The Origami Dripper is perhaps the most beloved recent addition to the pour-over canon, and it’s pretty easy to see why. After helping Du Jianing claim the World Brewers Cup title back in 2019, the Origami’s popularity has taken and is known for its versatility. It’s pretty much a do-all brewer. Whether you’re a conical connoisseur or a flat-bottom fanatic, the Origami can handle your filter of choice with aplomb. (Including my beloved Chemex filters.)
Much like another versatile brewing device with a cult-like following—the AeroPress—the Origami Dripper has inspired its own brewing competition. And it’s making its American debut this April. Coinciding with SCA Expo in Houston, the Origami Cup will feature coffee professionals and home brewers alike battling it out for big prizes. Their only weapon? The Origami Dripper of course.
Put on by Slow Pour Supply, Anita Tam’s Houston-based retailer of curated coffee goods, the Origami Cup is set to make its American debut April 22nd; the original Origami Cup took place in Tokyo in 2023 before heading to Toki City in Japan’s Gifu Prefecture in 2024, which just so happens to be the brewer’s origin.
The competition works similarly to the compulsory round of the Brewers Cup. The 18 contestants will receive 300 grams of a compulsory coffee of an unknown origin along with an Apax Lab Water Mineral Concentrate, two Origami Rework Drippers—the brand’s new brewing device that uses 20% recycled materials—a mix of flat bottom and cone filters, and a Caravela Brewers Kit. Basically everything you need to show of your pour-over prowess.
The competition itself will consist of three rounds of brewing—an elimination round, the semi-finals, and the finals—where contestants will brew coffee and give a presentation to a panel of two judges per round. All rounds will all take place in the same day. And for their troubles, the winner will take home an origin trip to Colombia provided by Caravela Coffee. Second place earns themselves a WPM ZP-1 grinder, and third walks away with $350 worth of store credit at Slow Pour Supply.
The entry fee for the Origami Cup is $150, and as you can imagine, it sold out pretty quickly. But the event is still taking waitlist spots in the event that a competitor isn’t able to attend, which you can sign up for here. Attending the Origami Cup as a spectator, on the other hand, doesn’t come with quite the price tag, and more information will be available closer to the event.
It all takes place April 22nd at 1120 Naylor St in Houston, so if you’re going to be in town for Expo and can’t get enough coffee, head on over to the Origami Cup. For more information, visit the Origami Cup event page.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
