Turning Heat into Harmony: Philip Weller on the Art of Roasting
Freiburg, a charming city in Germany’s Black Forest, may be known for its cobblestone streets and scenic views—but it’s also home to one of Europe’s most exciting coffee roasters.
Philip Weller, co-founder of Günter Coffee Roasters and Café Marcel, has just clinched the title of Germany Coffee Roasting Champion not once, but twice—in 2024 and again in 2025. With a background deeply rooted in sensory exploration and a roastery run alongside his wife, Aurore (a two-time German Cup Tasters Champion), Philip's approach to roasting blends precision with passion.
HUDES | Worldwide Digital Magazine for Manual Coffee Brewers
Hudes magazine caught up with him just weeks before he heads to Houston for the World Coffee Roasting Championship, where he’ll be representing Germany on the global stage.
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| Philip Waller - German Roasting Champion 2024 & 2025 |
Philip Weller: Thank you very much. My name is Philip Weller, and I’m the co-founder of Café Marcel and Günter Coffee Roasters, both based in the beautiful small city of Freiburg, which is located in the Black Forest in the south of Germany.
HUDES: How did your journey in coffee roasting begin? What sparked your passion for it?
Philip Weller: We started Café Marcel ten years ago with a blend roasted by a local roastery. Shortly after we started in 2014, we also wanted to offer single origin coffees, so we got our second grinder.
We ordered those beans from roasters all over Europe and also started to offer batch brew and hand-brewed filter coffees. During that period, we tasted so many different coffees and roast styles that we really learned a lot and trained our palate. Finally, in 2018, we opened our own roastery, Günter Coffee Roasters.
HUDES: Can you share your experience during the competition? What was the biggest challenge you faced?
Philip Weller: Roasting championships are more time-consuming than other competitions because you have to fulfill your tasks over two or three days.
So one of the biggest challenges is to stay focused during green grading, sample roasting, dummy roasting, tasting, making the roast plan, and finally roasting the coffees. For me, concentration is key, as well as having a good plan to follow. The good thing about the longer duration is that you can take time to chat and discuss with the other competitors.
HUDES: How did you choose the coffee beans for this competition? Did you have a specific strategy in mind?
Philip Weller: All competitors roast the same coffee, so there’s no choice to be made.
HUDES: Did you use any unique techniques or approaches that set you apart from other competitors?
Philip Weller: To achieve a good score for the production roast, it is important to avoid any roast defects. Hitting the spot between under- and over-roast is key.
This is one of the ideas I focus on. My very unique approach is to cup with my lovely wife Aurore. She is the best coach I could ask for, and we developed the roast plan together.
HUDES: How crucial is the roasting profile in determining the final cup quality? How do you adjust your approach to get the best results?
Philip Weller: The score from the roasted coffee itself is the main part of the final score, so a good roasting profile is very important.
And there are different strategies from competitor to competitor. For the competition, I developed roasting profiles that deviate from the ones in our roastery and that I like most. I slightly adjust my power management to achieve a better fit for the score sheet.
HUDES: Can you tell us more about Günter Coffee Roasters? What is its core philosophy when it comes to roasting?
Philip Weller: We founded Günter Coffee Roasters with the idea of having a strong focus on sensory. With my wife and co-founder Aurore—two-time German Cup Tasters Champion and runner-up in the World Competitions 2024—we have a lot of sensory experience on our team.
Our weekly quality control is the most important part of improving our roasts and cups.
HUDES: Will this victory influence the way Günter Coffee Roasters develops its coffee offerings?
Philip Weller: Yes, for sure. Our participation—and sometimes our wins—in competitions influences our daily work in many ways.
At competitions, you chat with other coffee professionals, get inspiration and new ideas. Also, making new connections with coffee producers or importers can influence your offerings. At the beginning of Günter Coffee, we only offered light roast arabica coffees.
Meanwhile, we have a wider range, from medium-dark blends to acidity-driven light roast single-origin coffees. Next up will be a champions line that we will release later this year.
HUDES: What are your thoughts on current coffee roasting trends in Germany and globally? Have you noticed any significant shifts in recent years?
Philip Weller: Here in Germany, there are a lot of new roasters starting their businesses with really small batch machines like the Aillio Bullet or small Stronghold roasters, mostly focusing on more high-end or heavily processed coffees. I'm curious how they will develop in the next few years.
HUDES: How do you see the role of technology in coffee roasting? Do you use any specific tools or software to refine your process?
Philip Weller: The number of apps and software we use in our roastery is constantly rising. Also, new machines are entering the market that are slightly shifting the concept toward more convective heat transfer. In my opinion, alternative heating systems are very important to move away from classic gas systems.
HUDES: What are the biggest challenges or opportunities you see in the coffee roasting industry moving forward?
Philip Weller: I think the whole roast market is still getting more diverse. New machines, new importers, new roasters—all bringing new ideas.
Obviously, the biggest challenge is climate change, which affects us constantly all over the globe. I hope that new ideas can move the industry forward toward more sustainability for humans and nature.
HUDES: Who has been the most influential person in your coffee roasting journey?
Philip Weller: This is an easy one: it’s my wife Aurore, the sensory mind of our roastery. Besides her, it is really hard to name them all because there are a lot of people who influence my work.
My personal approach is to learn from different people as much as I can, then make my own conclusions and put them into practice.
HUDES: What advice would you give to aspiring roasters who want to grow and perhaps compete in the future?
Philip Weller: Just do it and fill out the form for your national competition! The most important step is to start and not overthink it.
I highly recommend reading and trying to understand the rules and regulations. If you have further questions after that—which is probably the case—then try to connect with people who already took part in that championship and ask them for advice.
Since there are many different roasting machines on the market, I highly recommend practicing on a competition machine.
HUDES: Now that you’ve won this championship, what’s next for you? Are there any exciting projects or innovations you’re currently working on?
Philip Weller: First and foremost, I have to prepare for the World Championships. They are held in Houston this year at the end of April. We already moved to a new location with our roastery a few weeks ago, which was a really big project, so we’re still busy furnishing and optimizing everything. We’re also working on new coffees for our “Champions Edition” that my wife and I will curate and plan to release later this year. (Hudes magazine)
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