Phil & Sebastian Named National Winner – Canada At The 2026 Global Coffee Awards

CALGARY, Alberta | September 2026 — Phil & Sebastian has been named National Winner – Canada at the 2026 Global Coffee Awards US & Canada, following a strong showing across espresso, filter and milk-based coffee categories.

Held August 10 and 11 in Houston, Texas, the competition brought together coffees from roasteries across the United States and Canada. Entries were evaluated through a double-blind tasting process by an independent panel of coffee professionals, with judges assessing the coffees solely on what was presented in the cup.

Phil & Sebastian received six individual recognitions across the competition:

• Gold — Espresso, Single Origin Experimental: Candy Cloud Espresso
• Silver — Filter, Geisha: Uncommon Collection — Black Jaguar Geisha Natural
• Silver — Filter, Washed: Uncommon Collection — Finca La Negrita Red Geisha Washed
• Silver — Filter, Classic Roast Profile: Alter Ego
• Bronze — Flat White Dairy, Experimental: Candy Cloud Espresso
• Finalist — Espresso, Classic Roast Profile: Doppleganger Espresso

Those results culminated in Phil & Sebastian being named National Winner – Canada, recognizing the roastery’s overall performance across the competition.

The Global Coffee Awards evaluate coffees across attributes including aroma, flavour, balance, sweetness, acidity, body and overall cup quality. Because the competition is conducted double-blind, judges do not know the identity of the coffee or the roaster during evaluation.

For Phil & Sebastian, the breadth of the results is particularly meaningful. The recognized coffees range from expressive, experimental lots like Candy Cloud Espresso and Black Jaguar to Alter Ego, one of the roastery’s most familiar and enduring coffees.

“We taste, buy, and roast a lot of coffee, and we’re always asking ourselves how we can make it better. Having such a wide range of our coffees recognized in a completely blind setting means a lot. One of the things I lament about the coffee industry is how much a coffee roaster’s reputation can shape the perception of their quality. I’m excited about
competitions like the Global Coffee Awards because they allow us, as coffee roasters, to be evaluated more objectively, decoupled from our reputation and popularity, and based solely on the quality of the coffee itself.

These results begin much further upstream, with the producers who grew and processed these coffees. We’re fortunate to work with some remarkable people, and we’re really proud to see their coffees recognized alongside the work of our roasting team here in Calgary”
– Phil Roberston, Co-Founder

The Global Coffee Awards also recognize the producers behind awarded coffees, reflecting the collaboration required to create quality from farm through roasting and preparation. Several of Phil & Sebastian’s winning entries come from long-standing producer relationships, including coffees from Ratibor Hartmann, Mauricio Shattah, and an exciting new addition from Tamiru Tadesse at Alo Coffee.

The National Winner title comes as Phil & Sebastian approaches two decades of sourcing and roasting specialty coffee in Calgary, continuing a focus on long-term producer relationships, careful sourcing, and the tireless pursuit of better coffee.

About Phil & Sebastian
Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters was founded in Calgary in 2007 by Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb, driven by a belief that coffee could be much better than the industry standard. Nearly two decades later, that pursuit still guides the company, from sourcing and roasting to how coffee is served in its cafés. All Phil & Sebastian coffees are sourced through
direct relationships with producing partners around the world, with an emphasis on long-term collaboration, exceptional quality, and continual improvement. The coffees are roasted in small batches at the company’s Calgary roastery, with particular attention paid to preserving quality from origin through to the finished cup. Today, Phil & Sebastian operates cafés throughout Calgary and serves customers through its online shop and wholesale partners in Canada and around the world.

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