A recent collaboration saw Allpress Espresso and HARIO put hand-brewing in the limelight, with the winner of the competition series securing a spot at the finals in Japan.
Grassroots, community-based competitions were foundational in establishing and growing the specialty coffee scenes in Australia and New Zealand that have since become the blueprints for other markets around the world.
While some events have expanded exponentially and become almost-full-time careers for those who participate, smaller scale local events such as latte art throwdowns and pourover competitions still provide a training ground and social space for all manner of coffee folk – from home enthusiasts to professionals wanting to refine their craft.
For specialty roaster Allpress Espresso, when the opportunity to host the ANZ V60 Championship Series alongside HARIO came along, it was just the collaboration the team were looking for.
“At Allpress, our purpose is to create trusted relationships and meaningful connections inspired by great coffee,” says Paul Cassebohm, General Manager of Allpress Espresso.
“Reflecting on this, we wanted to find a platform to connect with the coffee community. The V60 is the purest artform that celebrates coffee – it strips back everything else and puts the focus solely on the skills of the barista and the beans.”
After the success of last year’s Auckland event, Managing Director of HARIO Australia John Jang was thrilled when Allpress wanted to expand the competition in 2025.
“This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the V60 Drippers, and being able to co-host the V60 Brewers Cup ANZ Regionals alongside Allpress for this milestone made the event even more special,” he says.
The series kicked off with regional heats in Christchurch, Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Competitors were tasked with a simple-yet-specific brief: brew the best coffee possible using a HARIO V60 and mystery micro-lot beans roasted by Allpress.
“The coffee was kept secret until the first heat, but all competitors brewed the same beans. It was a single-origin Colombian Gesha grown by Carlos and Paola Trujillo of Finca Patio Bonito in Caldono, which felt like a great fit as we use a lot of beans from that region in our blends,” says Paul.
“We worked with our sourcing partner Café Imports to find a coffee that would provide a beautiful clean finish, while also being something the competitors would have fun working with.”
The regional winners – Nick Schryvers of Victus Coffee & Eatery (Christchurch), Hiroto Sasaki of The Hideout Specialty Coffee (Brisbane), Blues Shim of Slow Koi and Hi Toastie (Auckland), Jay Yu of Macquarie University (Sydney), and Jason Kim of Bennetts Coffee (Melbourne) – gathered in Melbourne on 31 July to go head-to-head in the ANZ final.
“We were absolutely rapt with the response to the competition – we had more than 100 baristas on the wait-list and I think that’s down to the V60 being such a celebrated brewing process,” says Paul.
“It was a great turnout and the talent on display was amazing. It was incredible to see the competitors’ flair and signature styles on the stage. A huge thank you to the series sponsors Oatly, Café Imports, Otis, La Marzocco, Felons Brewing Co, Third Wave Water, Coffee Works Express, and Acme.”
In what was a tense final, Jason Kim came out on top – earning his competition place in the world final just an hour after winning the Melbourne heats. Despite being in the coffee industry for almost two decades, this was Jason’s first competition win.
“I actually entered the competition to improve my manual brewing skills – signing up was a way to force me to practice,” he says.
“Going straight from the regional heats to the finals certainly got my adrenaline pumping. I hoped to do well but didn’t expect to win – I couldn’t sleep that night from all the excitement.”
Ahead of the V60 Brewers Cup World Finals in Tokyo in late September, Jason was practising his pourover skills by brewing beans from a wide range of Melbourne’s best roasters to prepare for the surprise coffee presented to him on the day.
“Going head-to-head against 12 other competitors certainly increases the pressure,” he says. “The team at HARIO have been super supportive in helping me prepare and have provided all the equipment I need to further sharpen my skills.”
For more information, visit allpressespresso.com
