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“2025 Busan Coffee Awards & Festival (2025 BCAFE)” Opens — A Coffee Festival Uniting Busan

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will host the “2025 Busan Coffee Awards & Festival (2025 BCAFE)” for four days from today (December 4) through December 7 at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1.

This event is designed as a specialized cultural festival for coffee, where small and medium-sized coffee brands, champion baristas, and citizens who enjoy coffee culture come together to交流 and, based on this, explore opportunities for business expansion within the coffee industry.

The festival is jointly hosted by the city and Busan Ilbo Co., Ltd., and organized by Busan Ilbo Co., Ltd. and the Specialty Coffee Association of Korea.

Around 100 coffee-related businesses, including local roastery cafés, along with renowned baristas, popular YouTubers, industry professionals, and approximately 20,000 citizens, are expected to participate.

The opening ceremony will take place today (December 4) at 3:30 p.m., marking the first edition of the event with a blending performance using roasted coffee beans sourced from across the nation.

Coffee “blending” is the process of mixing different beans—each with distinct aromatic and flavor characteristics—in specific ratios to create new flavor profiles. Its hallmark is the ability to produce layered and diverse aromas.

The opening performance will feature a blend of beans gathered from regions across the country, offering a unique experience symbolic of “Coffee City Busan,” where coffees from all over Korea come together. “BCAFE” is the event logo derived from Busan (B), Coffee (C), Awards (A), and Festival (FE), and also carries the dual meaning of “Busan Café.”

The Coffee Awards will run throughout the four-day event from December 4 to 7 and comprise multiple distinctive competitions, including Home Brew Down, Winners Club, and Coffee Cups.

“Home Brewing Showdown” is a tournament in which home brewers freely create their own brews using their preferred recipes and equipment. Members of the general public may also participate.
Brewing: A method of extraction in which hot water is poured over ground coffee and filtered.

“Battle of the Champions” is a competition in which domestic and international coffee champions compete in espresso extraction using identical machines and coffee beans.

“Coffee Cups” is a contest in which a secret judging panel evaluates participating cafés on criteria such as personality, design, and coffee flavor.

The Coffee Festival features a wide range of programs, including Coffee Guild, Cupping Live TV, World Coffee Championship (WCC) Judge Skill Program, and Coffee City Busan Forum.

“Coffee Guild” is an interactive experiential space where café brands from across Korea participate. In themed zones showcasing regional distinctiveness, visitors can meet baristas and roasters, taste coffee, and learn about the latest trends in the coffee industry.

“Cupping Live TV” is an open-format broadcasting station operated and hosted by coffee influencers and creators, delivering real-time event coverage and coffee-related news.

The “World Coffee Championship (WCC) Judge Skill Program” is an educational course that teaches the judging standards and evaluation methods of the WCC. Participants who complete the course receive a certificate issued by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). A conversation session between invited WCC judges and attendees will also be held, offering an opportunity for交流 on coffee-related topics.
SCA: The world’s largest and most respected nonprofit coffee organization.

At the “Coffee City Busan Forum,” experts from various fields—including technology, equipment and materials, human resources, branding, tourism, logistics, and culture—will gather to discuss future strategies for the advancement of “Coffee City Busan.”

In addition, a free tasting event will be held to promote a ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee beverage representing Busan.

The city is developing an RTD coffee beverage in collaboration with three World Coffee Champions (Jeon Joo-yeon, Chu Kyung-ha, and Moon Heon-kwan), the Busan-Gyeongnam Milk Cooperative, BGF Retail, and GS Retail.
RTD (Ready to Drink): Beverages made ready for immediate consumption (e.g., cans, bottles, packs).

A tasting session for the prototype was held on September 20 during “Busan Coffee Day,” where it received positive feedback. At this event, the final recipe—refined based on previous feedback—will be presented.

Mayor Park Heong-joon said, “Busan has long been a city deeply connected with coffee. The vitality of port trade, the dedication of professionals, the warmth of neighborhood cafés, and the special everyday moments that each cup brings have all contributed to shaping today’s ‘Coffee City Busan.’ I hope this event becomes a special year-end attraction where many people visit Busan and enjoy its coffee culture, and the city will do its utmost to make it so.”