Aaron Barredo Triumphs at the Oman Aeropress Championship 2024
Aaron Barredo emerged victorious at the Oman Aeropress Championship 2024, held at the Al Mouj Sales and Experience Center. His exceptional brewing skills earned him the championship title, showcasing his talent and dedication to the craft of coffee making. Aaron will now represent Oman at the upcoming World Aeropress Championship in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 19-21, 2024.
This year’s event was a success thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Oman Coffee Community, including key players such as:
- Azura The Coffee Company, the licensed host for the past three years of national competitions
- Third Wave Water
- Seraj Roastery
- Crown Muscat International
- Pressca Middle East
- Casa Cura
- Alizz Foods
- Historia Cafe & Roastery
- Neeb Cafe & Bakery
- By The Way Cafe
- Numerous dedicated volunteers
The competition featured 27 participants, each aiming to brew the best coffee using an Aeropress within a 5-minute timeframe. The intense contest spanned approximately five hours and consisted of 13 heats, showcasing the incredible skill and dedication of the competitors.
Winners:
- Champion: Aaron Barredo
- 2nd Place: Almutaz Ahmed Al Saqri
- 3rd Place: Almuataz Abdulrahman Al Hadhrami
About the Competition
The World AeroPress Championship is the largest coffee competition in the world, having evolved into a global community and phenomenon. The competition spans over 120 regional and national events across more than 60 countries. The finals have previously been held in prominent locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia, Canada, and other countries.
The contest has three main goals. First, it allows baristas and amateur coffee enthusiasts to practice and hone their skills, improving their craft. Second, it provides baristas with a platform to showcase their talents and measure their abilities against others in a more relaxed setting than other coffee championships, all while promoting the spirit and quality of specialty coffee. Lastly, the contest fosters a sense of community and provides an opportunity to educate people about how a properly prepared cup of coffee can and should taste, as well as the journey coffee takes from the farm to the consumer’s cup. This is the ultimate aim of any barista competition. The more informed people are about the coffee they drink, the more they appreciate the hard work, innovation, and diversity present within the coffee industry.
All competitors will use the same coffee provided by the official coffee sponsor, making the contest a true test of skill to determine the best barista through competition.
What is an Aeropress?
An AeroPress is an inexpensive gadget that uses both infusion and pressure to naturally extract flavors from coffee beans. It is unique because it allows baristas to brew coffee in various ways, each method yielding different flavor profiles from the same beans. This versatility attracts baristas and inspired Coffee Expert Tim Williams to initiate the world’s first AeroPress Championship in 2008.
The Oman Aeropress Championship 2024 not only highlighted the burgeoning coffee culture in the region but also celebrated the community’s passion and commitment to excellence.
