From Origin to Cup: Specialty Coffees Deserve the Right Water
Water as an ingredient: visitors to the BWT booth can experience the effect that water profiles have on the extraction and taste of specialty coffees.
Photo credit: BWT water+more
Sponsored Content by BWT water+more
The key points at a glance:
Closer to the Origin: World of Coffee is taking place in Latin America for the first time. This means that there will be a stronger focus on Panama as a country of origin for specialty coffee and on the work of the people on the farms.
Consistent Competition Conditions: As the 2026–2027 WBC Qualified Water Filtration Sponsor, BWT water+more, the water optimisation specialist for coffee preparation and the food service industry, will provide the water for the World Barista Championship and monitor its quality on site.
Training Before the World Barista Championship: The Barista Base Camp will run from 16 to 19 October in Café Unido, Costa del Este. Here, contestants can practice with the official competition water provided by BWT water+more.
The quality of a specialty coffee emerges long before the coffee is brewed. On the farms the growing conditions, the variety, and the harvesting and processing methods determine a coffee’s sensory potential. The roasting process develops this potential further and shapes the taste profile. But whether the coffee’s delicate aromas, sweetness and characteristic acidity actually come through in the cup essentially depends on an additional ingredient: the water.
Water connects the coffee community: BWT water+more brings baristas, roasters and coffee professionals together for expert discussions at World of Coffee.
Photo credit: BWT water+more
At World of Coffee Panama, BWT water+more—the water optimisation specialist for coffee preparation and the food service industry—will show visitors to Booth 1335/1348 how this link between origin and cup can be shaped with intent. As the 2026–2027 WBC Qualified Water Filtration Sponsor, BWT water+more is the exclusive provider of the water used in the World Barista Championships. This means that the company is responsible for filtering the water and providing a consistent water quality for the competition.
Spotlight on the People at the Origin
World of Coffee is taking place in Latin America for the first time. At the same time, the World Barista Championship is being held in Central America for the first time—in Panama, a world-renowned country of origin for specialty coffee. With this venue comes a stronger focus on the work of the coffee producers.
On the farms, they provide a basis for the subsequent quality of the coffee and apply their experience, expertise and diligence to growing, harvesting, and processing the coffee beans.
“The quality of a speciality coffee emerges at the origin. During the brewing process, what matters is preserving this potential and turning it into a sensory experience. Specialty coffees deserve water that highlights their unique characteristics,” explains Dr Frank Neuhausen, Managing Director of BWT water+more.
Water service for the Championship: BWT water+more treats the water in a dedicated area for the competition stages.
Photo credit: BWT water+more
Water Should Not Become an Obstacle
At the World Barista Championship, contestants will compete against one another with carefully selected coffees and precisely developed recipes. To ensure that their performance remains comparable, they all need to work under reliable and consistent conditions.
A research and development team from BWT water+more will measure and analyse the water on site, treat it for use on the competition stage and monitor its quality throughout the event. This should prevent fluctuations in the water quality from affecting the extraction and becoming an additional variable for the baristas.
The analysis area set up especially for the competition will also serve as a professional point of contact. There and at the BWT water+more booth, BWT experts will be available to discuss water profiles, extraction, and the treatment of the competition water with contestants, roasters, and other members of the coffee community.
Practicing with the Official Competition Water
Training under competition conditions: at the Barista Base Camp, contestants coordinate coffee, recipe, technology, and water.
Photo credit: BWT water+more
Preparation for the Championship begins even before the first contestant steps onto the stage. The Barista Base Camp will take place from 16 to 19 October in Café Unido, Costa del Este, in Panama City.
There, the contestants can prepare their coffee using the official BWT competition water and brew their specialty coffees under standardized conditions. The base camp also offers contestants the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the equipment used in the competition and to compare notes with other baristas and coffee experts.
The limited slots are highly coveted. For many participants, the base camp is one of their last opportunities to precisely coordinate water, coffee, recipe, and equipment before the world championship.
Therefore, coffee comes full circle in Panama: a coffee’s particular quality emerges on the farm, the roasting shapes its taste profile, and the right water ensures that this potential is transferred to the cup when the coffee is brewed.
About BWT water+more
BWT water+more Deutschland GmbH, based in Wiesbaden, is a specialist in water optimization technologies for the hospitality trade, the hotel trade and vending. Founded in 2005, the company, which is a 100% subsidiary of BWT Holding GmbH from Austria, offers the largest product portfolio worldwide for professionally optimizing water for coffee specialties, hot and cold drinks, and baking, steaming and dishwashing technology. As a globally operating company, we are represented in Europe, America, and Asia, giving us a worldwide network for our customers.
You can find BWT water+more on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
