Gaby
Experts called the results of this experiment astonishing.
Kaffa Roastery is one of Finland’s leading coffee roasters, based in Helsinki. Founder Svante Hampf introduced a coffee blend called AI-conic that was developed with artificial intelligence. It’s another example of how cutting-edge technology can ease work in a craft traditionally tied to manual labor.
Finland, home to 5.6 million people, consumes the most coffee per person in the world—about 12 kilograms per year, according to International Coffee.
How Artificial Intelligence Crafted the Blend
It all began when Kaffa Roastery teamed up with a local consulting firm, Elev, which specializes in AI projects.
“Using models similar to ChatGPT and Copilot, the artificial intelligence was tasked with creating a blend that perfectly matched the tastes of coffee lovers, pushing the boundaries of traditional flavor combinations,” Elev explained.
Hampf said both partners wanted to explore how various AI tools could assist in coffee roasting—a traditional craft highly valued in Finland.
“Essentially, we provided the AI with descriptions of all our coffee varieties and their flavors and tasked it with creating a new exciting blend,” the coffee workshop founder said at the Helsinki Coffee Festival, which gathers roasters and fans of the aromatic beverage each year.
The collaboration produced a blend featuring four coffee varieties from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. The dominant component is the Brazilian Fazenda Pinhal, known for its velvety taste, Tech Xplore reported.
The AI also generated the packaging labels and a detailed flavor description. The AI wrote that AI-conic is a “well-balanced blend of sweetness and ripe fruits.”
Hampf said he was surprised the AI chose to combine four different types of coffee beans instead of the usual two or three. With fewer varieties, it’s easier to separate the origins of aromas and flavors. But after the first trial roast and a blind tasting, coffee experts agreed the blend was excellent and needed no human adjustments.
Kaffa Roastery hopes the experiment will spark a conversation among professionals about the future of coffee in Finland, a country with a rich coffee culture that embraces new technologies and startups.
