=The WAC is Coming to Seoul—Here’s Your Third Wave Water Playbook

The 2025 World AeroPress Championship lands in Seoul on Dec 5–6. Brew like a contender with four TWW-powered AeroPress recipes, plus water picks for light, medium, and dark roasts.

If you love the AeroPress, December is your Super Bowl. The 2025 World AeroPress Championship (WAC) will take over Studio Layer 41 in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong on December 5–6, 2025—two dizzying days of plungers, paper filters, and very caffeinated hugs. (World AeroPress® Championship)

Beyond technique, there’s a secret most competitors take seriously: water. Several championship brews have specified mineralized water, including the 2021 World Champion Tuomas Merikanto, who brewed with Third Wave Water’s (100% Espresso Profile  - same as Medium Profile) in his winning recipe. (AeroPress)

Below you’ll find four WAC-style recipes designed for Third Wave Water profiles. Think of these as practice blueprints—they’re built on patterns you’ll see among champions (double filters, low-temp brews, smart bypasses), and they’re easy to tune for your coffee and grinder.

Pick the Right Third Wave Water Profile (Quick Guide)

• Classic Light Roast Profile — ~150 mg/L TDS, ~40 mg/L alkalinity. Great clarity on light roasts; perfect for AeroPress and other manual brews. (support.thirdwavewater.com)

• Medium Roast Profile — ~150 mg/L TDS, ~80 mg/L alkalinity. A touch more buffer for rounder sweetness; approved for manual brews (and even safe for espresso machines if you ever cross over). (support.thirdwavewater.com)

(Both profiles are designed for brewing and align with SCA-style guidance from TWW.) (support.thirdwavewater.com)

THREE (3) TWW-Powered AeroPress Recipes to Train Like a Champ

All recipes use AeroPress Original, paper filters, and distilled/RO water + TWW as specified. We list “bypass” as additional hot water added after pressing.

1) “Seoul Sweet Spot” (light roast clarity, low temp, double filter)

Water: TWW Classic Light Roast
Dose: 18.0 g coffee (light, washed)
Grind: Fine-medium (slightly finer than your default pour-over)
Setup: Inverted, 2 paper filters (rinsed)
Water: 200 g @ 80–82°C (176–180°F)
Steps:
0:00 add 50 g, 3 gentle stirs;
0:15 to 0:30 add to 200 g, 3 gentle stirs at 0:50;
1:00 cap, vent air; flip at 1:30;
Press 20–25 s to 1:55;
Bypass 30–40 g to taste.
Additional Thoughts: Mimics the low-temp, gentle-agitation, double-filter pattern seen in winning playbooks—lifting florals and citrus without harshness. (Tuomas Merikanto’s 2021 win famously paired low temps, double filters, and Third Wave Water.) (AeroPress)

2) “Washed Wonder” (balanced, classic WAC bypass)

Water: TWW Medium Roast (even on light-medium coffees, the extra buffer brings plush sweetness)
Dose: 16.5 g
Grind: Medium 
Setup: Standard (non-inverted), 1 paper filter
Water: 230 g @ 90–92°C (194–198°F)
Steps:
0:00 pour 120 g; 10 stirs; cap;
0:45 add 110 g;
1:30 press 30–35 s;
Bypass 40–60 g to target a clean, silky cup.
Additional Thoughts: Classic two-stage fill with modest agitation, then a purposeful bypass to “open” the cup—very common among national-level recipes. For medium-leaning roasts, TWW’s higher alkalinity (~80 mg/L) softens the edges. (support.thirdwavewater.com)

3) “Natural Sweet” (deeper body for fruity naturals)

Water: TWW Classic Light Roast
Dose: 17.5 g
Grind: Fine-medium
Setup: Inverted, 2 paper filters
Water: 220 g @ 85–88°C (185–190°F)
Steps:
0:00 add 60 g; swirl, no stir;
0:30 fill to 220 g;
1:15 stir 5×; cap;
1:45 flip; press 25 s;
Bypass 20–30 g.
Additional Thoughts: Slightly warmer than the low-temp build, with minimal agitation early to avoid over-extracting naturals’ sticky fines. The Classic Light Roast’s lower alkalinity keeps the fruit bright, not chalky. (support.thirdwavewater.com)

Why Third Wave Water Shows Up in Competition Notes

Two reasons: consistency and calibration. On the day, competitors need repeatable water that travels well and hits predictable mineral targets. TWW’s published profile targets (e.g., ~150 mg/L TDS & ~40 mg/L alkalinity for Classic Light Roast; ~80 mg/L alkalinity for Medium Roast) are built for manual brews like the AeroPress, so you can separate coffee & technique from water noise during practice. 

Past championships and national events routinely highlight specific waters or profiles in their recipes and recaps (you’ll even spot TWW callouts in winner posts and regional recipe roundups).

Practice Like a Contender (Fast Tips)

• Double-paper or paper+paper: a frequent WAC move for higher clarity; try it with low temps.

• Controlled agitation: lots of winners limit stirring to a few gentle passes. 

• Bypass deliberately: brew slightly stronger, then add 20–60 g hot water post-press to fine-tune sweetness and texture (a staple in many winning recipes). 

• Log everything: temperature, stirs, press time, bypass. Swap only one variable at a time.

Mark Your Calendar & Check the Rules

The World Final is Dec 5–6, 2025 in Seoul (Studio Layer 41). For specifics on entry, judging formats, and any year-specific rules or equipment notes, follow the official WAC pages and the rules hub. (World AeroPress® Championship).