That’s what a winning pot of AeroPress coffee looks like. Image: Caitlin Hardee

My hometown of Seattle and my adopted metropolis Berlin have much in common. Aside from the often cloudy weather, widespread love of plaid and strong music scenes, both cities have thriving, vital coffee cultures. Which makes it all the more awesome that the newly-crowned German AeroPress Champion for 2015, Mateusz Petlinski, won plane tickets to compete at the World Championships in, of all places, Seattle, along with various top-of-the-line coffee gear.

The German competition, hosted Thursday, Feb. 26 at Berlin’s The Barn, with judges flown in from Stockholm and London, drew a passionate crowd of devoted java lovers. Fantastic atmosphere of rapt interest and camaraderie – makes me wish I could be at the global edition in Seattle!

A selection of my photos from the barista battle – all image rights reserved:

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

That’s what a winning pot of aeropress coffee looks like. Image: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

German AeroPress Championship 2015 at Berlin’s The Barn. Copyright: Caitlin Hardee

The event poster, ubiquitous in Berlin’s Third Wave coffeeshops in the weeks leading up to the competition, was rather amusing – make sure to browse the World Aeropress Championships blog and check out the creative artwork for the many national championships around the world!