tags: [] - coffee/business - coffee/business/competitions aliases: - WBrC - World Brewers Cup competition created: 2026-05-10 updated: 2026-05-10

World Brewers Cup¶

Tags: #coffee/business #coffee/business/competitions Aliases: WBrC, World Brewers Cup competition Related: World Barista Championship | Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) | Coffee Business MOC Status: ✅ Complete

Overview¶

The World Brewers Cup (WBrC) is an international manual brewing competition founded in 2011 in Maastricht, Netherlands, and organised by World Coffee Events (WCE) under the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Unlike the World Barista Championship, the WBrC prohibits espresso machines — competitors must use any manual brew device of their choosing. The competition has accelerated global experimentation with brew recipes and technique, and alumni of the WBrC have introduced widely adopted methods that continue to influence both café and home brewing practice.

Format¶

The WBrC consists of two distinct rounds:

Compulsory Service¶

In the Compulsory Service round, all competitors brew the same coffee — an anonymous lot provided by the organisers — using whatever manual brewing method they choose. This round isolates technique and execution from the variable of coffee selection. Judges evaluate the resulting cup on sensory quality alone, without knowing whose brew they are tasting.

Open Service¶

The Open Service round allows competitors to brew a coffee of their own choosing. Each competitor is given approximately 10 minutes to brew and serve their selected coffee to judges, accompanied by a presentation that covers the coffee's origin, processing method, and the rationale for the brewing approach. Judges evaluate both the sensory quality of the cup and the quality of the service performance.

Permitted Equipment¶

Any manual brewing device is permitted in competition — V60, AeroPress, Chemex, Kalita Wave, siphon, Clever Dripper, and others have all featured in WBrC routines. This openness to equipment choice makes the WBrC a platform for demonstrating the strengths and nuances of different brewing methods and the recipes tailored to them.

Notable Champions¶

Year	Champion	Country
2011	Anette Moldvaer	Norway
2012	Matt Perger	Australia
2013	Stefanos Domatakis	Greece
2014	Odd-Steinar Tøllefsen	Norway
2015	Shuichi Ezure	Japan
2016	Tetsu Kasuya	Japan
2019	Chad Wang	Taiwan

Anette Moldvaer of Norway won the inaugural championship in 2011. Norway and Japan have each produced multiple champions since the competition began.

Tetsu Kasuya and the 4:6 Method¶

Tetsu Kasuya's 2016 victory is among the most influential in the competition's history. His winning routine centred on the 4:6 Method — a structured, ratio-based pour-over approach using the V60, in which the total brew water is divided into two phases: the first 40% of water controls sweetness and acidity, while the remaining 60% determines brew strength. The method's simplicity and logical structure made it accessible to home brewers worldwide, and it became one of the most widely replicated pour-over recipes in the specialty coffee industry following his win.

Innovation and Influence¶

The WBrC has accelerated experimentation with manual brew recipe variables, including bloom time, pour pattern, water temperature, grind size, and total brew ratio. Insights generated through competition preparation regularly enter café and home brewing practice. The emphasis on presenting the coffee's origin and processing in the Open Service round has also reinforced the importance of traceability and producer relationships within specialty coffee culture.

Key Facts¶

Founded in 2011 in Maastricht, Netherlands
Organised by World Coffee Events (WCE) / SCA
Manual brewing only — no espresso machines permitted
Two rounds: Compulsory Service (provided coffee, any device) and Open Service (competitor's own coffee, presentation required)
Anette Moldvaer (Norway) was the inaugural champion in 2011
Tetsu Kasuya (Japan) won in 2016; his 4:6 Method became globally influential
Equipment permitted includes V60, AeroPress, Chemex, Kalita Wave, siphon, and others

References¶

This article is part of All-About-Coffee.com - The comprehensive coffee knowledgebase.