Swiss Coffee Connection 2026: Our Weekend in Lausanne

On 10 and 11 October 2026 we were at the Swiss Coffee Connection in Lausanne with our stand, both days. Two days of community, great conversations, beautiful equipment, exciting innovations and, of course, plenty of espresso. We brought along and presented two new arrivals: the Acaia Horizon and the Timemore Autospin.

Good coffee brings good people together

For us, a festival is about one thing above all: meeting people. Drinking coffee with the community, asking questions, answering questions and talking about what happens in the cup. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, shared a coffee with us and made this event special. United by Coffee.

What is the Swiss Coffee Connection?

A specialty coffee festival in French-speaking Switzerland, held since 2018. This year was the 9th edition, once again at Espace Amaretto in Lausanne, a former SBB railway hall in the Sébeillon district. The festival is open to everyone: roasters, baristas, machine makers and anyone who simply loves coffee meet in one place. For the tastings there were glasses for CHF 11 that you could keep afterwards.

The 2026 motto was “Brewing the future!”. The focus was on how technology, science and artificial intelligence are changing specialty coffee – from extraction analysis and software-assisted roasting to controlled fermentation.

New in: Acaia Horizon

Most tools work before or during extraction. The Horizon works afterwards, in the minutes between brewing and the first sip. It sits on the cup and lowers the pressure in the space above the coffee in a controlled way; an integrated pressure sensor regulates this actively. According to Acaia, this removes oxygen and carbon dioxide while the volatile aroma compounds stay in the cup. Your recipe and brew ratio stay unchanged.

Acaia developed the Horizon together with Mathieu Theis, the 2026 Swiss Barista Champion, who used it in his competition routine. Acaia describes the result as a rounder mouthfeel, rounded acidity and more sweetness. The most honest way to find out whether your cup tastes that way too is two identical shots side by side – one with, one without. Either way, it suited this year's motto well.

The Acaia Horizon in our shop · Everything from Acaia

New in: Timemore Autospin

The Autospin is a motorised WDT tool for 58 mm portafilters. You place it on the portafilter, and twelve fine needles, 0.3 mm in diameter, travel on a planetary path about 22 mm deep through the coffee grounds, alternating clockwise and anticlockwise. This breaks up clumps and distributes the grounds before you tamp. There is no button: the cycle starts when you set it down and stops when you lift it.

Worth knowing before you buy: the Autospin fits 58 mm baskets with straight walls – not baskets with curved walls and not three-lug portafilters. And honestly, nobody needs it – a few fine needles and a steady hand achieve the same goal. The Autospin takes the hand movement off you and makes the routine the same every morning. Whether that is worth it to you is your call.

The Timemore Autospin in our shop · All WDT tools

Thank you to the brands

A big thank you to the brands helping us push coffee culture forward:

Subminimal · Specht Design · Slayer Espresso · Mahlkönig · Varia · Apax Labs · Airscape · Normcore · Timemore · Urnex · Acaia

More videos on Instagram and TikTok.

Try them yourself

Frequently asked questions

When and where did the Swiss Coffee Connection 2026 take place?

On Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11 October 2026, from 9 am to 6 pm each day, at Espace Amaretto, Rue de Genève 97B in Lausanne. It was the festival's 9th edition.

What does the Acaia Horizon do?

It works after extraction: placed on the cup, it lowers the pressure above the coffee in a controlled way. According to Acaia, this removes oxygen and carbon dioxide while volatile aroma compounds stay in the cup. It was developed together with Mathieu Theis, the 2026 Swiss Barista Champion.

Does the Timemore Autospin fit my portafilter?

It is built for 58 mm baskets with straight walls. According to Timemore, it does not support baskets with curved walls or three-lug portafilters. If you're unsure, send us a photo of your basket.

Can I see the devices before buying?

In our showrooms in Bern and Zurich we show a large selection, but not the entire range. It's best to check with us briefly beforehand whether the Horizon or the Autospin is currently there.

Sources: Date, venue, motto and programme according to the official Swiss Coffee Connection website (swisscoffeeconnection.ch). How the Horizon works and the collaboration with Mathieu Theis according to Acaia (Horizon product page) and the Specialty Coffee Association entry on the Acaia Horizon. Autospin details according to Timemore's manufacturer specifications.