Moldova has a new reason to be proud in the coffee world: Elizaveta Rîmscaia, a 22-year-old barista at the Odélle pastry shop in Chișinău, has been named overall winner of the Julius Meinl Barista Cup 2026. The grand final took place on 4 September at Vienna's MuseumsQuartier, and the results were widely covered by trade media this week.
The competition is run by Viennese roaster Julius Meinl for baristas working in venues that serve its coffee. This year it drew more than 350 applications from 15 countries, from which 15 national champions were selected. Every finalist competed in three disciplines — espresso, cappuccino and signature drink — with the overall title going to the highest combined score. The individual categories were won by Stefan Kot (Poland) for espresso, Mario Benetseder (Austria) for cappuccino and Luka Darispanashvili (Georgia) for signature drink.
The judging panel was chaired by Tim Sturk and Junior Vargas, and all four winners will join an origin trip to India to see coffee growing, harvesting and processing first-hand. Christina Meinl said the skill, creativity and personality of the 15 finalists made her "incredibly proud". It is a result that shows Chișinău's specialty drinks scene can hold its own on the European stage.
Source: Comunicaffe International