From 20 to 21 September, brewers from 60 countries battled it out in the World AeroPress Championship 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal.
After a full year of events crowning champions in 60 countries around the world, on 21 September George Stanica of Romania rose to the top to earn the title of World AeroPress Champion 2024. Runner up went to Sophan Nugraha of Indonesia and third place to Jamika (Mahmoud) Jamika of Egypt.
The World AeroPress Championship is a multi-round, elimination tournament. In each round, two or more competitors brew coffee simultaneously using an AeroPress Coffee Maker. Competitors have five minutes to complete the process of preparing, brewing, and presenting their coffee. A panel of judges conduct a blind taste-based evaluation of each coffee, making a assessment to determine the best brew. On a synchronised count of three, judges simultaneously point to their preferred coffee to decide a winner of that round.
More than 5000 comepetitors around the world took place in regional heats to crown national champions, who went on to compete in the world finals in Lisbon. According to organisers, new AeroPress World Champion George isn’t a coffee professional, but is a passionate home brewer who works in IT.
The first AeroPress Championship took place in Oslo, Norway, in 2008. There were just three competitors, who were judged by 2004 World Barista Champion Tim Wendelboe. The event has grown year on year, and now spans more than 175 regional and national events taking place in more than 60 countries.
