Two passionate speciality coffee heads, and a caffeine-fuelled discussion courtesy of some damn fine flat whites brought about the idea to create Cork Coffee Community’s first regional AeroPress competition.
Cork Coffee Community is a group of speciality-coffee enthusiasts, who originated in—now annual—Cork Coffee Weekend. In January 2016, barista volunteers of Cork organised themselves into a Facebook page to promote their local and growing coffee culture and to share Cork coffee-related events, news and jobs with the wider public.
As one of the organisers, I would like to share a little report of the first ever Cork AeroPress competition with you!
With some superb coffee houses, and with the added luxury of proudly having three local speciality coffee roasters within a 30km radius: The Golden Bean, West Cork Coffee and Badger & Dodo, the quality of coffee in County Cork is on the rise.
Cork Coffee Community decided to organise this event as a result of common interests, as well as the lack of regional competitions in Cork and Ireland in general.
The approach of our Cork Coffee Community was very simplistic: write down all the third wave speciality cafes and roasters, and do a lottery pick of one cafe to be the host of the event and one roaster to be the roaster of the coffee for the championship. The chosen businesses were excited to participate!
Soma Coffee Company on Tuckey St was chosen as the host of the event, and they did a great job! The Golden Bean Roastery was named our coffee sponsor, whom kindly provided the practise coffee, coffee on competition night, as well prizes for every competitor. Cork Coffee Community asked all three roasters: Marc Kingston (The Golden Bean) Brock Lewin (Badger&Dodo) and Tony Speight (West Cork Coffee) to judge and slurp their way through the blind tastings.
The competition offered the participants a chance to win one of two entries to the Irish AeroPress championship, held 10th August in Dublin, and there, there was a chance to win a trip to Seoul, South Korea, to compete in the World AeroPress Championship.
On the 21st of July, the first and only regional AeroPress Competition took place.
12 competitors battled for two spots in the national competition
Twelve competitors ranging from baristas to home brewers took on the challenge to battle using their own secret recipes, aiming for the winner’s prize: Kristina Droeghoff, Chris Fahey, Arpad Csaba Pap, Vincenzo Bellone, Wilfried Gilbert, Liam Redding, Aidan Durin Moyses Allem, Gary Dempsey, Matteo Colaci, Dara Lynch and Alexander.
There were four preliminary rounds of three competitors, one winner from each round. The four winners were then split into two rounds of two. Each winner of the two rounds received an entry to compete in the 2017 Irish Aeropress Championship.
The support on the night was phenomenal. Family, friends, coffee enthusiasts all flocked into Soma to watch the AeroPress shenanigans. The night’s events were captured beautifully courtesy of a very talented Hailey Quilligan.
And so after many brews later and some nail-biting judging moments, the winners were happily announced by our wonderful host of the night, Alex Bruce of Soma.
Both Wilfried Gilbert and Moyses Allem competed then at the Irish Aeropress Championship which took place 10th August at 3fe, Grand Canal, Dublin.
Try a recipe of the second best AeroPresser in Ireland
We at Cork Coffee Community are delighted to announce that Wilfried Gilbert placed second on the night of the Irish AeroPress Championship and Moyses Allem brewed his merry way to the semi-finals.
Winning AeroPress recipe by Wilfried Gilbert
Coffee: Columbian Vera Cruz roasted by Marc Kingston The Golden Bean, Ballymaloe.
Dose: 20gr of coffee
Grind size: Medium coarse, Tanzania Mahlkonig grinder
Water: Filter
Method: Inverted AeroPress
0:00 add 50gr of water at once at 80 degrees Celsius
0:20 stir the coffee. Fill to the top at 30sec
1.10 sec invert and press before 1.45
Winning AeroPress recipe by Moyses Allem
Coffee: Columbian Vera Cruz roasted by Marc Kingston The Golden Bean, Ballymaloe.
Dose: 35gr of coffee
Grind size: set no.7 Tanzania Mahlkonig grinder
Water: 250g Volvic
Method: Inverted AeroPress
Start timer. Add 155g water at 85 degrees Celsius for 15sec
Attach the filter to the chamber
Brew for 1min
Invert Aeropress and press for 30sec
Add 120g water at 85 degrees Celsius
Now you know the secrets recipes why don’t you give them a try! Cork Aeropress Competition was a resounding success and it will now without doubts become an annual event.
