ou press an AeroPress and what comes out is thin. Most AeroPress recipes are designed to brew into the cup directly, which is the whole problem. What happens when you brew a concentrate first and dilute it with carefully prepared bypass water? That is the gap the Nemo Pop fills.
The Nemo Pop is the winning recipe from the 2025 World AeroPress Championship. Its organizing idea is a concentrate brew through the puck, then a pre-measured bypass of warm water added to the carafe before or after pressing. The two-stage structure lets you control strength and temperature separately. The result is a cleaner, brighter cup than a single-pour recipe at a looser ratio usually delivers.
This guide covers the recipe parameters as reported from the WAC 2025 competition. It explains why the bypass step works and gives you enough context to try a version at home. Treat every figure here as approximate, after the WAC 2025 Nemo Pop recipe. Competition settings vary by equipment and coffee; your home setup will need small adjustments.
At a glance
You brew a small, concentrated dose through the puck directly into a carafe that already contains the bypass water, or you add the bypass water after pressing. Either way the cup you drink is the blended result, not the concentrate on its own. The 18 g dose is set by the WAC chamber rules; the 84 °C brew temperature and 50 °C bypass temperature are verbatim from the published Nemo Pop parameters.
Why the bypass architecture works
A standard AeroPress recipe at 1:15 sends all the water through the puck. Every extraction variable, temperature, contact time, agitation, applies to the full brew water. That is simple but it leaves you with one lever: you can only change everything at once.
A bypass recipe separates the extraction from the dilution. The puck sees a small, hot charge that pulls the flavors you want from the coffee. The bypass water, pre-heated to 50 °C, brings the final volume and temperature up without contacting the grounds at all. Strength is controlled by the bypass amount. Extraction is controlled by brew temperature and contact time. The two do not interfere with each other.
The 50 °C bypass temperature matters. That figure comes directly from the published Nemo Pop recipe. Room-temperature bypass water would chill a hot concentrate and produce a cup that drinks cooler than intended. At 50 °C, the bypass brings the blend to a comfortable drinking temperature without overcooling the cup.
The recipe step by step
The recipe as reported uses specific competition equipment. At home you will not replicate it exactly, and that is fine. The structure is what carries over. Use a medium-fine to fine grind, a paper filter, and a carafe or second vessel for the bypass. The reported parameters mention a Flow Control Cap and two additional paper micro-filters for finer clarity, as well as a very fine grind with an optional sift. Those are competition specifics. A home version does not require them.
Before you start, heat 70 g of bypass water to about 50 °C and set it ready in the serving carafe; you will press the concentrate straight into it. Rinse a paper filter, assemble the brewer, and add the 18 g dose. The reported method seats the filter down, though the flip-free press sequence works in either orientation.
- Pour the brew water to 100 gStart the timer and pour 100 g of 84 °C water over the 18 g of grounds, wetting all of them evenly. This is the full brew charge through the puck.00:30100 g84 °C
- Stir the slurryStir gently so every ground is wetted and the bed is even. The water should still be near 84 °C.00:15100 g84 °C
- Brief steepInsert the plunger just far enough to seal the chamber and let the concentrate steep for about 30 seconds.00:30100 g
- Press into the carafePress slowly and steadily into the carafe that holds the pre-heated bypass water. Stop at the hiss.00:30100 g
- Combine with the bypassAs the concentrate meets the 70 g of 50 °C bypass already in the carafe, the drink reaches 170 g total. Swirl gently to combine, then serve.00:15170 g50 °C
The final cup is approximately 170 g of blended coffee. In-cup yield in practice runs a little lower once the grounds absorb some water, so expect around 150 to 170 g. That is a smaller, stronger serving than a standard AeroPress. Taste it as brewed before you adjust.
Adjusting the recipe at home
Competition recipes are calibrated for one specific coffee on one specific day. At home, treat the reported figures as a starting framework. The structure, concentrate plus warm bypass, is the part worth keeping.
If the cup is too strong, add a little more bypass water. If it drinks too cool, raise the bypass temperature by five degrees. If the extraction tastes thin or sour, grind finer or brew slightly hotter; bitter, grind a touch coarser. Change one variable at a time.
The water mineral content in the Nemo Pop parameters is reported around 120 to 125 ppm total dissolved solids. That is a mid-range figure within the SCA specialty brewing range. If your tap water is soft, add a small amount of filtered water with modest mineral content. If it is hard, consider a partial dilution. The recipe does not require a lab setup, but noticeably mineral-heavy water will interfere with the clarity the bypass architecture is designed to achieve.
Common questions
- What is the difference between a bypass AeroPress and a standard one?
- A standard recipe sends all the water through the puck at once. A bypass recipe like the Nemo Pop brews a small concentrate through the grounds, then combines it with a pre-measured amount of separately prepared water. The main benefit is that you can adjust strength and extraction independently. Strength is controlled by the bypass amount; extraction is controlled by brew temperature, contact time, and grind.
- Why is the bypass water at 50 °C and not room temperature?
- The figure comes directly from the published WAC 2025 Nemo Pop parameters. A cold bypass would chill the hot concentrate too much, giving you a cup that drinks cooler than intended. At 50 °C the bypass brings the final blend to a comfortable drinking temperature. Room temperature is not a substitute in this recipe.
- Can I try this without competition equipment?
- Yes. The structure works with a standard AeroPress, a scale, a thermometer, and a second vessel for the bypass water. The reported grind specifics and Flow Control Cap are competition details; a medium-fine grind and a standard paper filter will get you a version of the recipe at home. Adjust grind and bypass amount after tasting.
- How many grams end up in the cup?
- The total water going in is approximately 170 g: 100 g through the puck and 70 g bypass. In-cup yield is a little lower once the grounds retain some water, so expect roughly 150 to 170 g. That is a smaller, more concentrated serving than the typical AeroPress recipe, which is part of the cup character this method is going for.