WAC Prizes…

The 2011 WAC Trophies...

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, we have been able to gather up a menagerie of wonderful prizes…

World Aeropress Champion 2012

+ A ticket to the Nordic Barista Cup 2012 in Copenhagen in August by Nordic Barista Cup
+ Your own quotation featured on the next Aeropress packaging by Aerobie
+ Gold Disk for AeroPress provided by Able Brewing
+ Vario-W Grinder provided by Baratza
+ AeroPress trophy presented by Alan Adler from Aerobie
+ 12 Month Subscription to Barista Magazine by Barista Magazine
+ A super awesome t-shirt from Barista Magazine
+ Signed copy of ‘Coffee with Tim Wendelboe’ book from Tim Wendelboe

2nd Place 

+ Esatto + Virtuoso Grinder provided by Baratza
+ AeroPress trophy presented by Alan Adler from Aerobie
+ Signed copy of ‘Coffee with Tim Wendelboe’ book from Tim Wendelboe

3rd Place

+ Virtuoso Grinder provided by Baratza
+ AeroPress trophy presented by Alan Adler from Aerobie
+ Signed copy of ‘Coffee with Tim Wendelboe’ book from Tim Wendelboe

United States Aeropress Championships

United States Aeropress Championship Poster

WAC updates…

The competition is now drawing close. The final competitors list is complete, pending a couple of national competitions. There is one Wildcard entry, which will be left open until the day of competition. Thanks to all who have hosted national and regional competitions, and congratulations to all the winners.

We’ve been forced to make a change to the coffee used for the competition. Due to delayed shipments of green from Ethiopia, Nordic Approach have been unable to supply the coffee for the competition. Thankfully, the wonderful Willie Yliluoma from Heart Roasters in Portland has agreed to supply the coffee for the competition. It’s a fresh crop washed Sidamo from the Borenza Zone, picked in October 2011.

It is important for the competitors to email WAC Headquarters with their shipping address to ensure they get the coffee before the competition. Coffee will also be available before the event at Heart or at the La Marzocco/Marco stand at the Specialty Coffee Association of America Expo.

More information is to come, but for now get ‘pressing…

Japanese Aeropress Championships

JAC Poster by Masa

And now…

“　Japan Aeropress Championships 2012

・Sunday 15th April 7pm

・townsquare coffee roasters　Fukuoka

・12 competitors

・ANY coffee 

・Rules=World Aeropress Championships

・Judges Terukiyo Tahara (World Cup Tasters Championship2011 3place)

　　　　　Takaaki Mori(Japan Cup Tasters Championship2010 2place)

                    Noriko Sunaga (WAC2011 competitor)

・Entry is free

・Registration shop@manlycoffee.shop-pro.jp 　　

・More info  http://manlycoffee.tumblr.com/post/19785284494/japan-aeropress-championships-2012 ”

Swedish Aeropress Championships

Swedish Aeropress Championships

Announcing the Swedish AeroPress Championship 2012

When & Where
Monday, 9 April, 2012
12:00 – 15:00

da Matteo Panetteria
Magasinsgatan 17A, 411 16 Göteborg

++
Registration
Free to compete (limited to 18 competitors)

++
Competition Coffee
El Salvador, El Majahual. 100% Honey Processed Bourbon
roasted by da Matteo

Get all the info at:
www.swedishaeropresschampionship.info

Irish Aeropress Championships

Sir David "Pressed" Walsh of Marcoshire

The Irish Aeropress Championships will take place in Marco, Sandyford Industrial Estate on Tuesday March 27th from 6:30pm.

Competitors must supply their own aeropress, filters and any other equipment required. Hot water will be available.

Competitors may use ANY coffee of their choosing.

Entry is free, and spectators are welcome. To enter simply leave your name in the comments field below.

A minimum of 8 and a maximum of 16 contestants are allowd.

The winner will receive €1000 towards flight and accommodation to represent Ireland at the World Aeropress Championships in Portland, USA on April 20th.

More info here.

Belgian Aeropress Championship

The cracking Belgian Aeropress Championship poster!

News from Belgium…

“I’m happy to announce the second edition of the Belgian Aeropress Championship (#BAC) to be held at our Bar, Hopland 46, Antwerp 14th, Easter monday April 9 at 14h.

3 (professional) judges will taste (blind) to see which competitor prepares the tastiest cup of coffee, brewed by the AP.

Caffenation will send all competitors a bag of the same coffee 2 week upfront.

We are looking to 12 or 16 (max) persons to compete. You don’t have to be a professional. I think it’s very good to have some amateurs on stage as well.

It’s free entrance and every competitor will win a price.

Limarc will provide a mobile brew and espresso bar.
Now we only need sunny weather.”

More information here.

USAC updates…

The Amazing 18 karat gold-plated Able Brewing Aeropress filter for the winners!

Registration

• Registration for the open round of the 2012 US Aeropress Championship will open on Friday, March 23 at 10 AM PDT (11 AM Mountain, 12 PM Central, 1 PM Eastern).
• The registration form will be available on this website at that time.
• There are 21 available spots in the first round of the competition.
• Three spots will be reserved for competitors from each of the six regions, using the regional map used for the USBC (SW, NE, SE, NC, SC).  Six spots will be reserved for the home/host region – the NW (WA, OR, AK, ID, WY, MT).
• Any of the unclaimed spots from the six regions still open on Friday, March 30 at 10 AM PDT will be given to remaining competitors on a first-come basis (based on the time-stamp of registration submissions).
• The 2012 United States AeroPress Competition is open only to US residents holding a US Passport.
• All competitors must be able to travel to Portland, Oregon for the competition at the Oregon Convention Center inside the SCAA Expo.  Competition begins at 11 AM on Friday, April 20, 2012.  (For those competitors who need it, entry into the SCAA Expo for the purposes of the competition will be arranged by host sponsor La Marzocco.)
• Two stand-by competitors will be identified prior to the competition and will take the place for any competitors who are unable to make it to the competition or who drop-out (or don’t show) on the day.
• Competitors will receive confirmation by email that they are registered for the competition.

Competition Rounds

The competition will occur in 3 rounds, with the winning competitors moving onto the next round.

• First/Open Round - Open round, 21 spots available for competitors. Compete 3-at-a-time with the winner of each heat advancing.
• Semi-Finals Round - Top 7 from the first round will be joined by the two regional champions (NW and NE) for a total of 9 competitors (3 rounds of 3).  The three winning pressers will advance to the finals round.
• Finals Round - Top 3 competitors will compete for the title of US AeroPress Champion.

Coffee

First/Open Round

Competitor may use any coffee they choose provided it is 14 months off harvest (harvested in 2011 or 2012).  The coffee being used, and recipe, must be disclosed in advance to the head judge.

Semi-Finals Round and Finals Round

The coffee will be provided by the US AeroPress Championship.  Origin and roaster will be announced by April 1. Samples of this coffee will be available for pick-up in Portland on the week prior to the 2012 USAC.  The same roast profile of this coffee will be available to all semi-finals competitors on the day of the competition.

Those of your from the States who have already applied for the WACs will be automatically forwarded to the USAC competition – keeping in mind places are limited.

More information is on the US Aeropress Championship tumblr.

Finnish Aeropress Championship results…

Niki (left) and Jussi the winner!

Great news from Finland via Lauri Pipinen who organised the FACs -

“We had the Finnish competition yesterday and a “home coffee geek” Jussi Laitinen won. And he is coming to the WACs, he got 1000euros for the trip from our sponsor Arabia. All of the judges picked his coffee as the best one in the final round.

All in all it was pretty nicely done competition, first one in Finland. It was held in Gastro expo (a big Restaurant expo) in Helsinki. We had 12 competitors, about half of them working with coffee and half just doing it at home. Judges were Antti Luukkonen from Kaffa who roasted the coffee, Johan Damgaard from Johan & Nyström Sweden, and then me from Good Life Coffee. Everybody used the same coffee form Kenya, Gatina, roasted by Kaffa Roastery (the finnish one).”

Really excited to see a home coffee enthusiast take out the FACs, and in a wheelchair to boot. Pushing down an Aeropress from a seated position must take a couple of arms of steel! Congratulations Jussi!