We spoke to Mohammed Othman Alghamdi, an architect working at BFS architects and a coffee enthusiast, born and bred in Riyadh. After winning the Saudi Aeropress competition, he’s looking forward to represent Saudi Arabia in the World Aeropress Championship in Dublin.
When did your fascination for coffee start? And how did you develop your skills?
I started my coffee enthusiasm at my early age when I was living the coffee brewing moments and enjoying aromatic senses and coffee rituals.
During my college, I started trying out different types of coffee and visited new coffee shops. Day after day, I realized that the coffee I drank didn’t meet my satisfaction and taste. I started exploring a new journey of finding the best coffee and got a perfect cup of coffee that I am looking for once I found specialty coffee.
What is your secret to the perfect cup of coffee?
The secret is a combination of good beans, perfect tools, consistent grinding, and golden hands.
Favorite kind of beans?
All beans are close to my heart as long as they are SPECIALITY COFFEE BEANS
Congratulations on winning the Saudi Aeropress competition! How does it feel being the first Saudi Aeropress champion?
Thanks J
Great feeling to be the first Saudi representing Saudi Arabia in such an event
What was the recipe that made you win, if you don’t mind telling us? And why did you choose it?
After many trials, me and my friend, Badr Alousaimi, came up with the following recipe:
15g of coffee grinds to course, 225g of water (use a good one!), pre-infusion 30g of water at 85°c, stir while pouring, within 30sec, pour the rest at 55sec, wait until 01:30, lock metal filter in, plunge within 35 sec
What do you think of the specialty coffee scene here in Saudi Arabia? Anything you’d like to see?
Specialty coffee in Saudi is growing rapidly. I believe that the market is thirsty to get more specialty coffee shops.
How are you preparing for the World Aeropress Championship in Dublin?
I have dedicated my efforts to increase my knowledge about all the angles of the championship starting from the regulations till the type of beans. I spare some time from my daily routine to practice and share my thoughts with the recognized experiences here in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to all this, I’m full of hope to achieve two goals in the near future.
- To be the World Aeropress Champion. and,
- To represent my country as a recognized place for specialty coffee and known culture in this field.
