The World Barista Champions' Preferred Coffee Brewing Methods
We’re barely a week away from the Big Event and you may have noticed by now that many of the top baristas vying for the title have their coffee drinking preferences. Sure, they all enjoy a quality shot of espresso or a nice and foamy cappuccino, but when it comes down to it, most of them favor drip coffee or some variation of it. In the spirit of the World Barista Championship interviews conducted thus far, I want to visit a couple of the more popular barista brewing choices: the French Press and Pour-Over method.
Now, don’t begrudge us, but this post may be redundant to some of you more experienced readers out there. If this is the case, I want to invite you to submit your own blog post about your favorite brewing method, or maybe even include a review for one of the products you most like to use for your coffee. This way, you won’t feel bored with this post (wink wink, nudge nudge).
If I were a skeptic, I’d venture that the reason for the name “French Press” is because the French have such a high reputation in cuisine, so this would refine the association we make with the coffee. But that’s not the case. Ironically, even though the plunger (another word for French Press) was invented in France, it was thanks to the Italian designer Attilio Calimani that its use was popularized.
One of the main benefits of this method is that when done correctly, it produces especially beautiful coffee, preserving its fine quality (refer to this guide if you need help). Now, in order to fully achieve this, it’s important that your coffee is fresh and the grind is correct. An added bonus to the French Press is the fact that within only 4 short minutes you could be enjoying the ultimate cup of coffee!
Some may argue that an even purer way to reach the essence of coffee (encompassing all the flavor, aroma and taste) would be through use of the pour-over method. While this may be true in terms of capturing the true and full flavor of quality coffee, this method requires a couple of extra steps. This, of course, shouldn’t put you off, as the end result could really blow you away.
To achieve a good pour-over coffee, you need to ensure that your coffee is freshly roasted and ground. Boiling the water to the right temperature is also important, affecting the end result. Assuming you have all these pieces aligned, you should be able to produce a delicious cup of coffee.
No matter which coffee brewing method you opt for, the main thing is to enjoy it. On that note, I really think it’s admirable how the baristas competing for the title of World Barista Champion evoke such passion and dedication with each cup they produce. Let’s hope the coming competition in Bogota will challenge and inspire all the contestants!
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