How 2015 World Brewers Cup Top 6 Made Their Pour-Overs

Ever wonder how the world’s best pour-over baristas coax unique flavors from the same green beans? At the 2015 World Brewers Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, six finalists each presented a meticulously crafted single-origin pour-over routine using everything from custom filtration setups to rare processing methods. Their approaches reveal how variables like grind size, water temperature, and brew time shape distinct flavor profiles under competitive conditions.

The short answer? Six baristas used Hario V60, Chemex-style hybrids, and ALTOAIR devices with brew ratios from 1:16 to 1:20, water temps between 92–96°C, and total brew times spanning 8:30 to 10 minutes—each tailored to highlight specific coffee traits like tropical fruit, cinnamon, or malic acidity.

Six Techniques, One Goal: Precision

The 2015 World Brewers Cup (WBC) tasked competitors with showcasing their pour-over skills using a regulated single-origin bean in the first round and a self-selected bean in the innovation round. Judges evaluated not just taste but also presentation, consistency, and how well each brew expressed the coffee’s intrinsic qualities. Here’s how the top six made it to the finals with their distinct methods.

6th Place: Ruslan Shurga (Russia) – Bright Geisha with Hario V60

Ruslan Shurga from Russia’s Alluvial Coffee used a washed Ethiopian Geisha grown at 1,700m altitude from La Esperanza Estate. He emphasized how roast sensitivity impacts natural-processed beans, having tested multiple roast profiles beforehand. Shurga brewed with a Hario V60, 15g coffee to 250g water, aiming for a vibrant fruit acid profile. His brew delivered orange, caramel, and vanilla wet aromas, with tasting notes of ice peach tea, orange, and medium-sweet citrus. Acidity intensified as the cup cooled.

5th Place: Rob Kocov (Netherlands) – Cinnamon Chemex-Inspired Hybrid

Dutch competitor Rob Kocov presented a Costa Rican Anaerobic-Diamente lot (Catuai & Caturra hybrid) with fermented mucilage for 20 hours, yielding cinnamon wet aromas. Dissatisfied with standard methods, he invented a hybrid: combining a hand-held espresso maker with Chemex paper, using 18g coffee and 300g water at 93°C. He stirred thoroughly for 5:30, targeting a pH of 7.1 and total extraction of 120 base pairs. Resulting flavors included mild apple acidity, cinnamon finish, and medium-light body. Total brew time: 9:40.

4th Place: Sarah Anderson (USA) – Three-Stage Brightness with ALTOAIR

Sarah Anderson (Intellectuals) highlighted Colombia’s rare “mother of Arabica” species, Eugenioides, known for intense sweetness and delicate acidity. The beans, greenhouse-grown and fermented in stainless steel vats after harvest, underwent over 80 roast iterations. Anderson used ALTOAIR paper filtration: 19g coffee, 300g water, 8:30 total brew. She mixed coffee and hot water into three cups to settle, stirred again at 1:30, then poured sequentially. Her coffee expressed black butter and black tea wet aromas, with a clean, creamy body and flavors like cane sugar, pearled barley tea, juicy pear, ripe apple acidity, and sandy melon.

3rd Place: Benjamin Brägger (Switzerland) – Clean Kenyan with Triple-Sieved Grind

Benjamin Brägger chose a clean, sweet Kenyan SL-28/34 from near Nyeri, grown at 1,800m. He romanticized the region’s volcanic soil. Using a Hario V60, he triple-sieved his 14g dose (first through 350µm, then 250µm stainless steel mesh), then brewed with 236g water. He began with a 30g bloom, followed by full infusion to preserve temperature and achieve medium body. The beans, processed via washed and natural methods and stored in agricultural-grade bags, emitted floral and berry wet aromas (redcurrant, blackcurrant). Flavor notes included blueberry, Merlot grape, and medium-light body. Total brew time: 10 minutes.

2nd Place: Konstantinos Ladoudis (Greece) – V60-Controlled Panamanian Geisha

Konstantinos Ladoudis (Taf Coffee) brewed a Panama microlot Geisha using natural processing with washed characteristics. He stuck with the reliable Hario V60, using 15g coffee and 250ml water at 96°C. After blooming with 96°C water, he switched to a second kettle. Ladoudis praised the V60 for its clear, controllable results. Tasting notes included berries, chocolate, and pip fruit, with wet aromas of magnolia, black honey, and milk tea. He called it a “washed-profile natural” and finished at 9:32.

1st Place: Audun Staalesen Tørfoss (Norway) – Ultimate Natural with ACAIA Scale

Norwegian Audun Staalesen Tørfoss took first with a natural-processed Ethiopian “Honey Kiss” Geisha (92°C water, 20g:300g ratio) from Ninety Plus, using a modified sundried (natural) method. He claimed the limited-production beans (only 7 bags worldwide) spoke for themselves. Brewing with a Hario V60, he bloomed for 45 seconds, then completed extraction in 3:30. Tørfoss monitored precision via ACAIA scale linked to an iPhone. Wet aromas included tropical fruit, apricot, mango, and passionfruit. Flavors spanned those fruits plus licorice plum and strawberry, with a long passionfruit finish and elegant mango acidity. Total brew time: 10 minutes exactly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What pour-over devices did the 2015 World Brewers Cup top 6 use?

The top 6 used Hario V60 (Shurga, Brägger, Ladoudis, Tørfoss), a custom hand-press/Chemex hybrid (Kocov), and ALTOAIR (Anderson). V60 was the most common due to its balance of control and clarity.

What were the typical brew ratios and water temperatures?

Brew ratios ranged from 1:16 (e.g., 15g coffee to 250g water) to 1:20. Water temperatures varied between 92–96°C, with most using 93–96°C depending on bean and roast.

How did the brewers control extraction time and flavor?

Techniques included precise bloom times (30g–45s), multi-stage pours, stirring (e.g., 5:30 stirring in Kocov’s method), and filtration innovations (like Chemex paper with espresso hardware). Total brew times ranged from 8:30 to 10 minutes.

What processing methods stood out in their routines?

Notable processes included anaerobic fermentation (Kocov’s Costa Rican lot), sundried/natural (Tørfoss’s Ethiopian Honey Kiss), and washed/natural hybrids (Ladoudis’s Panamanian Geisha). These methods heavily influenced aroma and flavor profiles.

Did any competitors use custom tools or measuring devices?

Yes, Tørfoss used an ACAIA digital scale synced with an iPhone to monitor real-time extraction data, emphasizing precision in his winning routine.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Pour-Over

For pour-over enthusiasts, FrontStreet Coffee’s Kenya Little Tomato highlights bright berry and clean acidity, perfect for highlighting V60 clarity. The Yirgacheffe Gedeb offers citrus and floral notes ideal for exploring floral and fruity profiles like those in the 2015 WBC routines. Both beans showcase the distinct characteristics that pour-over methods emphasize. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.