NI Aeropress Champion Q&A
- Nov 12, 2019
- 4 min read
It's less than two weeks until 68 of the world’s best AeroPress brewers touch down in London to compete for the coveted Golden Plunger and it’s the first time in 10 years that the competition is being held in the UK. After battling 32 competitors through the national round, the NI Aeropress Competition was on Fire and we have a new winner.
It's been nearly 12 weeks since the Northern Ireland Aeropress championship was held in Belfast at the Ulsters Sports Club, located on High Street in the city centre beside the Merchant Hotel. The event was once again hosted by Established Coffee and Sponsored by the guys over at Bailies Coffee and Ground Espresso Bars. This event is permanently in mine and every other coffee lovers calendar in NI, as it's got to be one of the biggest events in Northern Ireland's Coffee Calendar. Almost every barista and Home Coffee enthusiast in town (or even the country) attends or competes to get their hands on the Golden Plunger and to take the title of King of the North for the year.
This year has seen the Worlds located a little closer to home, with it being held in London and it also seen the end to Established Coffees rain as the undisputed Aeropress Champions in the country as they've previously won it two years in a row. The person who is responsible for this is no other than Chris Allen, a New Barista in town who belongs to the Guilt Trip Gang, We decided to reach out to Chris and Send him some questions for him to answer and let you all find out a bit more about him before he sets off to London and Represent our wee country in the Worlds.
Q&A Interview with Chris Allen
Hi Chris for anyone who doesn't know you, tell us a bit about you?
Hello Readers! I’m Chris Allen, 21, I work in Guilt Trip and spend most of my time brewing up coffee and having fun with my girlfriend Courtney (if I’m anywhere on the planet, she usually is too).
How did you get into the coffee industry?
I started out in coffee in my church, as they had just launched their new building and with it a
coffee shop within the premises...during working there I got introduced to the Espresso Machine and with it came coffee! I started to admire the intricacies of what small changes did to the taste and texture of the drinks I was producing! 3 years on I then took the leap into something a bit more advanced in the form of Guilt Trip in April (Little did I know how much I didn’t know about coffee until I started working there ha). Fast Forward to now, I’ve gained so much more love and passion for this beautiful craft that is constantly changing and evolving!
Now that your the champion what’s the secret to brewing a good Aeropress?
I wouldn’t necessarily say there is a ‘secret’ to a good brew...I’d say it comes down to 2 things; Experimentation and Practice. The Aeropress is such a versatile piece of equipment that requires someone who isn’t settling for the standard method to discover what amazing brews can be made and what ones just don’t work (be a as crazy as you like...10 mins in the brew chamber might just produce the best brew known to man!).
How long have you been using the Aeropress?
Surprisingly to me and probably others, only since Christmas 2018 (thanks Courtney). I only really started using it properly in Summer just before the Regional Championships!
Which Grinder did you use at the Nationals and will you be using it for London?
I used the GT Grinder, which was a Mahlkonig Tanzania, but I don’t think ill be using it for the Champs...most likely the EK43s they are providing!
If you could compete in any other National Aeropress championship in the world, where would it be?
Australia hands down...always wanted to go experience the coffee scene out there.
How did you approach your Recipe
It was actually a friend of mine that used to work in GT that taught my the recipe, so I used
that as a guideline to then make small adjustments to get the best brew.
Will you be using said recipe for the Worlds?
Potentially...i still have some experimenting to do at home to see if I can use something different, but its the best I’ve been able to get so far!
What’s your standard go to recipe for the Aeropress?
4 grams coffee at Fine Grind, 360 mils water at 20 degrees C. Inverted method, put all water in at once till the Aeropress is overflowing, cap on, plunge for 2 mins...(If I told you the actual recipe, I’d potentially be giving away the winning recipe).
Other than the Aeropress, What’s your favourite way to make coffee?
I love making with the Kalita Wave as it produces a very rounded cup and an overall really tasty coffee every time!
What Coffee are you currently drinking?
In shop at the minute we have some amazing coffees from Dark Arts, White Star and La Cabra...I’m a sucker for Colombian coffees and the one La Cabra have produced is killer.
Best Coffee shop you've been to and why?
I’m not being biased, but from a customers POV Guilt Trip has been my favourite since day one...the whole vibe and feel of the place is just beyond anything I’ve ever seen and I love it! Plus, they always make a great brew and are really up for teaching others!
Your Favourite Coffee Roaster at the moment?
That's tough as we are always changing! I’d have to say Fjord and Bonanza are 2 of the best quality roasters I’ve tried, but local numbers like White Star are producing some insane stuff!
Have you any plans for when you head to London? Is there any Coffee spots that are on your must visit when your there?
I still haven’t sat down and figured out where I want to head yet, but I definitely intend to make some connections in the coffee scene out there!
And Finally Do you want to tell the readers your Irish/NI Aeropress Winning Recipe or will you be keeping it a Secret?
I’ll keep it a secret for now, but watch out on my Instagram for the winning recipe to be released after the Worlds!
You can keep up to date with Chris's Journey to the Worlds through both his and Guilt trips Instgram account.
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