Coffee lovers will have a reason to clear their calendars this May, with Patio Coffee Roasters set to host the National AeroPress Championships in South Australia for the very first time.
The event marks a major moment for the local coffee scene, bringing the Australian leg of the World AeroPress Championship circuit to Adelaide after years of the competition being staged on the East Coast.
The championships come to the cafe-style cellar door nearly a year after they hosted the regional event last July.
Brewers compete in head-to-head elimination rounds, with judges choosing the most enjoyable cup rather than scoring on a highly technical points system. The national winner then goes on to represent Australia at the World Final.
For Patio Coffee Roasters’ Georgina Lumb, that’s part of what makes the event so appealing.
“The AeroPress Championships work a bit differently to other coffee competitions, it’s a lot more approachable and we’ve had home brewers win before, not just people who work in coffee,” she said.
Georgina knows the competition well.
She herself won the national title in 2016, earning the chance to compete on the world stage, and now she’s helping bring the event to South Australia for the first time.
If you’re not in the know about what an aeropress actually is, Georgina explained perfectly.
“It kind of looks like a little syringe. It works a bit like a French press, but with a filter on the bottom,” she said.
“You add your coffee and water, let it brew briefly, then physically push the water through the coffee using the plunger.
“That pressure creates a cup that sits somewhere between a traditional filter coffee and an espresso, so you get a bit more texture and body.”
The way the competition works is simple really, and perfect for not only competitors but spectators alike.
“It’s a really good introduction to the coffee world. Most people don’t even realise there are competitions for coffee.
“The easiest way to explain it is like gymnastics, there are different disciplines. AeroPress is just one, but it’s the most approachable and easiest to understand.”
This year’s event will see competitors travel in from Melbourne, Sydney and beyond to battle it out alongside South Australian brewers for the national title and a place at the World Final in Mexico City.
For spectators, it promises more than just a competition, with coffee tastings, drinks from Ambra Spirits, music and all home by 11pm. This is your chance to watch 36 competitors from around the country competing for the right to represent Australia on the World Stage.
National AeroPress Championships
When: May 16 from 6pm
Where: Patio Coffee Roasters, 217-219 Richmond Road, Richmond
For more info, click here.
