Here is the recipe that won the US AeroPress Championship

Jay used a paper filter (standard AeroPress issue) and all his competition coffees were from Guatemala (both his own, and the provided Semi-Finals/Finals coffee).

1. 36 grams of coffee, ground to a “10” on Compak R80 grinder

2. Add 4.7z hot water and stir. Brew for 1 minute.

3. Invert and press.

Notes: Add water to 12z total volume.

In the first round, Jay used Finca Retana Antigua Guatemala, semi-washed, roasted by Guatemalan Barista Champion Raul Rodas of Paradigma Roasters

Jay says on Facebook: “Thanks to Brent Fortune Raul Rodas and everyone involved in making it happen, it was a fun event. And thanks to the baristas of Spro Coffee in Baltimore for their hard work and dedication that resulted in our AeroPress method!”

The competitors in the 2012 USAC Competitors are:

Danny Shannon  - New York  NE Regional Champ

Brandon Weaver, Zoka - Seattle, WA  NW Regional Champ

CJ Speelman, Arbor Lounge - Portland, OR

Nicholas Rodriguez, The Green House - Long Beach, CA

Alison Jean Cole, Heart Roasters - Portland, OR

Liam Kenna, Stumptown - Portland, OR

Matthew Sewell, Magpie Coffee Roasters - Reno, NV

Jared Linzmeier , Ladro - Seattle, WA

Scott Lucey, Alterra - Milwaukee, WI

Rusty Obra, Blue Morel - Morristown, NJ

Robert Stofleth, Trabant - Seattle, WA

Ant Walach, SightGlass - San Francisco, CA

Sterling Houghton, CremaCraft - Long Beach, CA

John Martin, Intelligentsia - Los Angeles, CA

Navin Sivakumar, Ritual - San Francisco, CA

Steven Kasprzyk, BARISTA - Portland, OR

Jeremy Kuempel, Blossom Coffee - California

Ben Kaminsky, Ritual - San Francisco, CA

In addition to the other prizes that will be adorned upon the first ever US AeroPress Champion, the winner will also receive an all-expenses paid trip to Guatemala.

Onyx Coffee, the premier exporter of specialty coffees of Guatemela, is obsessed with seed-to-cup coffee education at every level.

The US AeroPress Champion will join Edwin Martinez (Owner, Finca Vista Hermosa) and Drew Fitchette on a trip to Guatemala to assist in quality control on the ground for Onyx Coffee as well as education for producers on how to brew great coffee at home.  Your luggage will include a suitcase filled with Aerobie AeroPresses to give away during your trip.

The drying patios of Finca Vista Hermosa in the famous HueHueTenango Growing Region

Thank you to Onyx Coffee and Edwin Martinez for making this origin trip possible.  We look forward to hearing about the AeroPressing adventures in Guatemala.

Our generous friends at Heart Roasters have sourced and roasted a beautiful fresh-crop coffee for the USAC competitors to use in the semi-final and final round of the USAC.

Guatemala El Limonar roasted by Heart Roasters

The coffee, with a “March 2012” date on the grain-pro bag was just roasted a few days ago and is available on Heart’s webshop.  USAC competitors can pick-up their complimentary bag of coffee at Heart the week of the USAC.

USAC competitors also receive a bag of the WAC coffee from Heart, an Ethiopian Sidamo.

Thanks to Able Brewing, the United States AeroPress Champion will be awarded this gold plated AeroPress filter. You’re coffee will taste even more bling bling.

Registration

• Registration for the open round of the 2012 US Aeropress Championship will open on Friday, March 23 at 10 AM PDT (11 AM Mountain, 12 PM Central, 1 PM Eastern).  
• The registration form will be available on this website at that time.
• There are 21 available spots in the first round of the competition.
• Three spots will be reserved for competitors from each of the six regions, using the regional map used for the USBC (SW, NE, SE, NC, SC).  Six spots will be reserved for the home/host region - the NW (WA, OR, AK, ID, WY, MT).
• Any of the unclaimed spots from the six regions still open on Friday, March 30 at 10 AM PDT will be given to remaining competitors on a first-come basis (based on the time-stamp of registration submissions).
• The 2012 United States AeroPress Competition is open only to US residents (holding a US Passport or other legal document that verifies residency - if needed).
• All competitors must be able to travel to Portland, Oregon for the competition at the Oregon Convention Center inside the SCAA Expo.  Competition begins at 11 AM on Friday, April 20, 2012.  (For those competitors who need it, entry into the SCAA Expo for the purposes of the competition will be arranged by host sponsor La Marzocco.)
• Two stand-by competitors will be identified prior to the competition and will take the place for any competitors who are unable to make it to the competition or who drop-out (or don’t show) on the day.
• Competitors will receive confirmation by email that they are registered for the competition.

Competition Rounds

The competition will occur in 3 rounds, with the winning competitors moving onto the next round.

• First/Open Round - Open round, 21 spots available for competitors. Compete 3-at-a-time with the winner of each heat advancing.
• Semi-Finals Round - Top 7 from the first round will be joined by the two regional champions (NW and NE) for a total of 9 competitors (3 rounds of 3).  The three winning pressers will advance to the finals round.
• Finals Round - Top 3 competitors will compete for the title of US AeroPress Champion.

Coffee

First/Open Round

Competitor may use any coffee they choose provided it is 14 months off harvest (harvested in 2011 or 2012).  The coffee being used, and recipe, must be disclosed in advance to the head judge.

Semi-Finals Round and Finals Round

The coffee will be provided by the US AeroPress Championship.  Origin and roaster will be announced by April 1. Samples of this coffee will be available for pick-up in Portland on the week prior to the 2012 USAC.  The same roast profile of this coffee will be available to all semi-finals competitors on the day of the competition.

More details about prizes & judges coming soon.

More details here.

The first ever United States Aeropress Championship (USAC) will take place:

Friday, April 20, 2012

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

La Marzocco & Marco Booth

Specialty Coffee Association of America Expo

Oregon Convention Center, Portland OR

Registration details for the USAC will be available here on or before March 12, 2012.

The top 3 finishers in the USAC (including the champion) will have a reserved spot in the 2012 World Aeropress Championships, same day, same location, 2:00 PM.