The Yong River reflected the city's greenery as the aroma of coffee filled Nanning. On November 15, the Nanning regional round of the 2025 PCA Professional Coffee Masters Competition concluded successfully. This city, known both for its 'Green City' ecology and its ASEAN character, welcomed top baristas from across China. Over two days of competition, contestants showcased the limitless appeal of coffee artistry through outstanding technique.
As a full-event sponsor, Dr.coffee made an impressive appearance with the Castle fully automatic coffee machine from its Coffee Shop series. At the concurrently held 2025 ASEAN (Nanning) Coffee Festival, the Dr.coffee M12 fully automatic coffee machine also provided core coffee-making support for the KONA AI Robot + Smart Retail Solution. Together, the two machines brought a double dose of professional capability to the coffee celebration.
A Warm Encounter Between Green-City Character and Coffee Culture
Nanning's coffee atmosphere can be found between its landscapes and its lively streets. As the permanent host city of the China-ASEAN Expo, Nanning combines the lush tranquility of Qingxiu Mountain with the bustling energy of Zhongshan Road Night Market, allowing coffee culture to grow naturally within a diverse urban setting.
Holding the PCA competition alongside the ASEAN Coffee Festival created a natural meeting point between coffee artistry and local culture. Outside the competition venue, the shimmer of the Yong River mingled with the aroma of coffee; at the festival, intelligent technology met traditional flavors. Dr.coffee's two core models, with their respective retro styling and efficient performance, served different coffee-service scenarios and became vivid expressions of coffee culture in the Green City.
Two Days, Two Competitions - Showcasing the Professional Aesthetics of Coffee
Across the two-day PCA Nanning competition, the brewing and latte art events proceeded in sequence, embodying the principles of fairness, impartiality, and openness while comprehensively showcasing the professional skills of the participating baristas.
In the brewing competition, contestants focused closely on extraction details to fully express the unique flavors of their beans. Judges evaluated each entry from professional dimensions including sweetness, balance, and flavor complexity, with many cups recognized for their full body and distinctive character.
In the latte art competition, the atmosphere was energetic yet orderly. Contestants used skilled techniques to create a wide range of patterns, from classic forms to imaginative designs, each combining technical precision with aesthetic creativity. Judges scored entries on factors such as pattern completeness and line fluidity. As milk foam became artistic forms in the competitors' hands, bursts of applause made the professional contest even more dynamic.
Castle in Action - Creating a Specialty Coffee Experience
Complementing the dedicated competition equipment, the Dr.coffee Castle fully automatic coffee machine became the interactive centerpiece of the PCA showcase area. Designed specifically for specialty coffee businesses, Castle attracted competitors and visitors with its neo-classical retro appearance. Its soft, flowing lines complement the ambience of specialty coffee shops, and even when the rear of the machine faces customers, it still delivers a refined visual experience.
In the hands-on experience area, Castle's professional performance was fully demonstrated. The Swiss Ditting metal flat-burr grinding system provides precise dosing control and consistent extraction; the 4th-generation brewing system uses heat-conduction technology to maintain stable water temperature, while a maximum 30 g brewing capacity enhances body; and the Super Milk Foam system produces cold or hot milk, milk foam, and milk topping in multiple forms at the touch of a button. Visitors could simply tap the screen to enjoy professionally balanced coffee with dense, silky foam. Its core advantage - simulating the output of a skilled barista while reducing store labor and management costs - also generated strong interest among industry professionals on site.
M12 Support - Unlocking New Smart Coffee Scenarios
At the concurrently held 2025 ASEAN (Nanning) Coffee Festival, the Dr.coffee M12 fully automatic coffee machine became a core component of the KONA AI Robot + Smart Retail Solution. This high-performance model, designed for business environments, matches smart retail requirements through efficiency and convenience, bringing a new consumer experience to the festival.
The M12 features an innovative dual-PUMP system that doubles beverage-making efficiency and effectively reduces queue times. Hot or iced Americano can be produced in under one minute, with coffee and milk prepared simultaneously. A 10.1-inch full-color touchscreen supports one-touch preparation of more than 30 beverages and customizable coffee settings, combining intuitive operation with strong visual appeal. A fully removable milk circuit and automatic cleaning function make maintenance easier while balancing hygiene and efficiency. In addition, IoT-enabled mobile payment and a pressurized automatic water-supply design further suit the unattended, convenient requirements of smart retail, providing reliable support for AI robotic coffee solutions.
The PCA Nanning competition and ASEAN Coffee Festival have now concluded successfully. The joint appearance of Castle and M12 showcased the strength of specialty coffee equipment in professional competition while extending the boundaries of coffee service in smart retail scenarios, comprehensively empowering industry development. With the champion, runner-up, and third-place winners of the PCA Nanning regional round now selected, the award-winning competitors will advance to the national finals. Dr.coffee will continue to address diverse coffee-service needs with high-quality products and technology, bringing professional, delicious coffee into more cities and everyday settings.