AeroPress Competition coverage is rolling in fast and furious from Sprudge agents around the world in advance of the 2015 World AeroPress Championship in Seattle, Washington, on April 9th. What is an AeroPress competition, you ask? It’s a heated battle royale of brew ratios, stir methods, and even the rare inverted flip or two, all centered on the plucky little plunger known as the Aerobie AeroPress. Competitors do battle in head-to-head rounds before a team of esteemed judges, who score brews on a carefully considered melange of deliciousness, delightfulness, and probably like TDS or something.
AeroPress competitions are a lot of grassroots fun, and the Canadian national championship event was no exception. Around 200 people packed the Phil & Sebastian Coffee roastery in Calgary, Alberta, for an event featuring beer by Tool Shed Brewing, tunes by Kinfolk DJs, snacks by Tubby Dog Tacos, and vendors like Transcend Coffee and Eight Ounce Coffee.
Eventual winner was Nick Hatch from Eight Ounce Coffee, who now moves on to compete at the 2015 World AeroPress Championship in Seattle. Let’s learn more about his recipe, and check out the styles for the second and third place finishers.
Nick Hatch from Eight Ounce Coffee took first place with this recipe:
-17.5 grams coffee to 250 grams water at 82 degrees celsius
-Start timer when you add 40 grams water, stir 5 times, and let bloom until 35 seconds
-Add remaining water
-Press down until you reach 1:30 seconds
Perry Lozie, an independent home brewer, took second.
-Start with AeroPress inverted and plunger at “4”
-Add 21 grams coffee ground slightly finer than drip (e.g. Baratza Preciso at 18d)
-Bloom with 50 grams water at 70 degrees celsius for 45 seconds
-Add 150 grams water at 80-85 degrees celsius; stir and brew for 30 seconds
-Slowly top off AeroPress with water at 80-85 degrees celsius
-Stir quickly, invert and press for 40 seconds, leaving 10 milliliters in press
-Add 10 milliliters water to cup; stir and enjoy!
Third place went to David Lalonde from Saint Henri Micro Roaster out of Montreal:
-75 parts per million water [???] at 85 degrees celsius, regular method
-Grind 21.5 grams coffee (setting between 18h and 19a) with Baratza Preciso
-Sieve the chaff and big chunks out and discard
-Sieve the super fines and discard
-Repeat both sieving steps a second time until you have 18 grams left
-Rinse filter, preheat AeroPress, decanter, and put coffee in AeroPress
-25 grams cold water pre-infusion for 30 seconds
-40 grams bloom while rotating the AeroPress, shake the AeroPress in small circle for 35 seconds
-230 grams slow pour for 45 seconds and stir in circle 4 times
-Slow press for 50 seconds and leave 40 grams in the AeroPress
Thirsty for more AeroPress competition coverage? Slake your craving by digging deep through our AeroPress competition archives.
Lauren Popadiuk contributed to this reporting. Photos courtesy of Vanessa Ng. Sprudge.com is the official media partner of the World AeroPress Championship, and proudly (if coincidentally) partnered with both Aerobie and Phil & Sebastian.
