Host Milan celebrates all things espresso

With several halls being converted to venues for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the coffee and tea pavilions of Host Milano 2025 had a different look, but one thing remained the same — coffee was a priority.

Historically, coffee has been one of the main strengths of Host Milano since its early editions. Because of its importance, the dedicated area has its own brand identity as SIC – Salone Internazionale del Caffè. The entire coffee value chain, from raw beans to the bar counter, is represented at SIC: selected roasters, importers, producers and industry players from five continents, as well as the world’s top brands.

The 44^th edition of Host Milano took place 17-21 October in Milan, Italy. Coffee and tea exhibitors, along with education sessions and talks, and the 25^th World Barista Championship, encompassed five halls at Fiera Milano.

Host 2025 honoured the 80^th anniversary of Brambati SpA with an exhibit located prominently in the main entrance hall. The exhibit walked visitors through the Milan-based company’s eight decades in operation from its start as a local flour milling machine manufacturer to its expansion as a roasting and grinding machine manufacturer, providing its equipment to some of the largest coffee roasters around the world. (A story on Brambati’s 80 years in business appears in T&CTJ’s October 2025 issue.)

Espresso is always front and center at the biennial Host Milano, but this year, its importance was heightened. The show featured an exhibit celebrating 100 years of espresso in Italy. The exhibit displayed a selection of espresso machines from Italian manufacturers (La Cimbali, La Marzocco, Rancillo, Eureka, and Imperia to name just a few) dating back to the 1920s.

Espresso machine manufacturers displaying their equipment at Host Milano offered espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, and other espresso-based drinks with coffee beans from a majority of Italy-based brands: illy, Lavazza, ditta Artigianale, mood., etc.

The show also hosted the 2025 World Barista Championship. The competition took place 17–20 October and included 51 participants. This year, as the competition celebrates its 25^th anniversary, audiences at Host Milano enjoyed new and immersive features never seen before at the WBC, including live espresso extraction data available to audience members during performances, which offered deeper insights into the precision and creativity that define the world’s leading baristas. Jack Simpson representing Australia claimed the WBC’s top spot, followed by Simon SunLei of China who came in second and Ben Put of Canada placed third (for more information on the World Barista Championship see https://www.teaandcoffee.net/news/37968/host-milano-2025-holds-wbc-and-largest-show-to-date/.)

Manufacturers of fully automatic beverage systems (such as Franke, Jetinno, La Cimbali, Simonelli, and Melitta Professional), touted improved efficiencies, great variety, sustainability, and above all, higher quality espresso-based drinks.