The Best Espresso of France (Concours du Meilleur Espresso de France) is an annual competition identifying France’s finest commercial espresso. Organized by Collectif café (formerly the Comité Français du Café, France’s main coffee trade federation, founded 1958), it is held each September as part of the Paris Coffee Show.
Unlike standardized roasting championships where every competitor works with the same supplied lots, competitors here enter coffee from their own existing commercial range — a blend or a single-origin already available to buy. The question the competition asks is which French roaster makes the best espresso their customers can actually order.
How the Competition Works
The competition begins with a regional qualifying round held in June, typically at a culinary school, where around 29 roasters compete for five regional finalist spots. Those five advance to the national final at the Paris Coffee Show in September. The winner is decided by a combined score: 50% from a professional jury of coffee experts and 50% from a public vote by Paris Coffee Show attendees, giving the winning espresso a distinctive claim — it has to satisfy both specialists and the general public. The winner receives the title Meilleur Espresso de France for that year.