Featured Aeropress 1

All Winning AeroPress Champion Recipes 2008 – 2024

There are hundreds of Aeropress recipes floating around the internet, but you can’t try all of them.

But you can try each year’s winning recipe from the World AeroPress Championships!

I’ve compiled every Golden Aeropress-winning recipe on this page all the way from 2008 to 2024.

Have fun experimenting, and remember to also try my favorite simple Aeropress recipe, and this great inverted Aeropress recipe as well.

What Is the World AeroPress Championships?

The AeroPress Championships is a global competition where the best AeroPress brewers lock horns and compete with each other.

At the end of the competition, the brewer with the best cup of coffee wins the prize.

Trophies 2

In 2005, a retired Stanford University instructor and inventor named Alan Adler had an idea for making better single cups of coffee. As a result, he set out to create a unique way of brewing coffee that brings out the richest flavors and best taste. That same year, the AeroPress was born.

Later, in 2008, two coffee lovers decided to host an in-door competition where they made a cup of coffee and had someone tell them which tasted better. There and then – in a tiny room in Oslo – the first AeroPress competition happened with only three competitors and Tim Wendelboe as a judge.

Since then, this little indoor competition has grown to become the World Aeropress Championships, with the best coffee brewers all over the globe participating and a large audience.

Next, let’s look at all winning AeroPress Champion Recipes 2008-2024 and how you can make yourself a cup of these delicious brews.

Best AeroPress Recipe by Year 

The Annual AeroPress Championship started in 2008, and since then, the organizers have taken time to document the recipes for the winning cup of coffee. See them below:

2008 AeroPress Recipe

Oslo, Norway, hosted the 2008 competition with three competitors. Ander Valdez, a home coffee enthusiast, clinched the first prize in a keenly contested race with professional brewers Chris Kolbu and Tim Varney.

The recipe is unavailable since the competition was budding, and no one knew it would become a global contest.

2009 AeroPress Recipe

Lukasz Jura from Poland, a barista working at Stockfleths Kaffe, won the 2009 AeroPress Championship among the 22 competitors. Like the previous year’s, the competition occurred in Oslo, with the AeroPress Inventor – Alan Adler – present.

Here is how he made the winning cup of coffee:

  1. Grind 19.5 – 20 g of coffee beans till they become slightly coarser than the filter grind.
  2. Next, heat 200 ml of water till it reaches 75 degrees Celsius. Use a paper filter previously soaked in water and insert it into an inverted AeroPress.
  3. Add the water to the coffee beans and stir four times.
  4. Stop stirring the mixture and secure the filter in the AeroPress.
  5. Turn at around 10 seconds, so the total contact time equals 15 seconds.
  6. Lastly, press and enjoy Lukasz Jura’s special cup of coffee.

The grand prize for this competition was a “one-off” special bronze AeroPress made by Alan Alder.

2010 AeroPress Championship Recipe

The 2010 Aeropress Champion is Marie Hagemiester, who worked at Cafe Europe then. She topped 23 participants and claimed the first prize in a closely contested battle of coffee. At this time, interest in the AeroPress championship had grown, and many baristas worldwide sought entry.

Here’s how to make Marie’s coffee brew:

  1. Get 20 g of coffee and grind till slightly finer than the filter grind.
  2. Heat water to 80 degrees Celsius.
  3. Invert the AeroPress and soak the filter paper in water. Use hot water this time.
  4. Place the ground coffee beans in the AeroPress.
  5. Next, pour the previously-heated water till it almost reaches the top.
  6. Stir this mixture for about 10 – 12 seconds.
  7. Also, heat the cup and slowly push the coffee brew into it. Stop before you hear the air.
  8. Finally, serve your cup of Marie’s special coffee brew.

2011 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Jeff Velleren, a barista at Caffenation, participated in the 2010 Aeropress Championship but came third. Next year, luck shone on him as he clutched the grand prize for the 2011 AeroPress Championship.

Here’s Jeff Velleren’s coffee recipe:

  1. Firstly, secure the paper filter in the filter holder of the AeroPress and wet it with hot water. 
  2. Refit the filter paper and screw the filter holder onto a clean and pre-heated, upright AeroPress. 
  3. Then, get 12 grams of Kenyan coffee and grind it coarsely, making it coarser than the filter grind.
  4. Take 270 grams of soft mineral water or filter water and heat it to 80 degrees Celsius.
  5. Splash some water on the filter and add the freshly ground coffee. 
  6. Next, slowly pour in about 40 grams of water at first and allow the ground coffee to absorb it.
  7. After 30 seconds, pour in the rest of the water slowly. Make sure the grounds do not separate from the water. You can use a kettle with a small nozzle.
  8. Let the AeroPress sit for about 1 minute, then press the mixture till it’s halfway through.
  9. Finally, remove the press and throw away the remnants.

This competition was held in Milan, Italy, and had 18 contestants in attendance. Contestants could also bring and use their preferred Kenyan coffee blend for the competition.

2012 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Charlene de Buysere, a Belgian barista at OR Coffee Roasters, won the 2012 AeroPress Championships held in Portland, USA. This grand finale coincided with the trade show organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. As a result, 18 professional coffee brewers worldwide participated in the event.

Here’s the recipe for this award-winning cup of coffee:

  1. First, wet the filter until it is well soaked and place it in the filter cap. 
  2. Measure 18.3 grams of coffee and grind coarsely. 
  3. Place the AeroPress normally.
  4. Take 250 grams of water and heat till it’s 85 degrees Celsius.
  5. Pour in 30 grams of water slowly and wait for about 30 seconds before pouring in the rest of the water.
  6. Press the mixture, and finally, serve your cup of rich-flavored award-winning coffee.

At the 2012 championships, the 18 contestants used washed coffee from Sidamo in Ethiopia. In addition, a local outfit in Portland helped roast the coffee.

2013 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Luck shone again on Jeff Velleren as he won his second world championship title at the 2013 AeroPress event. Like the 2012 competition, 18 baristas served coffee in an evening contest in Melbourne, Australia.

Here’s Jeff Velleren’s recipe for the 2013 AeroPress Championship:

  1. Firstly, grind 17 g of coffee till you get a coarse grind.
  2. Heat soft water (one with high pH) till it reaches 83 – 84 degrees Celsius.
  3. Next, place the AeroPress in an upright manner.
  4. Bloom the ground coffee for 40 secs with 50 ml of the previously heated water.
  5. Add 220 ml of water at 79 degrees Celsius.
  6. Then, press it slowly for about 30 seconds.
  7. Leave a mixture of coffee and water weighing 50 g in the AeroPress.
  8. Lastly, serve your cup of Jeff Velleren’s 2013 coffee blend.

2014 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Shuichi Sasaki, a Japanese, clinched the first prize using some of Jeff’s techniques with some refinement. Hosting support came from La Marzocco – which had previously hosted the competition for two years consecutively. This year’s location was beachside in Rimini, Italy.

Here’s how to make Shuichi’s special Japanese blend:

  1. Take 16.5 grams of coffee and grind at “9.5” on a Mahlkonig EK43.
  2. Heat 250 grams of soft mineral water till it reaches 78 degrees Celsius.
  3. Rinse the paper filter. Use warm water.
  4. Put 40 g of the pre-heated soft mineral water into the ground coffee powder in the upright AeroPress.
  5. Then, allow the coffee to bloom for 25 seconds.
  6. Stir the mixture five times.
  7. Add the remaining soft mineral water and press slowly for about 75 seconds.
  8. Leave 45 g of both coffee powder and water in the press.
  9. Finally, serve your cup of Shuichi Sasaki’s award-winning coffee.

Shuichi’s brewing method takes about 1 minute and 40 seconds. The 2014 competition saw 27 of the best coffee baristas in the world lock horns for the grand prize – a fully functional gold cast AeroPress.

2015 AeroPress Championship Recipe

The United States of America hosted the year’s Coffee-making Championship once more. Lukas Zahradnik from Slovakia won the keenly contested competition with a panel of 10 professional coffee industry judges and 500 spectators. The 2015 AeroPress Championship happened in Seattle within a 3000 square foot square so that it could contain the audience.

Here’s Lukas Zahradnik’s award-winning coffee recipe:

  1. Take 20 grams of coffee and grind it at “7.3” on a Mahlkonig EK43.
  2. Heat 230 g of water till it reaches 79 degrees Celsius.
  3. Put 60 grams of water into the coffee powder in an inverted AeroPress brewer.
  4. Give the mixture of water and coffee a turbulent wiggle for 15 seconds.
  5. After about 30 seconds of bloom, add the remaining water in 10 seconds.
  6. Finally, press down the mixture for 45 seconds. 

Lukas Zahradnik’s brewing method takes about one minute and 35 seconds.

2016 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Since the advancements in the AeroPress competition since 2015, it could only get better. The 2016 edition saw over 2000 professional coffee baristas from different countries. After trying their craft at the regional levels, 52 nation champions proceeded to the grand event in Dublin, Ireland.

Filip Kucharczyk from Poland emerged as the year’s champion from the 52 contestants at the grand finals.

Here’s his award-winning coffee brew recipe:

  1. Coarsely grind 20 grams of coffee.
  2. Heat water till it reaches 80 degrees Celsius.
  3. Rinse the paper filter with water.
  4. Put the coffee powder in an inverted AeroPress.
  5. Start a timer and pour in 150 grams of water for 15 seconds.
  6. Stir the mixture for 15 seconds.
  7. Place the lid of the AeroPress and wait for 30 seconds.
  8. Turn the brewer to its normal position, swirl it a bit and press the mixture.
  9. Lastly, add about 200 to 120 grams of water to taste.

Representatives from Ecuador, China, Iran, Finland, Romania, Malaysia, and Colombia – which showed up for the first time at the World Championships – battled out for the prize trophy. In addition, this event featured 11 different expert coffee judges.

Each participant chose three random judges for the pool of 11 by spinning a wheel which promoted fairness in the competition.

2017 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Paulina Miczka won the 2017 world championships in Seoul, South Korea. This barista from England defeated 51 other contestants from around the globe after judges agreed that her coffee was the most outstanding.

This year’s competition featured a wild card ballot that saw two lucky competitors that had lost grab a slot at next year’s qualifiers.

How to make Paulina Miczka’s 2017 AeroPress Coffee:

  1. Get 35 grams of coffee and grind at 8/10.
  2. Boil 370 g of water till 84 degrees Celsius.
  3. Wet the paper filter and put it in the filter cap.
  4. Next, add the ground coffee powder to an inverted brewer.
  5. Pour in 150 g of water for 15 seconds.
  6. Stir for about 20 seconds and put on the filter cap (with the damp paper filter).
  7. Leave for 30 seconds, then flip the AeroPress and start pressing for 30 seconds. 
  8. This method gives about 90 ml of concentrated coffee brew.
  9. Lastly, add 160 – 200 g of hot water and enjoy your cup of Paulina’s special brew.

2018 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Sydney, Australia, hosted this year’s championships and all contestants used the Mugaya coffee strain from Kenya. This competition also featured other tough challenges to get the best of the best.

After 29 long and tension-packed rounds of coffee-tasting, Carolina Garay from California, USA, won the gold prize. Judges described her coffee as exceptional with its sweetness and syrupy texture, which captured the coffee’s complex acidity and citrus flavor.

Here’s Carolina’s 2018 AeroPress Championship Recipe:

  1. Grind 34.9 grams of coffee beans at 8/10 on a Mahlkonig EK43S.
  2. Rinse the paper filter with hot water and place it in the filter cap.
  3. Boil filtered water (from Brita) till 85 degrees celsius.
  4. Pour 100g of water into an inverted AeroPress for 30 seconds.
  5. In addition, stir carefully with chopsticks for 30 seconds.
  6. Place the filter cap, put the brewer in the normal position, and press the coffee for 30 seconds.
  7. Lastly, add 60 g of 85 degrees Celsius water and 40 g of water at room temperature. 

2019 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Wendelien van Bunnik, an innovative barista from the Netherlands, lifted the gold trophy this year. London, England, hosted the event and saw over 700 guests. Wendelien van Bunnik’s recipes were unique and helped her finish strong.

Here’s her award-winning coffee recipe:

  1. Get 30 g of coffee beans and grind at 7/10 on a Mahlkonig EK43S. 
  2. Use Spa Blauw water heated to 92 degrees Celsius.
  3. Pour 100 g of the heated water on the coffee in an inverted AeroPress for 10 seconds and stir 20 times for 10 seconds.
  4. Place the filter cap containing the rinsed Aesir Filter and press out excess air.
  5. Flip the brewer after 40 seconds and press out all the coffee.
  6. Add about 100 g of water to the concentrate.
  7. Taste and dilute to your desired strength.
  8. Stir, decant and leave the coffee to cool to about 60 degrees Celsius.
  9. Enjoy your coffee.

2020 AeroPress Championship Cancelled (COVID)

Pandemic

The competition did not happen this year due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Hence, there is no winner for 2020.

2021 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Tuomas Merikanto, a Finnish National, won the first virtual World AeroPress Championship on his first attempt. The competition happened in Melbourne, Australia, where surrogate brewers took recipes of baristas who had passed the qualifiers and made them for judges to review.

Over 6000 spectators connected virtually and cheered on their favorite baristas.

Here’s Tuomas Merikanto’s award-winning recipe:

  1. Grind 18 g of coffee at 7.0 on the Macap Labo 70D.
  2. Put the coffee into the inverted AeroPress.
  3. Add 50 g of water at 80 degrees Celsius for 10 seconds and stir gently for 5 seconds.
  4. Add 150 g of water for 15 seconds and stir.
  5. Allow to brew for 20 secs and stir gently thrice.
  6. Leave to brew for 10 secs, and then push excess air out.
  7. Also, put on the filter cap with two filters and allow it to brew for 40 secs.
  8. Flip the brewer and press for 20 secs.
  9. Cool the brew by swirling it and then pour it into another pitcher from a height.
  10. Finally, enjoy your cup of award-winning coffee.

2022 AeroPress Championship Recipe

Jibbi Little’s (Australia/Thailand) interesting recipe won the 2022 Golden Aeropress.

She uses 2 grinders and a sieve to achieve the perfect grind level she’s going for:

Coffee dose: 18 g

Grind method:

  1. Timemore at a very coarse grind, to blow out the silver shin.
  2. Kinu m47 classic: Grind setting at 3.8 for washed processed coffee, or 4 for natural processed beans. Sift the fines out (those fines at 100-200 microns)
  3. Put all that grounds in Fellow sieves to shake the 100-200 microns particles away.

Here is her award-winning recipe:

  1. Grind as described above.
  2. Put the coffee into the inverted Aeropress chamber
  3. Pour 94ml of water
  4. Stir 35 times gently.
  5. At 1:20 screw on the filter cap loaded with a rinsed paper filter
  6. Press out the remaining air.
  7. At 1:30 flip the Aeropress upright and press for 30 seconds from 1:40 – 2:10.
  8. This yields 58 – 64g of coffee concentrate.
  9. Add 90° C water to 150g.

Wrapping Up

AeroPress is a very popular way of brewing coffee worldwide. While you can fix a delicious cup by going for the recommended grind size, temperature, and other variables, you can also tweak the recipe for an exceptional experience. Coffee lovers and professional baristas can take time to try all winning AeroPress Champion Recipes 2008 – 2024 and experience what makes them unique. 

This way, one can enhance and refine their coffee brewing skills for personal use or in preparation for the next world championships.

Which recipe do you like the most? Let me know in a comment below!

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