Analysis of 2021 WBrC Champion's Brewing Technique and Parameter Strategy - Introduction to High-Level Sweetness Balanced Pour-Over

2021 World Brewers Cup Champion: Matt Winton's Innovative Approach

Due to the pandemic, international coffee competitions essentially came to a halt in 2020. This made the 2021 competitions particularly remarkable. The champion of the 2021 World Brewers Cup (WBrC) was Swiss competitor Matt Winton.

A major highlight of both the champion and runner-up in this competition was that they didn't use Geisha or single-origin coffee beans, but instead used blended coffee beans for their competition.

It's important to note that there's no inherent superiority or inferiority between single-origin beans and blended beans. Matt introduced his coffee bean formula as 60% natural Eugeniodes (the parent variety) and 40% washed Catucai.

Does Eugeniodes sound unfamiliar? If I told you that the Arabica we're familiar with is actually a hybrid descendant of Eugeniodes and Canephora, you might have a moment of clarity. Because its Chinese translation is quite difficult to pronounce, it's referred to simply as "parent variety." As Matt mentioned during the competition, the parent variety exhibits very high sweetness with virtually no perceptible acidity or bitterness. This is also partly due to the cultivation standards at Finca Santuario and their natural processing method.

However, having only super-sweet coffee isn't enough for competition; it needs some acidity to provide balance. Matt chose washed Catucai from Hacienda La Florida in Ecuador. Catucai isn't uncommon in Central and South America, but choosing coffee from Ecuador as an origin country is somewhat unconventional. However, Hacienda La Florida is also a Tier 1 estate in Ecuador, guaranteeing its quality. This bean was responsible for providing uplifting, pleasant, and clear acidity.

Matt's Brewing Technique and Parameters

In summary, while the beans Matt selected weren't the competition-standard Geisha, they were definitely Tier 0 quality. The blending approach also helped refresh the judges' palates and sparked their interest.

The quality of beans is something we can't easily replicate—it requires financial investment, but the concept of pour-over blended beans is worth learning from. Just as the promotion of single-origin beans was essentially about improving quality and creating better flavors, today's "specialty blend" concept follows the same principle.

Next, let's examine Matt's brewing parameters. From the competition video, he directly shared this information with us: he used a metal V60 dripper, 20g of coffee grounds, 300g total water (1:15 ratio), relatively coarse grinding, and 5 pour segments (including the bloom). For water temperature, he used two kettles: the first three pours at 93°C and the last two pours at 88°C.

The extraction time started from when Matt began pouring his first cup (competition timer at 3:42) to when he removed the first dripper (competition timer at 6:25), taking 2 minutes and 43 seconds.

Matt didn't specify the exact ratios for each pour segment. However, by carefully observing the pouring technique and water flow rate in the video, Matt's pouring method resembles Tetsu Kasuya's 4:6 method, though with differences in pour ratios and water temperature. Based on timing, the approximate pour amounts were 60g, 80g, 60g, 60g, and 40g.

Analysis of Brewing Techniques

With the basic parameters covered, let's analyze what aspects of these techniques are worth referencing.

First, Matt used a metal dripper, explaining that this maximizes the expression of acidity and flavor. FrontStreet Coffee believes that dripper material does affect coffee flavor expression, though the difference in regular brewing isn't typically significant.

Second, using different temperatures to brew coffee is quite popular. Current theory suggests that higher temperatures extract more compounds, while lower temperatures extract fewer. The early to middle extraction stages produce pleasant flavors, while later stages tend toward bitterness and astringency. Using higher temperatures in the early to middle stages extracts more desirable flavor compounds, while lower temperatures in later stages reduce extraction, creating balance.

Third, you can watch Matt's competition video on Bilibili to observe his pouring technique: fixed-point pouring followed by high-flow rapid stirring, then returning to fixed-point pouring. His brewing philosophy is similar to the 4:6 method—coarse grinding, high water flow, rapid stirring, and consistent ratios. One small detail worth noting is that after circular pouring, Matt focuses on fixed-point center pouring while keeping his eyes on the electronic scale. If the water amount in a stage doesn't reach his target, he'll add supplemental water.

In other words, after countless brewing experiments, the impact of pouring technique on coffee in competitions becomes minimal. The focus shifts to the rationality of the brewing plan and execution progress. For example, during the second pour, when he realized he hadn't reached his desired water amount at the end of the pour, his choice was to add water rather than ignore it, even though this action might appear less fluid.

Competitions are time-limited and one-time only with no do-overs. This means aspects related to competition scoring receive particular attention from competitors. No competitor would choose high-difficulty brewing techniques or extreme brewing methods to take risks. In competitions, competitors choose more scientific brewing theories and safer brewing methods. Therefore, setting aside methods that require significant financial investment, other brewing approaches are very suitable for spectators to learn from.

Key Takeaways

Matt's brewing technique and parameter choices were very safe and highly compatible. Coarse grinding, high temperature for initial pours followed by lower temperature for later pours, divided into 5 pour segments. This resulted in coffee with rich layering, virtually eliminating the risk of over-extraction while maintaining high flavor clarity. Combined with carefully selected blended coffee beans—the sweet parent variety and the clear, bright Catucai with its distinct acidity—along with his experimentally formulated water and details like "dripper material," there's much we can learn from his approach to pour-over blend formulation and attention to detail.

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