffee with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves

About The Good Coffee Contest:

The Good Coffee Contest is Shotim Magazine's annual competition for Israeli coffee roasteries and coffee brands. Now in its fifth year, the competition aimed to provide an independent way of comparing coffees roasted in Israel, across different origins, processing methods, roast styles and blends.

With 142 coffees submitted by 27 Israeli roasteries and coffee brands, the 2026 competition set a new participation record – and once again offered a snapshot of the variety and quality of coffee being roasted in Israel.