Taiwan’s Chad Wang of Jascaffe China is the 2017 World Brewers Cup champion. This is Wang’s second appearance on the World Brewers Cup stage and his first win, moving up two positions from his third place finish last year in Dublin.
“Today I wish to connect the coffee, the barista, and the guest,” Wang explained to the judges during his finals presentation. That coffee–a natural-processed Geisha from Ninety Plus Geisha Estates in Boquete, Panama–was cup number 227 out of a total 300 different coffees Wang tasted during an origin trip last month to select his competition coffee. Lucky number 227 consisted solely of purple Geisha cherries picked earlier this year in January and roasted here in Budapest not but three days ago.
For his winning routine, Wang opted to brew with a cold ceramic Hario V60, noting that the thick ceramic promoted “temperature stability” and the non-warmed brewer “enhances the intensity of [his] coffee.” Using 15 grams of coffee to 250ml of 92°C water (197.6°F)–a 16.667:1 ratio–the Taiwanese champion began with a 30 second bloom before pouring the remaining water into the center of his V60s for a two-minute total brew time. The end result was a total of 220ml coffee for each of the judges.
In the cup, Wang’s Panama Geisha treated judges to aromas of peach, melon, and butterscotch, and flavors of melon, white peach, orange blossom, and caramel with a banana liqueur and kiwi finish. A pineapple acidity and honey-like sweetness were prominent features in his world dominating brew.
Wang’s performance was a masterclass in precision. No energy was wasted throughout the entire nine minutes and 59 seconds of his routine, every movement done with effortless intentionality. Watching his performance, it was clear that we were witnessing a master of his craft in his element. It was evident last year when Wang took the bronze that he would be a favorite, should he make it to the World stage in 2017. But he’s a favorite no more. Chad Wang of Taiwan in the 2017 World Brewers Cup champion.
Catch up on all the competition coverage from the entire SCA World of Coffee Budapest event on Facebook, Instagram, and @Sprudgelive on Twitter.
Sprudge Media Network’s coverage of the 2017 World Coffee Championships at World of Coffee Budapest is made possible by support from Acaia, Aerobie, Baratza, Cafe Imports, Pacific Foods, and Swiss Water Decaf. All of our 2017 competition coverage worldwide is underwritten with support from Urnex Brands and Nuova Simonelli.
