Look sharp, coffee lovers — descending upon this green and pleasant land for the first time since 2010, the World AeroPress Championship (W.A.C) is coming to London.
What to expect
The sound is not very appetizing…the three women of the jury suck brown broth from small spoons. They slurp, let the liquid glide over their tongues, spit the coffee into a paper cup.
Then comes the countdown: “3, 2, 1…”. The fingers of the jury members move forward. Short disagreement, then the decision. Kristina celebrates.
“The ratio between powder and water has to match,” says Kristina, “we want the acidity of the coffee and the bitter substances to match.” She brought her own suitcase and equipment. Among them are her own pots and a refractometer to measure the powder density in the coffee.
Grinding degree, water hardness, brewing temperature – these values are a crucial topic for the coffee nerds. Coffee has more than 800 different flavours and tastes. The noble preparations are more brown than black and taste fruity instead of burnt. And they develop their taste especially for connoisseurs.
WAC London 2019
On Sunday November 24th, 65 of the world’s best coffee brewers will travel to Bethnal Green, East London, where they’ll compete for the title of ‘2019 World AeroPress Champion’. And attendees will be at the heart of the action, getting the chance to taste the competing cups at the end of each round.
This global championship and its cult-like following centres on coffee brewed with the AeroPress; a plunger-style device adored by coffee fanatics, which retails for around £25. Having defeated thousands of counterparts in their home countries, national champions from as far and wide as India, Australia, Timor Leste, Chile and Iran will battle to see whose coffee brewing reigns supreme. It’s serious business, but all in good fun, with the perfect blend of skill and luck needed for a win.
So how does the madness work?
The W.A.C is a multi-round, elimination tournament of competitive coffee making. Competitors have just a few minutes to brew a single cup of AeroPress coffee and present it to a panel of judges, who blind taste each coffee and pick the cup they find the tastiest. In each round of three, the competitor with the tastiest brew moves on through the tournament until just one competitor remains. This year’s competition coffee will be kept top secret until just before the first round kicks off. Competitors will have only four hours to taste the coffee and perfect their recipe before taking to the stage to brew in front of an eager crowd.
What are the perks?
But what’s in it for the spectators, I hear you ask… good question! At the end of each round, competitors will make their way to the Competitor Brew Bar where they’ll brew their recipes for the audience. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to taste coffee prepared by literally the world’s best AeroPressers, all under one roof. The competition coffee will be also be available for attendees to try as an espresso or oat m*lk latte.
In addition to bucket loads of the world’s finest coffee, there’ll be a fully-stocked bar and a selection of the capital’s best street food vendors to keep spectators hydrated and nourished.
Who will have this year’s world title to add to the trophy cabinet at the end of the night? No matter the outcome, this celebration with like-minded coffee fanatics from over 65 countries is a sure-fire win.
Early bird tickets are £13 and general admission starts at £17. For the full ‘access-all-areas, drink-for-free’ enchilada, VIP packages are a lazy £42.50.
2019 World AeroPress Championship
Sunday, November 24, 2019 @ 3pm Oval Space, London E2 9DT
Tickets on sale now: https://wac2019.eventbrite.com
About World AeroPress Championship
In 2008, a good and simple idea came to two coffee lovers: “Wouldn’t it be fun to see who could brew the best cup of AeroPress coffee?” And with that simple idea, the World AeroPress Championship was born. The first competition took place in a small room in Oslo, with only three competitors – a modest and understated affair. Like many ideas good and simple, the competition has since grown organically, and now spans 160+ regional and national events taking place in over 65 countries.
Each season now sees more than 3,500 competitors getting involved, and yet, despite its size, the competition remains a fun, inclusive and light-hearted pursuit. Today, the World AeroPress Championship is organised by a small team in Melbourne, Australia.