The Indiana-based roastery is excited to welcome national competitors to their new café space to battle it out.
BY KATRINA YENTCH
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
One of the things that coffee folks love most about the AeroPress is its accessibility for all coffee enthusiasts. This holds true especially for Tinker Coffee Co.—which is proud to announce that they will be this year’s host for the national U.S. AeroPress Championships!
Prior to the launch of their cafés this year, Tinker Coffee existed as a roasting company in Indianapolis, Ind. They were only just starting to get into hosting events before COVID-19 shut down IRL coffee gatherings for 18 months. “We were doing some triangulation (tasting) competitions before, because they were way more accessible than latte art throwdowns. Not everybody is particularly good at latte art, so we really liked the idea of how accessible the AeroPress competitions could be,” explains Alec Mandla (he/him), community events manager at Tinker.
“As the hosts of this event, we don’t take the responsibility lightly. We’re working really hard to make sure that everyone feels safe here and welcome.” Alec is particularly excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel, focusing on what makes coffee great, rather than remembering all the downsides that the coffee industry experienced in the last year. Tinker is also thrilled to show the country just what a great city Indianapolis is. As the national hosts, the company is also providing the special coffee that competitors will use to create their winning recipes.
Details About the AeroPress Championships
The National AeroPress Championships will take place on the evening of September 18 at Tinker’s location at The AMP. There will also be a regional competition in Indianapolis shortly before in order to gather participants from the Indiana and Cincinnati areas. Anyone who wins a regional competition in their area will be automatically entered to compete at nationals, where the style will follow a head-to-head format similar to the World AeroPress Championship style. They will also be following the same rules as the WAC this year, meaning that competitors will also work with an 18-gram recipe to replicate if they compete at the world competition.
The ethos of accessibility will be thriving amongst other aspects of Tinker Coffee’s event. Attendees, whether they will be competing or not, are welcome to participate in side competitions during the AeroPress Championships, where there will likely be at least one or two latte art throwdowns. There are also plans to host more sensory-oriented competitions too. “There’s going to be so many raffles too,” says Alec. “Basically, we want everybody to walk home with free stuff.” Stay tuned to find out what those prizes will be, as a number of sponsors (Barista Magazine included) have volunteered to contribute awesome swag.
How to Host a Regional Competition
For U.S.-based coffee companies interested in hosting regional AeroPress competitions, they can contact the World AeroPress Championship here, who will provide all the details and support. To be a part of the fun and games at Tinker Coffee, you can grab tickets here as a competitor or free attendee.
