The home team takes the Best Nation prize

25th June 2008

Denmark’s team of coffee professionals became this year’s winner of the 2008 Best Nation at Wonderful Coffee 2008 in Copenhagen.

The Best Nation prize is aimed at rewarding excellence in coffee across a wide range of disciplines, and is awarded to the entire team from the winning country. The award is designed to stimulate each competing nation to field competitors in all of the Championships.

The Best Nation award is calculated by adding together the ranking of each country in each competition—and the lowest score therefore wins. Denmark’s 36 points won it first prize, with South Korea coming second at 43 and Poland third at 52. Norway, Russia and Iceland came fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. (Unfortunately, Australia had no competitor in the Coffee in Good Spririts Championship; if they had had one—even coming last—their score would have been good enough overall to come first.)

Denmark’s team takes over the Best Nation award from Iceland, which won it last year.

Taking the prize (pictured): The Danish team with the Best Nation plaque, including (l-r) Morten Winther Venstenaa, who represented Denmark in the Ibrik/Cezve Competition, National Coordinator Søren Stiller Markussen, 6th place in the World Barista Championship, Mikkel Pilgaard Madsen, who took 11th place in Coffee in Good Spirits, and World Cup Tasters Champion Casper Engel Rasmussen. (Not pictured is Signe Støttrup Jensen, who came 18th in the Latte Art Championship.) Photo courtesy of wbconespressobar.com.