Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters: Canada’s 2026 Global Coffee Awards National Winner
Great news deserves to be shared—especially when it comes from one of our Canadian roasting partners. Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters has been named Overall National Winner for Canada at the 2026 Global Coffee Awards, earning six recognitions across espresso, filter and milk-based coffee categories.
At SpecialityCoffee.ca, we’re proud to carry Phil & Sebastian and celebrate this milestone with our customers. Their Calgary roots, thoughtful approach to roasting and diverse coffee selection make them a welcome part of our collection.
Whether you already enjoy their coffees or are discovering them for the first time, this achievement is an excellent reason to get to know the people behind the bags—and find your next favourite brew.
From Calgary Engineers to Specialty Coffee Roasters
Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb met while studying engineering at the University of Calgary. A shared interest in coffee eventually brought them from experimenting with espresso at home to opening their first café at the Calgary Farmers’ Market in 2007.
Their technical backgrounds helped shape the business. Understanding how things work, testing ideas and refining the details became part of their approach to coffee.
That curiosity extends to the roastery, where custom equipment and roasting-control software support their pursuit of consistency. It also extends to sourcing, through relationships with producers and time spent understanding the work behind each harvest.
For coffee drinkers, this creates a range worth exploring. Phil & Sebastian offers several approaches to flavour, from rich and comforting profiles to brighter, fruit-forward expressions.
At SpecialityCoffee.ca, we appreciate that variety. A roaster’s collection becomes especially interesting when it gives customers room to discover something new while keeping familiar favourites within reach.
National Recognition at the 2026 Global Coffee Awards
Phil & Sebastian’s Overall National Winner for Canada title recognises their performance at the 2026 Global Coffee Awards.
Across five submitted coffees, the team received one Gold, three Silver awards, one Bronze and one Finalist recognition. Their results covered espresso, filter and milk-based preparations, reflecting the breadth of their work.
The achievement follows a Gold Medal in 2025 for José Joaquín Bolaños Geisha in the Filter/Washed category. Together, these results mark two consecutive years of recognition at the competition.
The awards use double-blind judging, with coffees assessed without identifying the roaster. Judges evaluate qualities such as aroma, flavour, sweetness, body, balance and finish.
For us, this is an opportunity to celebrate the roasting team and the producers whose work contributed to the results. A memorable coffee begins well before roasting, with the care involved in growing, harvesting and processing it.
Discover Phil & Sebastian Coffee at SpecialityCoffee.ca
An award can introduce you to a roaster, but your favourite coffee depends on what you enjoy drinking.
Do you look forward to an espresso with fruit character? A chocolate-led filter coffee? A rich cappuccino? The Phil & Sebastian range offers several starting points.
Here are four coffees to explore in our Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters collection.
Candy Cloud Espresso: Sweet, Expressive and Fruit-Forward
Candy Cloud Espresso offers a sweet, fruit-forward and expressive profile—an inviting choice for coffee lovers looking to explore a more adventurous espresso.
Phil & Sebastian approaches Candy Cloud with an emphasis on coffees that are interesting, playful and full of sweetness. It brings a different direction to the espresso range, appealing to drinkers who enjoy discovering fruit character in their cup.
If your usual espresso leans toward chocolate and caramel, Candy Cloud offers another experience to explore. It is a way to discover how much flavour variety can exist within espresso, even before adding milk.
For home brewers who enjoy adjusting their recipe and paying attention to how the cup changes, this is a coffee to spend some time with.
Explore Candy Cloud Espresso →
Doppelganger Espresso: Rich, Bold and Comforting
For those who prefer a deeper espresso profile, Doppelganger Espresso offers notes of s’mores, baker’s chocolate and molasses.
Phil & Sebastian describes it as their darkest espresso roast, designed to deliver a rich, smooth and bold cup. It works both on its own and with milk, making it a versatile option for a home espresso routine.
Think of the morning cappuccino you look forward to making, or an afternoon latte built around a deeper coffee profile. Doppelganger fits naturally into that style of brewing.
It also provides an interesting companion to Candy Cloud. Trying the two gives espresso drinkers a chance to explore distinct flavour directions from the same roasting team.
Explore Doppelganger Espresso →
Smooth Operator: Chocolate, Toffee and Everyday Appeal
Smooth Operator is an approachable filter coffee with tasting notes of toffee, dark chocolate and toasted almond.
Those familiar flavours make it a welcoming introduction to Phil & Sebastian. Its chocolate character, caramel sweetness and almond notes offer a natural starting point for people who enjoy a balanced, comforting cup.
It is also a thoughtful option when choosing coffee for a shared household or buying a bag for someone whose preferences lean toward chocolate and nuts.
Discovering specialty coffee can start with flavours you already love. Smooth Operator offers that starting point, with room to appreciate the balance and character of the cup as you brew.
Alter Ego: A Deeper Filter Coffee Profile
For filter drinkers who prefer a darker roast, Alter Ego brings tasting notes of campfire, burnt caramel and dark chocolate.
Phil & Sebastian describes a developed roast with a syrupy, rounded character and warm flavours of caramel, chocolate and spice. It offers a deeper direction for your daily filter brew.
If that is the kind of coffee you reach for in the morning, Alter Ego deserves a place on your shortlist.
Alongside Smooth Operator, it gives filter coffee lovers two clear starting points: a chocolate-and-toffee profile or a darker cup with caramelised flavours. Both offer a way to explore Phil & Sebastian through your preferred brewing routine.
Why We’re Proud to Carry Phil & Sebastian
At SpecialityCoffee.ca, we bring together roasters that give our customers something interesting to discover. Our collection spans countries, coffee origins, processing methods and roasting styles, with Canadian roasters playing an essential role.
We’re proud to include Phil & Sebastian in that selection. Their range allows us to introduce customers to different flavour profiles while offering choices for everyday espresso and filter brewing.
We also value the opportunity to share the stories behind the coffee. Knowing who roasted your beans, where their business began and what they care about adds another dimension to the experience.
This national recognition is a moment to celebrate that work. Congratulations to Phil, Sebastian, their team and the producers behind the coffees recognised at the competition.
Find Your Next Phil & Sebastian Coffee
Choosing your next bag can begin with a simple question: what kind of cup do you most enjoy?
- Sweet, fruit-forward espresso: explore Candy Cloud Espresso.
- Rich espresso and milk drinks: consider Doppelganger Espresso.
- Chocolate-led filter coffee: discover Smooth Operator.
- A deeper, darker filter roast: try Alter Ego.
Browse the individual product pages for tasting notes, brewing information and roast dates to help you choose.
Whether you’re returning to a favourite or discovering this Calgary roaster for the first time, we’re delighted to share their coffees with you.
We’re proud to carry Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters—Canada’s Overall National Winner at the 2026 Global Coffee Awards.
