Barista Phillippe ‘Akira’ Kato of Boston's Newbery Street Coffee has won the 2026 American AeroPress Championship, held at Studio B in Boston. Kato came out on top of a field of 36 competitors.
Sompetch ‘Pack’ Katisomsakul, a colleague from the same coffee shop, finished second, while Justin Enis of Enjoy Coffee Roasters in Providence, Rhode Island, placed third. Kato will represent the United States at the World AeroPress Championship, set for December 6, 2026, in Mexico City.
The AeroPress is a manual, press-based brewing method valued for its simplicity and how approachable it is at home. Contests like this one — where each competitor picks their own recipe and samples are judged blind — have become a notable showcase for specialty coffee culture. At Premium Tea we focus solely on tea, but we keep an eye on the coffee world too.
Source: Daily Coffee News