Pouring for glory at the Allpress x HARIO V60 Championships – BeanScene

Bringing together talented brewers from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom (UK) in a celebration of specialty coffee, community, and competition, the Allpress x HARIO V60 Championships recently came to a close.

The Melbourne event on Thursday 29 October at Allpress’ new Roastery in Reservoir was the final stop in the 2026 Championships, uniting passionate brewers, industry leaders, and coffee lovers in a shared celebration of specialty coffee.

BeanScene was there as the evening kicked off with the Melbourne regional heat, where Louis Xu claimed first place and secured his spot in the ANZ Final later that night. Regional champions Clement Ong (Sydney), Derrick Huỳnh (Brisbane), Dove Chen (Auckland), Leroy Coleman (Christchurch) then joined him to compete for the ANZ title.

An evening of precision brewing, blind tastings, and fierce competition saw Derrick crowned the 2026 Allpress x HARIO V60 ANZ Champion. Representing Hideout Specialty Coffee, and a competitor in the Vietnam National Barista Championship, Derrick told BeanScene it was an “amazing experience” to win the ANZ Championship.

“I couldn’t dream of this one,” he says. “I worked very hard, and I’m very proud and speechless.”

For his prep for the competition, Derrick says he was a perfectionist.

“No matter what I do, I still feel like it’s not good enough, but I try to improve and improve it again.”

His victory was one of three major championship wins celebrated across the international competition.

In Singapore, Ivan Tong claimed the national title in the 2026 Allpress x HARIO V60 Championships. Currently working as a freelance barista at Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee, Ivan earned his place among this year’s international champions through a strong display of technical skill and consistency.

Meanwhile in Europe, Rachael Kua emerged victorious to secure the British title.

All contestants brewed a special competition coffee selected and roasted by Allpress using HARIO’s iconic V60 brewer.

In April 2027, the three international champions will travel to Japan, where they will immerse themselves in Tokyo’s renowned coffee culture, connect with members of the global specialty coffee community, and attend World of Coffee Tokyo 2027.

The event saw support from sponsors including HARIO, noissue, Bombora, La Marzocco, MILKLAB, Otis, BWT, ACME, APAX LAB, Cesar’s Coffee Cup, Brewed by Hand, C4 Coffee Co., and Equilibrium Master Roasters.

“What stood out most this year was the diversity of approaches,” says Emma Read, Brand Lead Australia at Allpress.

“We saw competitors experimenting with different pouring techniques, combining two smaller brews into one and using different brewing equipment, all working with the same coffee but bringing their own interpretation to the cup.”