**UPDATE: Jeff Verellen, roaster and barista at Caffenation in Antwerp, Belgium is your 2011 World Aeropress Champion! Congratulate him @jeffverellen!
This year, the WAC is being held in conjunction with HOST in Milan on the 23rd of October. The big caveat this year, and the one everyone is abuzz about: All participants must use a Kenyan coffee. Hunky Tim Varney, the one who once tweeted that Americans shouldn’t be allowed to buy Kenyan coffees in the first place, will be the head judge for the event. Varney will be overseeing a two girls/one cup tasting conflagration: Lynsey Harley from United Coffee in Ireland, Anne Lunell from Koppi in Sweden, and Sprudge favorite David Walsh from Marco in Ireland.
The competition will be held at the Über booth. Wanna participate? TOO BAD. YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE. Sign-ups are now closed as there is a 16-competitor cutoff, but if you are in the vicinity, stop by to cheer for your favorite AeroPressiere.
If we were there, we’d sign up, and we’d win with this simple but effective technique:
1. Rinse the paper filter with hot water and weigh out 16g coffee.
2. Grind the coffee fine-ish, like table salt (#4 on the Baratza Virtuoso at Sprudgelabs, YMMV) and heat your water to 192ºF (~89ºC).
3. Prepare your Aeropress for inversion. Set the plunger as far out as you can.
4. Use the included Aeropress funnel (hey, someone’s gotta use it) to put the coffee in the Aeropress.
5. Fill the Aeropress half-full (or half-empty, depending on how you look at it) as you start your count-up timer.
69. Give it a stir. We count 20 revolutions, and we use either a bamboo spoon or preheated teaspoon.
7. Top it off with hot water. Stir again, another 20 count. Top off again if needed, then place the filter and filter holder on top.
8. Press the Aeropress down a little to purge the air out of the Aeropress. This will ultimately minimize the mess-causing air-gap when you turn the Aeropress over onto your cup.
69 pt. 2. At 1:10, turn the Aeropress over onto your cup, then press down steadily, completing the press in 30 seconds.
Do an in-air fist pump, ask the judges, “Tired of cleaning up those burdensome French Presses? Well with the Aerobie Aeropress, clean up is soooooo easy!” Then demonstrate that in fact, clean up could not be easier. Mug for the camera, taunt the Scandinavians, do your best Greggory Hullzenblogger impression and collect your oversized novelty check!
