Hiro Lesmana is the two-time Indonesia Brewers Cup Champion and inventor of the Suprima Instruments, the new generation of semi-immersion brewers. These superb brewers promotes excellent consistency in the brewing process. In this article, we chat with Hiro on his coffee journey and what makes the SD-1 and SD-1R our new favorite way to brew.
Hi Hiro, we are so excited to chat with you today. Thank you for your partnership with Slow Pour Supply!
First of all, thank you for Slow Pour Supply’s interest, support, and love toward the products I’ve created - it truly means a lot to me.
Thank you for doing this interview with us! Can you please introduce yourself and your journey in the coffee competition world?
Hi everyone, I'm Hiro Lesmana, the inventor behind Suprima Instruments, a product line of innovative semi-immersion brewers.
A little about my coffee journey: I started working in coffee in 2015 as a barista. About a year in, I discovered the world of coffee competitions and how wonderful the community behind it was. I quickly immersed myself in it: watching videos of past competitions, attending local and international events, and getting to know inspiring figures in the coffee world.
I soon realized that competitions are a proving ground for everything coffee - from the barista on stage to the coffee, tools, and equipment being used. They’re also one of the few moments where you can learn so much in such a short period of time.
With that in mind, I joined my first competition in 2017 and placed 3rd. I wasn’t fully satisfied, so I became even more determined. I studied my scoresheet, made improvements, and competed again in 2018 - this time placing 1st. For a moment, I felt fulfilled… until I realized there was another level ahead: the world stage.
How did your first World Competition inspire you to continue competing, and how did it inspire you on the design of the SD-1?
My first world competition was in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in 2018. It was a humbling experience, I realized how much higher the standard was. Everyone there was a champion, and incredibly good at what they did. After that defeat, I still wanted to compete, but I couldn’t find the same spark. Before, I competed to test my limits— now, I wanted to compete with purpose.
Through my mistakes, I learned that the hardest part of brewing coffee isn’t how good you can brew, but how consistently good you can brew. That realization became my personal quest: to develop a tool that could help brewers achieve consistency in every cup.
That’s how the SD1 was born, the result of five years of R&D. It took that long because it began as a personal project, lack of resources and there weren’t many scientific references for developing a pour-over brewer. Once the prototype was ready, I returned to competition and my concept at the time centered around the SD1 dripper itself, and that combination earned me my second national title.
Long story short, I made it to the semifinal round at the World Brewers Cup in Athens, but due to some technical issues, my journey ended there. That, however, is a story for another time.
As a National Champion that has represented your country not only once, but twice on the world stage, what suggestion(s) you can give to someone who just started their competition journey?
Never aim just to win, you need a purpose beyond that, something deeply personal. You also need to be ready to lose. In the end, a competition is just a competition; what truly matters is what you learn and gain along the way.
What was your main inspiration behind designing a brewer with a different flow characteristic compared to others on the market?
I’ve always been fascinated by manual brewing since my earliest days in coffee. One thing we can all agree on is that inconsistency is a common human trait and brewing coffee is no exception.
With that in mind, I set out to create a coffee brewer that could serve as a bridge, helping brewers achieve more consistent results in manual brewing.
Among the many elements in coffee brewing, which do you find most challenging to master or control?
In my opinion, agitation caused by pouring is the most challenging element to control.
What makes the SD-1 and SD-1R brewers special and stand out in the world of coffee brewers?
They both work on the same principle: semi-immersion-- a combination of percolation and immersion.
From the percolation, you get everything you’d expect: fresh water flowing continuously over the coffee bed, creating complex flavors and vibrant acidity through varied extraction rates. Then, through a slower drawdown, an immersion phase develops within the brew bed, bringing its distinctive characteristics: a big, rounded mouthfeel, intense sweetness, and a lingering aftertaste.
What has been the most rewarding part of the entire process, from conception to the release of the SD-1 and SD-1R brewers?
To me, every stage of this journey has been deeply rewarding. I’m truly happy to see Suprima Instruments products gradually finding their place in coffee bars, homes, offices around the world-- exactly where I envisioned them to be.
We know design is not the only thing that goes into launching a brewer! How did you go about choosing your manufacturer for the SD-1 and SD-1R?
I think it is very important to have a manufacturer that not only produces the products but also understands why it was designed that way so I'm not the only one that is taking care of the production. The manufacturer needs to care and believe about the product as well.
When you evaluate a coffee brewer, what key characteristics or features are you primarily looking for?
There are many brewers on the market, each with its own unique mechanism. I evaluate them based on the results they produce, then adjust the recipe to achieve my desired cup profile.
With that, here are two recipes I’d like to share with the Slow Pour audiences!
SD1 Basic Starting Recipe
The SD1 dripper is designed to brew one large cup or two sharing cups.
My ideal starting recipe is either:
18g coffee to 250ml water, or
22g coffee to 300ml water
You might notice that this ratio is a bit dense and that’s intentional. The SD1 works on a semi-immersion method, meaning the extraction rate is slower than your usual percolation dripper. Because of that, a standard 1:15 or 1:16 ratio won’t necessarily yield the best result. (Not that it’s wrong— I just personally prefer it this way.)
For a Lighter, More Delicate Cup
If you enjoy coffee that’s lighter, elegant, and delicate, a two-pour style works beautifully.
First pour (bloom):
50ml of water for the 18:250 ratio, or
75ml of water for the 22:300 ratio.
Pour evenly, ensuring all grounds are saturated.
Bloom time: Let it sit for at least 1 minute 30 seconds (1:30).
For fresher coffee (1–2 weeks after roast), you can extend the bloom to 2 minutes.
Second pour: Pour the rest of the water in one go, then simply wait for it to draw down.
Yes, a longer bloom is perfectly fine— as long as the coffee tastes great!
For a Balanced, Classic Strength Cup
If you prefer a more traditional strength, try a three-pour style.
First pour (bloom):
50ml (for 18:250) or 75ml (for 22:300).
Let it sit for 40 seconds to 1 minute, depending on coffee freshness.
Second & third pours:
Divide the remaining water into two equal pours.
Each pour should start when the water level is just above the coffee bed.
Example:
If you’re brewing 18g to 250ml, after blooming you’ll have 200ml left.
At around 0:41, pour the first 100ml.
Around 2:00, when the water level drops close to the bed, pour the final 100ml, and let it draw down.
A Note on Drawdown Time
Brewing with the SD1 takes longer than with most percolation drippers and that’s by design. The waiting might test your patience, but as the saying goes, good things take time. I promise the result is worth it.
If the drawdown feels excessively slow and the coffee bed looks muddy, your grind size is too fine.
I intentionally don’t specify grind size or water temperature here — these variables depend on your grinder, coffee, and water composition. Use this recipe as a starting point, and adjust to taste.
SD1R Basic Starting Recipe
The SD1R is made for brewing enthusiasts— those who love to experiment with different styles, methods, and variables.
It works on the same semi-immersion principle as the SD1, but with a smaller form and a faster flow rate.
The SD1R performs best with 9–15g of coffee, though my personal sweet spot is 13–14g of coffee to 210ml of water.
Because of its faster drawdown, both three-pour and four-pour methods work beautifully with the SD1R.
If you’ve chosen the SD1R, chances are you already enjoy exploring your own recipes — and that’s exactly what this dripper was designed for. It’s highly versatile, responsive, and ready for whatever brewing style you want to create." I think competition will still be the forefront of innovation and spotlight of the industry. From there it will be adapted to real life scenarios.
