Sherry Hsu: World Brewers Cup Champion from Taiwan

Sherry Hsu won the 2022 World Brewers Cup, becoming the first Taiwanese woman to take the championship title.

Her work extends beyond competition. Since winning the title, Sherry has continued visiting coffee-producing regions around the world, coaching brewers from different countries, sharing her experience with coffee professionals and competitors.

She also founded Sherry Selection, a curated coffee brand focused on making specialty coffee more approachable for everyday drinkers.  

Grinding Isn’t Preparation — It’s Part of Flavor Design

Why can the same coffee taste noticeably more aromatic, sweeter, and more layered in the hands of a different brewer?

During the live demonstration, Sherry showed how she adjusts grinder choice, grind size, water temperature, and pouring structure according to each coffee’s characteristics to shape extraction and flavor expression. 

1Zpresso ZP6 vs. K-Ultra vs. X-Ultra

Sherry explained that she doesn’t rely on a single grinder for every coffee. Instead, she first studies the coffee’s flavor profile, then selects the grinder that best supports the result she wants in the cup.

According to her:

“Different burr designs bring out different flavor expressions.”

During the session, she highlighted the distinct strengths of three 1Zpresso grinders:

The ZP6

Designed specifically for pour-over brewing.
Produces a more even grind distribution with very few fines, helping bring out delicate floral notes.

The K-Ultra

Tends to produce a sweeter cup profile.
Suitable for both pour-over and espresso brewing.

The X-Ultra

A balanced option for coffees with both floral and fruity notes, helping preserve floral aromatics while maintaining sweetness.

The ZP6 Grinder — Best for Floral Coffees

During the presentation, Sherry paired the 1Zpresso ZP6 with a floral Colombian washed Geisha.

She noted that the grinder produces a very even particle distribution with minimal fines, resulting in a cleaner cup and more refined floral aromatics.

When brewing coffees where floral expression is the main focus, the ZP6 is her preferred choice.

** She also added that coffees driven more by sweetness than florals may work better with the K-Ultra. While the K series tends to emphasize sweetness, the ZP6 excels at presenting elegant and nuanced floral characteristics.

The Grinder Behind Sherry’s Championship Routine — The K Series

Sherry described the K series as:

“The K series makes coffee sweeter.”

When brewing a natural processed Guatemalan Geisha with strong fruit-forward characteristics, she chose the 1Zpresso K-Ultra to increase sweetness and mouthfeel.

Compared with the ZP6, the K-Ultra produces more fines, which contributes to a sweeter cup profile.

That same grinding characteristic also makes it suitable for both pour-over and espresso brewing.

Sherry mentioned that during her championship-winning routine, she used the K-Pro, the predecessor to the K-Ultra.

** She further explained that for coffees centered around floral aromatics, the ZP6 is usually the better fit. The K-Ultra’s higher fines production can soften floral clarity, but it performs exceptionally well at enhancing sweetness and fruit character.

Editor’s Note:

The K-Ultra is considered 1Zpresso’s flagship all-round grinder and supports a wide range of brewing methods, including Turkish coffee, espresso, moka pot, pour-over, siphon, AeroPress, French press, and cold brew.

The X-Ultra — A Balanced Choice for Floral and Fruity Coffees

According to Sherry, when a coffee contains both floral aromatics and pronounced fruit notes, the 1Zpresso X-Ultra offers a balanced presentation of sweetness and aroma.

Its smaller and lighter form factor also makes it one of the grinders she frequently brings while traveling.

WBrC Champion Sherry Hsu’s Brewing Recipes and Approach

Coffees with Floral Notes — Using the ZP6 to Highlight Delicate Aromatics

For her first demonstration, Sherry brewed a Colombian washed Geisha with floral characteristics using the ZP6 and a dual-temperature brewing approach.

She began with a lower water temperature of 75°C for the bloom to avoid releasing delicate floral aromatics too aggressively, then switched to 93°C to increase sweetness and extraction depth later in the brew.

According to Sherry, staged water temperatures help control extraction balance:

• Lower temperatures preserve delicate floral layers and prevent aromatics from dissipating too early.
• Higher temperatures later in the brew help improve sweetness and overall balance.

She also shared her general dialing-in process for unfamiliar coffees. She usually starts near a cupping grind size, tastes the first brew, then adjusts from there:

• If the acidity feels sharp and sweetness is lacking, she grinds finer.
• If the flavor becomes too intense or heavy, she coarsens the grind slightly.

Brewing Parameters — Floral Profile

Brewing Steps — Floral Profile

Coffees with Fruity Notes — Using the K-Ultra to Increase Sweetness

In the second demonstration, Sherry brewed a natural processed Guatemalan Geisha using the K-Ultra.

This coffee emphasized fruit notes rather than florals, and the K-Ultra’s sweeter cup profile suited it particularly well.

For this recipe, she reversed the temperature strategy used in the floral brew: starting hot, then finishing cooler.

Sherry explained that the most desirable flavor compounds are typically extracted earlier in the brew. Using 93°C water in the early and middle stages helps maximize sweetness and fruit expression.

She then lowered the temperature to 75°C near the end of extraction to reduce over-extraction and soften the coffee’s fermentation character, resulting in a cleaner and more balanced cup.

Brewing Parameters — Fruity Profile

Brewing Steps — Fruity Profile

** Note: These recipes and brewing parameters were shared as starting points to reduce dialing-in time and unnecessary coffee waste. Adjustments may still be needed depending on the coffee and brewing setup used.

Sherry’s Final Thoughts On the ZP6, K-Ultra, and X-Ultra

Throughout the demonstration, Sherry emphasized how strongly grinder design influences flavor expression.

Rather than treating grinders as interchangeable tools, she approaches them as part of the flavor-building process. Her workflow begins with understanding the coffee itself, then selecting the grinder that best matches its characteristics.

Her overall impressions of the three grinders were:

• The ZP6 Special: 
  Best for coffees with floral notes. Its even grind distribution and low fines production help preserve delicate floral aromatics and produce a cleaner cup.

• The K-Ultra:
  A versatile grinder for both pour-over and espresso brewing. Compared with the ZP6, it produces more fines and tends to create a sweeter cup profile, especially for fruit-forward coffees.

• The X-Ultra:
  A balanced option for coffees with both floral and fruity notes. It helps preserve floral aromatics while maintaining sweetness, all in a compact and travel-friendly form.

Choosing the right grinder doesn’t just change extraction efficiency. It changes how clearly a coffee’s character and origin come through in the cup.