GOLDEN CUP
Coffee Shop Excellence
A New Reference for Quality
GOLDEN CUP is a Coffee Shop Excellence distinction, awarded to coffee shops whose overall quality reaches a remarkable level for the current year. Created by Coffee Guides and the Brussels Coffee Show, GOLDEN CUP aims to become a clear, demanding, and credible benchmark for coffee lovers, highlighting coffee shops that place quality, mastery, and consistency at the core of their project.
Like the great gastronomic distinctions
GOLDEN CUP does not reward a marketing concept or a trend. It recognizes a real level of excellence, perceptible in the coffee, the service, and the overall experience.
GOLDEN CUP is not a label
It is a recognition, valid for one year, that the coffee shop can proudly display
Specialty coffee as a foundation
GOLDEN CUP is exclusively dedicated to coffee shops committed to specialty coffee
The Spirit of GOLDEN CUP
GOLDEN CUP does not judge a style or an aesthetic, but a real level of commitment, at the heart of Coffee Shop Excellence
Absolute standards
Quality as a requirement, consistency as a commitment
A rare distinction
A limited number of coffee shops are distinguished each year
Total independence
Complete independence from the establishments being evaluated
The coffee shop is assessed as a living space, where coffee, space, atmosphere, and service form a coherent whole.
Coffee Shop: Coffee Only
Coffee shops exclusively dedicated to coffee, without a food offering. They stand out through: • a rigorous coffee selection • a well-controlled diversity of beverages • precise and consistent extraction (espresso, latte, filter coffee) • a clear, intentional, and sincere coffee experience
Coffee Shop – Coffee & Food
Coffee shops where specialty coffee is expressed in dialogue with a food offering. They provide: • a demanding coffee menu • a structured food offering (breakfast, lunch, or simple cuisine) • coherence between drinks, food, and the identity of the place The overall experience relies on a balance between coffee, cuisine, space, and atmosphere.
A Real-Conditions Evaluation, Adapted to Each Coffee Shop
Each coffee shop is evaluated in real conditions by two mystery judges with complementary profiles, whose roles adapt to the actual model of the establishment: • A specialty coffee expert judge, responsible for evaluating cup quality, extraction mastery, consistency, and the coherence of beverages as served to customers. • A judge from the worlds of hospitality, design, and specialty coffee, evaluating the welcome, service, customer experience, space, atmosphere, and, where applicable, the food offering. Judges visit the location as regular customers, without introducing themselves, without prior notice, together or separately depending on the context. This is not a demonstration. It is a real experience, lived under normal service conditions.
The Space & Design
Coherence · Comfort · Atmosphere · Identity
Welcome & Service
First contact · Attention · Advice · Flow
The Story & Soul of the Coffee Shop
Vision · Values · Sincerity
Coffee & Extraction
Cup quality · Balance · Precision · Consistency · Coherence
Food Offering (if applicable)
Quality · Coherence · Promise fulfilled
Knowledge Sharing & Communication
Clarity · Pedagogy · Accuracy
The GOLDEN CUP distinction is never awarded to a chain as a whole. Each coffee shop is evaluated independently, even if it belongs to a network. Two coffee shops from the same brand may receive different distinctions… or none at all.
GOLDEN CUP Distinction Levels
1 GOLDEN CUP
Very high level
2 GOLDEN CUP
Remarkable, worth a detour
3 GOLDEN CUP
Exceptional, worth the journey
GOLDEN CUP 2027
Timeline
Coffee Shop Registration
March 1 → March 31
March 31: Announcement of participating coffee shops
Judges’ visits: April 15 → September 30
Public vote
September 1 → September 30
Award ceremony
November 6, 2026
The GOLDEN CUP 2027 distinctions will be officially announced and presented during a gala dinner organized as part of the Brussels Coffee Show.