What finalists brew
32 World Brewers Cup recipes, 2016–2026. Half sit between 1:14.2 and 1:15.9. 23 use 14–16 g of coffee.
Three camps
Strong1:14.5 or less
7 of 13 steep
- Hottest water
- 93.5 °C
- Grind
- 700 µm2 brewers
- Total time
- 2:056 brewers
Middle1:14.5–15.5
5 of 8 steep
- Hottest water
- 92.5 °C
- Grind
- 600 µm1 brewer
- Total time
- 3:305 brewers
Light1:15.5 or more
1 of 11 steep
- Hottest water
- 92 °C
- Grind
- 600 µm5 brewers
- Total time
- 2:303 brewers
Small groups, each recipe tuned to one coffee. A guide to what top brewers do, not a rule.
Try a ratio
1:14.8
- Brewers nearby
- –
- Steep
- –
- Hottest water
- –
- Grind
- –
- Total time
- –
The valve is taking over
- 20221 of 6
- 20230 of 4
- 20242 of 6
- 20255 of 9
- 20265 of 5
Filled: the brewer steeps part of the brew, usually by closing a valve.
Four hunches, tested
We wrote these down before looking at the numbers.
Strong ratios steep
Data leans this way
7 of 13 strong brewers steep. Only 1 of 11 light ones do.
Strong grinds coarse, light grinds fine
Data leans this way
Only 8 brewers gave a size in microns, so this is a hint.
Strong ratios cool down late
No clear link
Cooling is common: 11 of the 13 who changed temperature went cooler. But it happens at every ratio.
Hotter water, faster brew
Data leans this way
13 brewers gave both numbers, so this is a hint.
See all 32 recipes
| Year | Brewer | Coffee | Water | Ratio | Temp °C | Grind | Time | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Nas Jaafar | 15 g | 200 g | 1:13.3 | 92 | 700 µm | 2:10 | Watch |
| 2026 | Simon Gautherin | 14 g | 200 g | 1:14.3 | 89 | – | – | Watch |
| 2026 | Ethan Junseong Park | 14 g | 200 g | 1:14.3 | 96→70 | – | 2:00 | Watch |
| 2026 | Jackie Tran | 14 g | 200 g | 1:14.3 | 94→80 | – | – | Watch |
| 2026 | Angie Molina | 15 g | 225 g | 1:15 | 90 | – | – | Watch |
| 2025 | Raul Rodas | 16 g | 220 g | 1:13.8 | 94 | 700 µm | – | Watch |
| 2025 | Carlos Escobar | 14.5 g | 200 g | 1:13.8 | 90 | – | – | Watch |
| 2025 | George Jinyang Peng | 15 g | 210 g | 1:14 | 96→80 | – | 1:45 | Watch |
| 2025 | Bayu Prawiro | 15 g | 220 g | 1:14.7 | 93→88 | – | 2:20 | Watch |
| 2025 | Justin Bull | 15 g | 220 g | 1:14.7 | 92 | – | – | Watch |
| 2025 | Andrea Batacchi | 13.5 g | 210 g | 1:15.6 | 94 | 660 µm | – | Watch |
| 2025 | Lakis Psomas | 16 g | 250 g | 1:15.6 | 93→88 | – | – | Watch |
| 2025 | Alireza | 15 g | 240 g | 1:16 | 87 | 750 µm | 2:30 | Watch |
| 2025 | Elysia Tan | 16 g | 270 g | 1:16.9 | 92 | – | – | Watch |
| 2024 | Charity Cheung | 14 g | 190 g | 1:13.6 | 91 | – | – | Watch |
| 2024 | Ryan Wibawa | 15 g | 220 g | 1:14.7 | 86→92 | – | 2:25 | Watch |
| 2024 | Jackie Tran | 16 g | 240 g | 1:15 | 94 | 600 µm | – | Watch |
| 2024 | Martin Wölfl | 17 g | 270 g | 1:15.9 | 93 | 490 µm | 2:22 | Watch |
| 2024 | Wataru Iidaka | 15 g | 240 g | 1:16 | 92→82 | 600 µm | – | Watch |
| 2024 | Tom Hutchins | 18.7 g | 300 g | 1:16 | 95→85 | – | – | Watch |
| 2023 | George Jinyang Peng | 15 g | 195 g | 1:13 | –→75 | – | 1:40 | Watch |
| 2023 | Garam Victor Um | 20 g | 280 g | 1:14 | 96→94 | – | 2:45 | Watch |
| 2023 | Carlos Medina | 15.5 g | 250 g | 1:16.1 | 91 | – | 2:40 | Watch |
| 2023 | Giacomo Vannelli | 16 g | 260 g | 1:16.3 | 92→90 | – | – | Watch |
| 2022 | Elika Liftee | 20 g | 250 g | 1:12.5 | 93 | – | – | Watch |
| 2022 | Sherry Hsu | 14 g | 200 g | 1:14.3 | 70→95 | – | – | Watch |
| 2022 | Jhon Christhoper | 16 g | 230 g | 1:14.4 | 92 | – | 2:25 | Watch |
| 2022 | Simen Andersen | 16.5 g | 250 g | 1:15.2 | 93 | – | 4:00 | Watch |
| 2022 | Elysia Tan | 15 g | 240 g | 1:16 | 91→70 | – | – | Watch |
| 2022 | Tomas Taussig | 12 g | 210 g | 1:17.5 | 96→88 | 500 µm | – | Watch |
| 2021 | Matt Winton | 20 g | 300 g | 1:15 | 93 | – | 3:30 | Watch |
| 2016 | Tetsu Kasuya | 20 g | 300 g | 1:15 | 92 | – | 3:30 | Watch |
How we got these numbers
Each number is what the brewer said in their World Coffee Championships finals video. We read the captions and checked them against the ratio each brewer stated. A dash means they didn't say, or we couldn't read it with confidence.
A few values come from elsewhere: Tetsu Kasuya from HARIO Europe, Matt Winton from HARIO's video, Martin Wölfl's grind and time from European Coffee Trip, and Carlos Medina's time from his Round One video. We left out Luca Croce 2023 and Bavis Kwong 2026 because we couldn't confirm their water amounts. Where a brewer gives a range of grind sizes, we plot the middle. Clicks on different grinders can't be compared, so we only plot microns.
Hunch verdicts use rank correlation, with 8 brewers as the minimum: immersion -0.40, grind -0.39, cooling +0.20, heat and time -0.27. Steeping has grown more common, so we also checked 2024–2026 alone: median 1:14.3 with a steep, 1:15.9 without. Overall: 1:14.3 and 1:15.6.
Checked 2026-10-30. We aren't affiliated with World Coffee Events or anyone named here.