Joseph’s Journey: Behind England’s Championship-Winning AeroPress Recipe

We had a really interesting conversation with Joseph, winner of the English AeroPress Championship 2025. If you’re curious about the recipe behind his winning cup, let’s take a sneak peek into his journey before revealing the AeroPress recipe you can also try at home.

JOSEPH

When Joseph first started working in coffee, he did not imagine stepping onto a national stage. He did not imagine timers, judges, pressure, or holding a trophy.

“I just saw coffee as a caffeine fix,” he says honestly.

Today, Joseph is the 2025 English AeroPress Champion and Store Manager at ZeroToOne Coffee. His journey is not about natural talent or overnight success. It is about curiosity, consistency, and being in the right environment to grow.

And that environment was ZeroToOne.

Where It All Started

Joseph’s first real exposure to specialty coffee came while working at a small independent cafe. They stocked multiple guest roasters, and every time new beans arrived, he would buy a bag and brew at home.

“I started comparing recipes. Tasting differences. Asking why.”

It became a habit. Then it became an obsession. But at that stage, coffee still felt like just a job. Something you clock into. That changed when he joined ZeroToOne.

The Shift: Coffee as a Career

“At my previous cafés, it sometimes felt like a dead end. You make coffee, then go home.”

The culture at ZeroToOne provided the missing ingredients: constructive feedback, relentlessly high standards, and daily dial-ins. Working under Duc, Head of Coffee, Joseph began to see what specialty coffee could really be.

“ZeroToOne gave me space to grow. The team pushed me to improve. That’s when I realised coffee could actually be my career.”

The Road to the Title

Entering the English AeroPress Championship actually started as a bit of a running joke. "The joke answer? I just wanted a free trip to South Korea," he quips. But beneath the humor was a serious personal challenge to step outside his comfort zone. Despite it being his first-ever competition, Joseph approached it with the precision of a scientist.

His training was grueling. He brewed with the AeroPress at least twice a day, timed every movement of his routine, and even delved into the complexities of water chemistry. When his competition beans ran out, he kept practicing with whatever he had left, adjusting his temperatures to account for the specific conditions of the London final venue. By the time he reached the final round in London, the nerves of the "big stage" were replaced by a quiet confidence. 

"I never doubted our chances because I knew the recipe was solid," he says. 

"In the final, I just focused on execution. When I finished, I looked back at my coach and gave him a nod of approval. A sign that said: Yes, we got this."

When asked what he would say to young baristas nervous about stepping onto the stage for the first time, Joseph’s answer is characteristically grounded:

"Just do it. Don’t overthink it."

He acknowledges that the stage can be intimidating, but he views the entire process as a win-state regardless of the trophy. "Losing is learning and winning is learning," he explains. "The biggest mistake you can make is staying in your head. Pressing the plunger for too long because you're chasing 'perfection' usually leads to over-extraction. The same goes for your mindset, if you over-analyze every move, you lose the rhythm."

Joseph’s Championship AeroPress Recipe

• Dose: 17g coffee (27 clicks on Comandante)
• Water: 180ml (Inverted method)
• The Bloom: 70°C (bumped to 75°C for the final)
• The Pour: 90°C main pour
• Total Time: 2:00 minutes
• The Result: Expressive sweetness and a crystal-clean finish.

Winning the English AeroPress Championship was more than recognition.

“It showed me I can achieve things if I put my heart and mind into it.”

The biggest growth was internal: Confidence, focus, belief. Now his goals are bigger.

“I want to compete more. And one day, I want to open my own café.”

Bringing Championship Standards to the Coffeeshop

While competition brewing is an intense, solitary pursuit, Joseph believes the real magic happens back at the shop. At ZeroToOne, he translates that competitive precision into daily service.

 “In the coffeeshop, you talk to customers. You explain the idea behind the recipe. You make them feel welcome.”

That doesn't mean the standards drop. At ZeroToOne, consistency is a non-negotiable law. If a shot doesn't hit the mark, it’s tossed and remade. This “If it’s not good enough, we do it again.” mindset is what Joseph believes sets the shop apart in the crowded London scene. That mindset has shaped Joseph not just as a competitor, but as a leader. By focusing on high-quality Vietnamese specialty coffee and developing baristas from the ground up, ZeroToOne has created a culture where even the newest baristas are producing coffee that rivals the city's most established veterans.

Exploring the Landscape at Home

His advice for home brewers? When customers ask Joseph how to explore Vietnamese specialty coffee at home, he does not overcomplicate it. He recommends starting with variety.

"But honestly? Brew it however you like. There is NO right or wrong way, though a coarser grind usually helps!"

For those looking to taste the quality Joseph champions, he recommends starting with diversity. He often points curious customers toward the Viet Ultimate Explorer Pack, a curated selection of four essential beans that showcase the incredible range of Vietnam’s coffee landscape. From fine Robusta to expressive Arabica, the pack reflects what ZeroToOne stands for: clarity, quality, and character.

The Rhythm of the Brew

While his teammates know him as the focused, meticulous Store Manager who lives for the perfect dial-in, Joseph has a hidden side that might come as a surprise to the crew at ZeroToOne. Most of the team sees the precision, the competition prep, and the leadership, but they might not know that beneath the barista apron is a secret multi-instrumentalist.

Whether it’s the drums, the guitar, or the piano, Joseph has a natural rhythm that predates his love for the AeroPress. “Before coffee took over, music was a big part of my life,” he reveals. He doesn’t talk about it often, but that musicality is the "secret sauce" in his brewing. In many ways, a winning recipe and a perfect song are the same: they both require timing, control, and a bit of soul.

“It keeps my life balanced,” he admits. It turns out the "technical" guy at the bar has been playing a different kind of tune all along. 

Winning the 2025 English AeroPress Championship was a massive milestone, but for Joseph, it was never the finish line; it was the opening note of a much larger composition. When asked to describe what the ZeroToOne experience means to him in three words, he gives the "real" answer first, with a wink: "Cà phê sữa." But then, reflecting on the journey that took him from a simple caffeine fix to a national stage, he adds the three words that truly define his home:

"Unique. Charming. Competitive."