AeroPress Ahora! Inside The Mexico AeroPress Championship

The coffee culture in Mexico is growing with a steady rhythm, as more and more passionate baristas and specialty coffee shops fall under its spell. Competitions are being taken more seriously here, and are filled each year with more contestants. These competitions are about more than just a good time—although they often make for great parties. These events have helped to spread the ideas of specialty coffee in Mexico, therefore contributing to the improvement of the coffee quality amid local coffee producers. Events like this have placed Mexican coffee under the spotlight, and have given it world-wide recognition of its potential.

One such event is the Mexico AeroPress Championship, held this year for the second time in its history. Coffee, tacos, great beer and music gave this event a memorable atmosphere. BUNN offered their amazing space and accommodations for the event, and also provided the competition with grinders and water boilers. Coffee used by the competitors came from Mexico, of course, and the Union Majomut cooperative located 2000 meters (6561.68 feet) above sea level. This is a blend of bourbon, caturra, and typica varieties, washed in the style that is typical here, and exhibiting notes of cacao, nuts, and vanilla, an orange aroma and citric sourness.

The AeroPress events are hip and young around the world, and especially here in Mexico, where the industry’s future leaders do battle against each other with a plunge for glory in a special “youth division” section of the tournament. The top three finishers at this event were all teenagers, and it’s impressive how much they love coffee and the recipes they created. These young folks are judged the same way as the adults, and of course also use the same coffee, with plenty of help and advice from the adults in attendance. Here’s the top finishers for the “youth division” at this year’s event:

First Place: Paolo Aurelio Perez Monterrubio (15 years old)

Second Place: Zoe Deneb Muñoz Rubio (14 years old)

Third Place: Yael Jonathan Perez Monterrubio (17 years old)

Having judges with a lot of experience is important for having a fair competition. These were the judges of the past event and their achievments:

Head judge: Clemente Santiago Paz (Q Grader, producer)

Judging team:

Alfredo Luna (Roaster and owner of 4 Elementos)

Gerardo Vázquez (Q Grader, producer, and roaster)

Roberto C. Vázquez (Q Grader, roaster)

Israel Perez (Q Grader)

José Luis Muñoz (Q Grader, roaster, and owner of Café Shunuc)

In the adult competition Mexico had nine skilled baristas participating. Year by year we can see an improvement in technique and flavor.

Third place was taken by Josafat Rocha who has been a barista for five years and is extremely passionate about it. This is his recipe:

16.5 grams of coffee grinded in a BUNN G3 number 3.

• Put the coffee in the AeroPress using the inverted method
• Slowly pour 180 milliliters of water at 91 degrees Celsius.
• Wait 30 seconds and pour 40 milliliters more
• Let rest for 1:40 minutes
• Put 2 wet filters and flip.
• Pump some air in the AeroPress by moving the plunger in circles for 2:10 minutes
• Finish plunging slowly

Ángel Hernández—a skilled barista who is also beginning to take charge of his family’s farm—took second place in the championship using this recipe:

• Use the inverted method
• Put 220 milliliters of water without the coffee in the AeroPress
• Add 19 grams of coffee in a medium coarse grind
• Stir for 20 seconds
• Let it rest for 45 seconds
• With one wet filter flip and start plunging slowly

And the winner of the competition was Eduardo Sámano, who will be representing Mexico at the World AeroPress Championship in Dublin. This was his recipe:

• Use a Comandante to grind 23 grams of coffee in a medium grind
• Put the coffee in the AeroPress using an inverted Method
• Add 50 milliliters of water at 20 degrees Celsius and let it rest for 45 seconds
• Pour 200 milliliters of water at 88 degrees
• Let it rest for 30 seconds and wet 1 filter
• Flip the AeroPress and let it rest for 30 seconds
• Now let it rest for 30 seconds more but without the plunger. Then put the plunger in again and press for 30 seconds

Ximena Rubio is a coffee professional based in Mexico City. Read more Ximena Rubio on Sprudge. 

Photos courtesy of the Mexico AeroPress Championship.

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