What the World’s Best Brewers Are Doing Differently

Fresh from the 2026 World Brewers Cup in Brussels, Ben breaks down the coffees, brewers and techniques used by the competition’s top six finalists.

We look at how World Champion Nas Jaafar, Australia’s Simon Gautherin and the rest of the finalists approached their routines, from the rise of hybrid brewers and fast-flow filter papers to shorter ratios, lower temperatures and coarser grind sizes.

Plus, we unpack Bavis Kwong’s wild “sandwich extraction”, Simon’s two-coffee brewing method, the continued dominance of Panama Geisha and whether these competition techniques can actually improve the coffee you brew at home!

Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on-the-fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered café reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gatekept coffee secrets.

CHAPTERS

Back From Brussels
The Top Six Brewers
Is Brewers Cup More Accessible?
Hybrid Brewers Take Over
Modern Filter Coffee
Is Percolation Dead?
Fast Filter Papers
Panama Geisha Dominates
Natural vs Washed Coffee
The Sandwich Extraction
Simon’s Two-Coffee Brew
What Home Brewers Can Use
Are These the World’s Best Coffees?
The Future of Pour-Over