Last Saturday was the 2023 Dutch Aeropress Championships, and what fun and excitement it was! 48 participants competed for the Dutch championship and the coveted ticket to Melbourne, Australia. There 62 countries will gather to compete for the world championship. Our Indra, Rick, Barend and Matthijs from Het Lokaal participated, so it was more exciting than ever before. At the Aeropress Championships, everyone gets the same coffee, and it's really all about finding the perfect recipe. So you can really distinguish yourself as a barista here. Because what are the judges looking for? Is it sweetness? Is it complexity? Or should a thick body be especially good to taste?

During the preparations, endless recipes were tried, and in the end they all came up with a different recipe. Rick was more on complexity and body. Barend was more on sweetness. Both coffees were well liked, as loud cheers rang out as both advanced to the next round. Unfortunately, Indra and Matthijs did not survive the first round. No shame, as Matthijs faced the eventual winner in the first round and only one person goes through. Now back to Rick and Barend in the first round, where you have 5 minutes to make your coffee. With a few seconds left, they put the cup over the line, ready to be judged. Barend was visibly unsatisfied, as he ran out of time to add some extra water for extra sweetness. He was extra happy and motivated when his name was called. ''Who is going through to the semifinals! Barend!''

And then not only are you further along physically in the game, but the mental aspect starts to interfere. Are you going to adjust your recipe now? Do you take into account certain circumstances, such as that the judges have already taken at least 50 sips of coffee? Do you then increase the thickness of your coffee and decrease the complexity? Or do you stick with your current recipe and trust that this will be the winning recipe? Both chose a different strategy. Barend adjusted his recipe and added more thickness. Rick stayed with his familiar recipe. With homemade signs with motivational slogans on them, Alejandro and Dennis stood like two cheerleaders encouraging them. It is nice to see that the younger generation looks at Barend with great respect and also finds it special that after 50 years he is still beaming on stage. If anyone was going to win, it was Barend. Unfortunately it was not to be, because both did not survive the semi-finals, and it became a final without Boot. Nevertheless, lots of praise for the finalists, and we are grateful and happy for a great evening. This tastes like more, and next year we will go for the win again!

Congratulations Rocco! Good luck in Melbourne!