February 17th, 2016. The Japan AeroPress Championship. Held at the Roasteryโlocated in the bustling fashion hub of HarajukuโJAC 2016 was a night of smiles, beverages, and banter. Once again, thereย was fierce competition for the perfect cup of coffee, mixed with an air of fun, camaraderie, and playfulness.
Spectators jostled for viewing space, and spirits were high as five hours of pressing, tasting, and pointing saw 27 competitors from across Japan battle for the chance to represent their country at the World AeroPress Championship in Dublin, Ireland.
At the end of the night, it was Takayuki Miyazaki of Fab Cafe/Light Up Coffee who took home first-place honors. He said afterward that lowering the water temperature a single degree (from 70 to 69 degrees Celsius) in the final round might have been the key to securing victory.
All the judgesโAmameria Espresso’s Toshiaki Ishii, Fuglen Coffee’s Kenji Kojima, 2014 World AeroPress Champion Shuichi Sasaki, and JAC 2015 Champion Tetsu Kasuyaโwere in agreement: this year’s competition was a fantastic exhibition of recipes showcasing a variety of flavors. The beans in play were Costa Rica Perla Negra Natural from Las Lajas farm, as roasted by Coffee Factoryย in Tsukuba.
If you’re curious as to what Japan brought to the AeroPress table, look no further than the top three recipes, listed below. Enjoy!
Takayuki Miyazaki (FabCafe/Light Up Coffee) – First place
– Inverted AeroPress
– Grind setting #4 on the Kalita Nice Cut Mill
– 18 grams of coffee
– Add 50 milliliters of water at 90 degrees Celsius
– Stir, and wait 30 seconds
– Add water at 70 degrees Celsius for a total of 250 milliliters
– Press for 40 seconds
Hitomi Higurashi – Second place
–ย ย Grind setting #6 on the Fuji Royal dx-r220
–ย 22 grams of coffee
– Add 50 milliliters of water at 90 degrees Celsius
– Wait 30 seconds, letting water cool
– Add waterย for a total of 250 millilitersย within the 1:00 minute mark
– Stir three times
– Remove two spoonfuls from the froth at the top of mix
– At 1:15, press for 30 seconds
Takeshi Kondo – Third place
– Grind setting #3 on the Fuji Royal dx-r220
–ย 19 grams of coffee
– Paper filter
– Add 60 millilitersย of water at 85 degrees Celsius (take 20 seconds)
– Stir 6 times
– Add 170 millilitersย of water at 85 degrees Celsius (take 40 seconds)
– Stir 6 times
– Press for 40 seconds
Hengtee Limย (@Hent03) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in Tokyo. Read moreย Hengtee Lim on Sprudge.
