AeroPressing with Metropolis at the Aeropress Championship

 

On Saturday, June 24, 18 competitors from as far away as Kentucky came out to press their way to the top in the US Midwest Regional AeroPress Championship at the Metropolis roasting facility in Chicago. Competitors stirred, flipped, plunged and brewed their competition coffee (Ethiopia Worka Sakaro from Metropolis), all using the Aerobie AeroPress as their brewer.

 

Pressing coffee through an AeroPress Invented by the toy inventor Alan Adler (inventor of Aerobie’s Flying Ring), the AeroPress has developed a large cult following by specialty coffee enthusiasts because of its uniqueness and variability. AeroPress competitions have been happening all across the world since its inception in 2008 at Tim Windelboe’s roastery in Oslo, Norway, and competitions are now organized in a worldwide circuit of competitions.

 

Barista measuing water temperature in her kettle

Competitors felt the pressure as they took to the stage at Metropolis’s beautiful roasting facility, each hoping to brew the cup that impressed the most. Cold brewed coffee poured throughout the night for spectators, featuring Japanese-style cold brewing from Metropolis and nitro-infused, flash brewed coffee from Ipsento. As competitors finished their concoctions, judges cupped their brews and pointed to their favorite cups.

 

The judges point their vote at which cup tasted best.As the smoke cleared and the competition waned in the night, 3 competitors stood victorious: Brady Burns of Strange Matter Coffee in Lansing, Michigan took 3rd, Joshua Dusk-Peebles of Counter Culture Coffee in Chicago took 2nd, and an unaffiliated software developer, Ihor Yednyak stunned onlookers as he took first place!

The winners of the 2017 Midwest Regional Aeropress Championship!

 

A HUGE thank-you is due to Metropolis for co-hosting with us, Aerobie for sponsoring the event, Deparment of Brewology for designing the rad poster and sponsoring, Nuova Simonelli for sponsoring the winning travel package, Baratza for sponsoring the second place prize, and Metropolitan Brewing for supplying the coldest of brews for age-appropriate enjoyment.

Check out the pictures below for more coverage of the night! All photos by Nate Cameron.