Although the 2015 WBrC World Coffee Brewing Championship has already concluded, the brewing approaches of the top six competitors are still worth savoring for coffee enthusiasts today. This competition requires competitors to demonstrate both skill and service in front of the judges. The preliminary round includes two segments: compulsory brewing and free brewing, and ultimately only six advanced to the final in Gothenburg, Sweden. From the Russian competitor's natural Geisha to the Norwegian champion's Honey Kiss beans and Bluetooth scale temperature-control solution, each competitor showed unique insights in bean selection, dripper pairing, water temperature control, and extraction rhythm. This article comprehensively sorts out the brewing methods from sixth place to first place, including coffee-to-water ratio, blooming time, and flavor descriptions, for pour-over enthusiasts to reference.

It has been nearly a month since the 2015 WBrC World Coffee Brewing Championship ended, and the exciting performances on stage still provide the coffee community with plenty of discussion material worth revisiting. This article will break down the brewing plans of the top six competitors one by one, hoping to inspire you who love pour-over coffee.

The World Coffee Brewing Championship places fairly comprehensive demands on competitors, requiring them to compete in brewing technique as well as demonstrate service standards. Each participant needs to prepare three cups of coffee in front of three judges. The preliminary stage has two projects: compulsory brewing and free brewing. The former must use the coffee beans uniformly provided by the competition, while the latter allows competitors to choose their own beans and brewing method, but the entire operation must be completed under the judges' observation.

After fierce competition in the preliminary round, only 6 out of 28 competitors qualified and went on to the final on Thursday, June 18, 2015, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Below, in order from sixth place to first place, their brewing methods are introduced one by one.

Sixth place: Russian competitor Ruslan Shulga

The green beans selected by Ruslan Shulga came from Hacienda La Esmeralda and were natural Geisha grown at an altitude above 1,700 meters. He mentioned that natural beans are especially sensitive to temperature changes during roasting. In order to determine the roasting curve for the competition beans, Shulga conducted more than twenty trials with different roasters before the competition.

During brewing, he weighed 15 grams of coffee and 250 grams of water, completing the pour-over with a V60 dripper, and the finished cup had a quite prominent fruity acidity. In aroma, this cup of coffee presented citrus, caramel, and vanilla notes; on the palate there were peach iced tea, citrus, and caramel flavors, with medium-high sweetness and citrus-type acidity. As the temperature dropped, the acidity became more vivid.

Fifth place: Dutch competitor Kerkhoff

Rob Kerkhoff's opening was quite engaging: "Welcome to the mini coffee station. Every part of coffee contains innovation." This innovative concept also ran through his brewing process. The beans he selected came from El Diamante in Costa Rica and used an anaerobic fermentation processing method. Whether Catuai or Caturra varieties, after 20 hours of fermentation they all carried a cinnamon note.

Kerkhoff created his own brewing method. He explained: "I kept thinking about what kind of coffee I prefer? I like the fullness during cupping, and I also like the brightness brewed by Chemex." So he combined the two devices, placing a Chemex filter paper into the filter mesh of a French press. In terms of parameters: 18 grams of coffee, 300 grams of water, water quality 120bp, pH 7.1, water temperature 93 degrees. The entire extraction process lasted 5 minutes and 30 seconds, with continuous stirring throughout in pursuit of an ideal extraction yield. The final coffee had slight malic acidity, a fresh cinnamon note in the finish, and a medium-light body. Kerkhoff finished the competition at 9 minutes and 40 seconds.

Fourth place: American competitor Sarah Anderson

Fourth-place Sarah Anderson selected the eugenioides variety from Colombia, which she called "the progenitor of the Arabica species." This variety combines intense sweetness and delicate acidity. Anderson said: "It tastes quite different." The output of this variety last year was about 200 pounds, and it is expected to increase gradually in the future. Because it is grown in a greenhouse, this bean is "somewhat delicate and requires artificially adjusting the surrounding environment to cater to its growth," Anderson also mentioned that the beans would later be placed into stainless steel fermentation containers. She conducted more than 80 roasting tests with the Los Angeles Intelligentsia team and referred to additional tests by Coffee Collective in Copenhagen before finally determining the roasting plan.

The device Anderson used was the AltoAir brewing device (see photo above), with 19 grams of coffee and 300 grams of water, and she completed the entire competition within 8 minutes and 30 seconds. She first bloomed in a glass for 1 minute and 30 seconds, then poured it into the AltoAir brewing device fitted with filter paper. This method of operation made the judges feel refreshed. Anderson told the judges: "One of the experiences I cherish most is being able to bring customers something new. But you are professionals in this field, and you are tasting the best coffee, so how can I bring you an experience you have never had before?"

The aroma of the coffee she presented had brown butter, black tea, and a balanced, bright creamy note; on the palate there were sugarcane sweetness, the roasted quality of barley tea, the soft sweetness of muskmelon, and the fruity acidity of ripe peach.

Third place: Swiss competitor Benjamin Prager

"For me, Kenya is the country in the world most suitable for growing coffee." Swiss competitor Benjamin Prager opened with this and described the sweetness, cleanliness, and intense flavor of Kenyan coffee. He said: "In Kenya, the natural growing zone for coffee is nearly perfect." The beans he chose were produced at 1,800 meters above sea level on the southern side of Mount Kenya, near Nigeria. Because the soil is rich in volcanic ash nutrients, Prager believed: "The rich mouthfeel of the coffee reflects the abundance of nutrients in the soil."

In terms of brewing, Prager chose a Hario V60 dripper, using 14 grams of sifted coffee grounds, first passing through a 350-micron stainless steel sieve, then through a 250-micron sieve. The total water amount was 236 grams, of which 30 grams was used for blooming. Unlike pulse pouring, he adopted a one-time pouring method with a constant declining water temperature, believing this could enhance the coffee's silky smoothness.

The harvest season for this coffee is in December. After picking and either natural or washed processing, it is stored in multi-layer plastic bags specially used for storing grain. Prager pointed out that this coffee's aroma had floral notes, red currant, and black currant; on the palate it was medium-light, with blueberry tea, blue grape, and black currant flavors. He finished the competition exactly within 10 minutes.

Second place: Greek competitor Konstantinos Latridis

The beans selected by Greek competitor Konstantinos Latridis were a micro-lot natural Geisha from Panama. He used a Hario V60 dripper, with 15 grams of coffee and 250 grams of water. He first bloomed with 96-degree water for 30 seconds, then used the remaining water to complete the brewing.

Latridis explained to the judges that choosing the V60 dripper was like choosing filter paper, because the V60 makes pour-over easy to control, while the filter paper makes the coffee cleaner in the cup. He emphasized this coffee's slight berry, chocolate, and stone fruit flavors; in the aroma there were magnolia, dark honey, and white tea. This coffee combined floral notes and a juicy mouthfeel, and was described by Latridis as "a natural bean that tastes like washed." His competition time was 9 minutes and 32 seconds.

First place: Norwegian competitor Odd-Steinar Tollefsen

The green beans used by Norwegian competitor Tollefsen came from 90+ Company's Ethiopian natural Honey Kiss, and he described his own roasted beans as "a further improvement on Honey Kiss." This green bean used shade-dried processing. Tollefsen said he only roasted 7 batches of this green bean, and said: "Only when this coffee dances in your mouth do you know how wonderful its flavor is, because the coffee will speak for its own flavor. It would be quite irresponsible to evaluate it extensively before drinking it."

In the competition, Tollefsen used 20 grams of coffee and 300 grams of 92-degree water, paired with a Hario V60 dripper for pour-over. The bloom was 45 seconds, and the total extraction time was 3 minutes and 30 seconds. He used natural mineral water from the west coast of Norway, which is low in mineral content and makes the water softer and smoother.

In order for the judges to see the brewing data in real time, Tollefsen connected an Acaia smart coffee scale to an Apple phone via Bluetooth. The aroma of the coffee he presented had tropical fruit, apricot, mango, and passion fruit; on the palate, in addition to the above fruit flavors, there was also strawberry; the finish was long, sweet, and fragrant, accompanied by high-quality acidity with passion fruit and mango notes. Tollefsen also completed the competition within 10 minutes.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.