2024: George Stanica — The Romanian Minimalist

“This recipe gives an overall pleasant mouthfeel, highlighting the sweetness and acidity of the coffee.” — George Stanica, describing his winning recipe with the economy that defined his entire approach

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The Champion

George Stanica is Romanian. Romania is not a coffee country in the way that Ethiopia or Colombia or Brazil are coffee countries. It does not grow coffee. It does not have a centuries-old coffee culture. But it has, in recent years, developed a specialty coffee scene that punches above its weight — small roasters, passionate baristas, and a growing community of people who care about what’s in the cup.

Stanica emerged from this scene with a philosophy that can be summarized in a single word: enough. His recipe did not have the theatrical complexity of Tay Wipvasutt’s staged extraction. It did not have the technical narrative of Nemo Pop’s water chemistry. It had eighteen grams of coffee, water at the right temperature, an inverted position, and a press. That was it. And it won.

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The Stage

The 2024 championship was defined by contrast. Sophan Nugraha of Indonesia took second place with a recipe that was elaborate, precise, and unmistakably competitive — the kind of routine that announces “I have been preparing for this for months.” Jamika of Egypt took third with a method that showcased the growing sophistication of North African coffee.

And then there was Stanica, who walked on stage and did less than everyone else and did it better. The audience was quiet during his routine. Not bored — watching. There is a particular tension that arises when someone does something simple with absolute conviction. You lean in. You wonder what they know that you don’t.

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The Coffee

Stanica brewed a coffee sourced by Cafe Imports, one of the largest specialty coffee importers in the world. The specific origin was not the point. What mattered was that the coffee had been selected to respond to his method — a coffee with enough sweetness and acidity to shine through a straightforward extraction, without the quirks or challenges that might require a more elaborate approach.

The roast was medium — developed enough to provide body and sweetness, light enough to preserve origin character. This is the roast profile that rewards the inverted method: enough soluble material to extract fully, not so much that the extended contact time of the inversion produces bitterness.

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The Method

Stanica’s 2024 recipe is the shortest in this series. It can be written on a Post-it note:

• Dose: 18 grams
• Grind: Medium
• Water: 92°C (198°F)
• Position: Inverted
• Water volume: 200 grams
• Contact time: Approximately 2 minutes

The procedure:

1. Assemble the Aeropress in the inverted position — plunger inserted slightly, chamber on top, open end facing up.
2. Add 18 grams of coffee. Level the bed.
3. Pour approximately 100 grams of water. Stir gently for 10 seconds.
4. At 0:30, add the remaining 100 grams of water.
5. At 1:30, attach the filter cap with a pre-wet paper filter.
6. Flip the Aeropress onto your server.
7. At 1:45, begin pressing gently. Aim for a 30-40 second press. Stop at the hiss.

That is the entire recipe. What made it win was not the steps. It was Stanica’s execution: the consistency of his grind, the precision of his water temperature, the evenness of his pour, the steadiness of his press. In a competition where everyone has access to the same equipment and the same coffee, the winner is the person who executes with the fewest errors. Stanica made no errors.

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What the Judges Tasted

The judges’ notes centered on two words: “balance” and “mouthfeel.” The cup was described as having “pronounced sweetness in the mid-palate” and “an acidity that frames rather than dominates.” The mouthfeel — that elusive quality that separates good Aeropress coffee from great — was “round, coating, and lasting.”

Second-place Sophan Nugraha brewed a more complex cup. Third-place Jamika brewed a more distinctive cup. Stanica brewed a better cup. The difference was in the execution.

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The Contour Pairing: Guatemala SHB

Stanica’s method — inverted, medium grind, 92°C, two-minute steep — is an extraction framework that rewards balanced coffees with natural sweetness. Our Guatemala SHB (Huehuetenango, washed, green apple acidity and caramel sweetness) is exactly that coffee.

The inverted position gives the water full contact with the grounds for the entire brew cycle — there’s no drip-through before you press. This extracts more evenly, which favors Guatemala’s particular gift: balance. The green apple brightness stays crisp without becoming sour. The caramel sweetness deepens without becoming cloying. If you only brew one coffee with Stanica’s method, make it this one.

Shop Guatemala SHB →

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Brew It Yourself: The Stanica Method with Guatemala SHB

1. Heat water to 92°C (198°F).
2. Rinse a paper filter in the cap. Set aside.
3. Assemble the Aeropress inverted: plunger in, chamber on top, open end facing up.
4. Weigh 18 grams of Guatemala SHB. Grind medium — sea salt consistency.
5. Add coffee to the chamber. Level the bed with a gentle shake.
6. Pour 100 grams of water. Stir for 10 seconds.
7. At 0:30, pour the remaining 100 grams of water.
8. At 1:30, attach the filter cap with the rinsed filter.
9. Flip the Aeropress onto your mug.
10. At 1:45, press gently for 30-40 seconds. Stop at the hiss.
11. You should have approximately 180 grams. Taste. Notice the caramel sweetness first, then the green apple. This is what balance tastes like.

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Next in the series: Nemo Pop, the Australian water chemist who turned the 2025 championship into a science experiment — and won.