Brew Methods Wins 2026 Australian AeroPress Championship

We’re incredibly proud to share that Brew Methods has officially won the 2026 Australian AeroPress Championship.

What a surreal sentence to write.

This year’s championship was hosted by the wonderful team at Patio Coffee Roasters in Adelaide, and we couldn’t have asked for better hosts. From start to finish, the event was exceptionally well run, welcoming, and full of energy. A huge thank you to the entire Patio team for creating such a fun and memorable competition.

Julijan travelled to Adelaide alongside fellow coffee lover and good friend Sergii Telvak (@slightly_overcaffeinated), with both of them competing on the night. More than anything, it was simply a really fun experience. A room full of passionate coffee people, all chasing the perfect cup through one of coffee’s most deceptively simple brewers: the AeroPress.

A total of 36 competitors entered this year’s championship, making for a highly competitive field.

Round One

Julijan’s first round saw him up against four other competitors.

The pressure was there, but so was confidence in the recipe and approach. Slightly shaky hands behind the bar, but when the judges tasted the coffees, all three unanimously selected Julijan’s cup as their favourite.

A clean sweep.

An ideal start, and a strong sign that the method was working exactly as intended.

Semi Finals

The semi finals were a different story.

With fewer competitors remaining, the pressure intensified. Julijan was now up against three other competitors, including some serious talent. One notable competitor was Nuno Park from Sydney — an experienced coffee professional and Brewers Cup judge with deep competition knowledge.

This round felt tighter.

When the judges made their decision, Julijan received two of the three votes. Not unanimous this time, but still a decisive result that secured a place in the finals.

One final round remained.

The Final

The final was stacked.

Julijan found himself up against true coffee royalty: Jibbi Little and Dao Pirada, both from Sydney, both highly respected and seasoned professionals in the specialty coffee scene.

At this point, there was no room for error.

Every variable mattered — grind size, agitation, temperature, extraction time, dilution, and most importantly, cup balance.

But the recipe held.

The approach held.

And when the judges raised their hands, all three pointed to Julijan’s cup.

Another unanimous decision.

Australian AeroPress Champion.

The Winning Approach

For this year’s championship, the goal wasn’t to create the most complicated recipe possible.

It was the opposite.

The entire approach centred around clarity, sweetness, and texture. Understanding the coffee, and how to get the best out of it. Every decision was intentional, from bean selection, grind, size, brewing time, and bypass.

The Coffee

The coffee was a very funky naturally processed Castillo from Chaporelas, Colombia. It had a pretty heavy body and high acid. it also had a jammy sweetness. 

The beans were a mix of light, medium, and dark. Julijan decided to use the darkest beans as they had the most pleasant acidity and highest sweetness. 

Winning Recipe

Coffee: 20g dose
Water temperature: 88°C
Grind size: (very coarse) 10.5 1zpresso K-Ultra Grinder
Brew water: Distilled water + mineral profile
Brew time: 1:30
Bypass: 95 grams of 45°C water

Method

1. Insert Perme Filter into flow control cap
2. Add 20g coffee
3. Pour up to 130g of 88°C water and very gently stir 5 times using butter knife
4. At 1:20, gently stir again 5 times with butter knife
5. At 1:30, insert plunger and press very slowly, over 30 seconds, stop when you hear the hiss sound
6. Dilute with 95 grams of 45°C water

The goal was to highlight sweetness and mouthfeel, while keeping the acidity in check. A coarse grind, paired with lower temp, and a short extraction time allowed Julijan to create a concentrate that was clean and sweet. 

This was balanced with a bypass of 95 grams of 45*C water, resulting in a low TDS brew.

To bring body back in, Julijan used 8 drops of Jamm and 4 drops of Lylac for texture. 

Gratitude

Competitions like this don’t happen without an enormous amount of effort behind the scenes.

We want to sincerely thank every organiser, volunteer, judge, and helper who made this event possible. These events require huge coordination, and the Australian coffee community is stronger because of people willing to give their time and energy to make them happen.

Thank you also to every competitor. The standard this year was incredibly high, and it was an honour to share the stage with so many talented brewers.

And of course, thank you to everyone who has supported Brew Methods along the way.

Your support means everything.

Next Stop: Mexico

Winning the Australian AeroPress Championship means Julijan will now represent Australia at the World AeroPress Championship later this year in Mexico City this December.

That still feels surreal.

We’re incredibly excited for what’s ahead and deeply grateful for the opportunity to represent both Australia and the Brew Methods community on the world stage.

Mexico, we’re coming.

One suggestion: once you send me the exact recipe from the Instagram slides, I can weave it into “The Winning Approach” so it reads naturally rather than feeling like a pasted recipe card. Also, I’d probably change “coffee royalty” if you want it slightly less dramatic.