Georgius Audrey Teja Reaches Global Cocktail Glory: Part One

We talk to the Indonesian coffee competitor about winning the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in his first go-round.

BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of Georgius Audrey Teja

Working at So So Good Coffee Company in Jakarta, Indonesia, Georgius Audrey Teja is used to being around coffee competition glory. Mikael Jasin, who launched the company, is the reigning World Barista Champion (WBC), and members of the company regularly take part in the highest levels of coffee competitions.

For Georgius, who goes by the nickname Odi, the event of choice is not the WBC, but the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship (WCIGS), where competitors showcase spirits and coffee through innovative beverages. It’s an apt competition for Odi, who works as a research and development specialist at So So Good and the company’s beverage experience center, Omakafé.

Despite his background, Odi didn’t step onto the Coffee in Good Spirits competition stage until this season, when he won the Indonesian title and advanced to the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, which took place June 26-28 in Geneva, Switzerland, during the World of Coffee event. He went all in with preparation, immersing himself in the world of coffee and cocktails to develop a routine honoring his passion and his homeland of Indonesia. 

The work paid off, as Odi was crowned the 2025 World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion. In the first part of this interview, we talk to Odi about getting interested in coffee, finding competitions, and more.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Barista Magazine Online: I read that you started working in coffee in 2017. What drew you to it originally?

Odi: My uncle introduced me to specialty coffee back in 2016, when I moved from a small city to my uncle’s house in Tangerang, a satellite city next to Jakarta. He introduced me to filter coffee, and taught a few things about how a coffee could taste very complex and fruity to this young kid that had no idea what filter coffee is. Then, in 2017, I decided to work as a barista at one of the biggest coffee chains in the world, simply to get the day going and to save up for college. And the rest is history.

How did you end up working at So So Good?

In late 2020, during my final year (in) college, Mikael Jasin was looking for a person to fill “anything coffee related” at So So Good Coffee Company—a person that could do anything, because the team was quite small. This is where I found my deep interest in coffee, because I found a path where I could grow in the coffee industry. Mikael took me to meetings with big clients, and had me creating drinks, visiting coffee farms—the list goes on. He showed me that the coffee industry is vast, and you can be anything and anyone.

Your current role is as a research and development specialist; how did you get that role?

We had a contract with a syrup company that required us to build 10 beverages a month. Since Mikael wasn’t around, he asked me to take the role as research and development specialist. I had no basic skill back then, but Mikael put trust in me that I could learn through experimenting and reading some books. After a few months, I found an interest in “research and development,” experimenting and building drinks.

My new role in the company, which is research and development specialist, is to basically provide beverage recipes for our clients, events, and pop-ups. I make around 20 to 40 recipes a month, depending on the demands from our clients. The roles extended to research and development specialist for Omakafé, our beverage experience center that serves experimental beverages focused on delivering experiences and inspiring other people.

OK, let’s talk competition: How did you get interested in coffee competitions?

My competition background started with volunteering as a stage manager in Indonesia Brewers Cup 2019 and Indonesia Coffee in Good Spirits 2021—the first CIGS in Indonesia, with Shayla Philipa as the winner. That moment intrigued me to join competition, especially Brewers Cup, because I love filter coffee and the complexity of the drink itself. 

I competed in Brewers Cup from 2022 to 2024, and the results weren’t really up to my expectations. Therefore, I decided to take a break after my last Brewers Cup in 2024 to find out what I wanted in competition. I felt that Brewers was not meant for me. Meanwhile, people around me insisted that I should have been competing in CIGS because I had been working as a research and development specialist—at that point I had a deeper understanding of building drinks rather than brewing a cup of coffee.

When did you jump into CIGS then?

Our Coffee in Good Spirits journey started in 2023, when Mikael decided to go for Coffee in Good Spirits before competing in Barista, just to warm up. That’s the first time that our team took part in the CIGS competition, and Mikael finished as the runner-up. 

That moment inspired me and gave me a deeper understanding about CIGS in general, from a competitor’s POV. The baton was passed down to Yessy Angkasa, and in the process of helping Yessy develop drinks and being a card manager for her, it intrigued me to join the competition. I made a vow to myself that if Yessy made it to the final at the worlds stage, I’d give myself a try at Coffee in Good Spirits. Yessy made it to the final and came in fourth place at the 2024 World Coffee in Good Spirits in Copenhagen. That moment gave me the spark to go for CIGS for the first time, and it changed my life.

I have to admit, practicing for Coffee in Good Spirits feels more natural to me, since this is what I’m doing on a daily basis. Also, the rules and regulations allow me to play with various elements that make it so much fun! 

Check back tomorrow for the second part of our interview with Odi, where we’ll learn more about his drinks, and the experience of becoming the 2025 World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion.

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