Meet Tommi Turunen, a passionate, professional brewer from the small town of Joensuu in North Karelia, Finland who currently resides in Tampere. Tommi took part in his first Brewers Cup 5 years ago. Then when the championships restarted after a break in 2024, he immediately jumped on the podium! By winning The Finnish Mock Brewers Cup, he secured a place in the official finals of the Finnish Brewers Cup this year!
Tommi started with his friends – Elias and Mikko – Siemasu Coffee Roasters, a micro-roastery that aims to raise the expectations of coffee and deliver beans that treat our taste buds! So we can all enjoy a good “siemasu” (Ed. “sip” in Finnish).

Tommi, what is your first memory with coffee?
My first memory of coffee is my first sip of it. It happened when my late grandmother wanted me to drink coffee when I was about 10 years old. I refused many times, but she kept offering it. Eventually, I got tired of saying no and ended up tasting it. I added half a cup of milk and a lot of sugar.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the coffee industry, and how did you get started?
I ended up in the coffee industry by chance. Initially, I became interested in flavoured coffees from a small coffee and chocolate shop in Joensuu. That same shop also offered specialty coffees, and I tasted my first specialty coffee, an Ethiopian-washed heirloom from the Yirgacheffe region. I still remember what that coffee tasted like. That experience changed my view of what coffee can be and led me to explore coffees from different Nordic micro-roasteries.
I became very passionate about coffee and wanted to learn more. Finally, after years of dreaming, we decided to open our own micro-roastery in Tampere, inspired by all the great and high-quality cups that I had tasted over the years.
Before this, I studied and worked as a childcare worker and instructor in daycare centres and schools. My wife and I also worked in Kampala, Uganda, at an international school, which was an amazing experience and further inspired my passion for coffee.

Where do you currently work, and what is your role?
I work at Siemasu Coffee Roasters. I am one of the founders and entrepreneurs. We started our journey by roasting at home, but now we have our own roastery space where we roast high-quality specialty coffees in a Nordic style.
Siemasu Coffee Roasters aims to create a modern coffee culture in Finland and beyond. Our mission is to expand people’s understanding of coffee, delight taste buds, and raise the quality of the coffee we offer.
My role at Siemasu mostly includes operational management, but I also enjoy roasting and developing new services.
What kind of experience do you want to offer your customers through your coffee?
I want to provide my customers with a caring and warm experience. I want them to feel seen and heard. Understanding customers and their thoughts is essential in the coffee industry, something that can easily be overlooked. Additionally, I want people to gain a broader understanding of what coffee is and how it can taste with every sip they take. I aim to exceed expectations and deliver more than they anticipated.

How do you stay motivated and inspired to develop your coffee-making skills?
I have ongoing curiosity and a desire to learn more. I am generally very ambitious in everything I do. The same applies to coffee—I want to keep improving and getting better. Staying motivated and inspired with coffee is easy because there are so many different coffees and roasteries that approach things from various perspectives. There are also many aspects of coffee I have yet to explore.
What are the current coffee trends in your area? Are there trends you are promoting or would like to see more of?
In Tampere, where I live, coffee culture is quite traditional. There are few specialty coffee shops that focus on high-quality coffee. Coffee culture in Tampere evolves slowly, and I want to influence that through Siemasu. I would like to see more cafes that prioritize high-quality coffee and focus on origin. I hope to see a shift towards a more modern coffee culture in the coming years.

You have achieved amazing results in competitions. Can you tell us more about them?
I started dreaming of winning the Brewers Cup and representing Finland at the world championships in 2020. That year, I competed for the first time and placed 4th. I learned a lot about the competition and how it works. Then COVID hit, and competitions stopped. There were no organizers in Finland for a while.
Then something awesome happened. Coffee Competitions Finland launched their brand and started organizing competitions. When I saw an announcement about the Mock Brewers Cup 2024, I immediately decided to participate and set my goal to win. I ended up winning, although I was unsure about the competition because of other strong competitors.
I believe that a big part of the winning recipe was the great team behind the scenes. I’m honoured and grateful to have such an amazing network that has helped me a lot.
I focused entirely on my performance, practising for hundreds of hours on my routine, water recipe, brewing recipe, and overall presentation. And I received top-notch coffee from Standout, a Yeast Inoculated Gesha by Wilton Benitez, which was superb! I dedicated a lot of time to studying the rules and refining my routine. I achieved a great flow state during the open round and compulsory round which helped a lot.

How are you preparing for next year’s official Brewers Cup competition in Finland?
I am eagerly looking forward to the official Finnish Brewers Cup. My goal is to win again. I’m dreaming of representing Finland at the World Championships and promoting Siemasu Coffee Roasters.
I will prepare well in advance, dedicating time to practice and focusing heavily on the coffee. Sourcing the best coffee possible. I’m looking to work with a talented team to achieve this goal. My current preparation includes staying curious and open to learning more about coffee and brewing.
Tasting and testing a lot of different coffees and recipes, learn more about roasting and performing on the stage. However, I believe that no matter how smart my strategy is, I will not be able to win without a great team.
What is the most important thing to keep in mind when competing?
The rules. Doing your homework and knowing the rules well, helps you score better. Even small deviations from the rules can cost you points. Answering all the required aspects outlined in the rules is key to success.

What other coffee challenges are you looking forward to? Any upcoming projects or collaborations?
I am truly excited about how modern coffee culture in Finland can develop in the future. I am open to new challenges, competitions, and collaborations.
We have some exciting collaborations coming up, such as Frukt x Siemasu on Valentine’s Day. We are also working on building a modern coffee culture in Tampere. I’m excited about the collaboration with Café Bakery Mimosa, and we have an upcoming rooftop garden café project on the beautiful roof of Finlayson, where we get to be involved as Siemasu Coffee Roastery.

Quick Fire Questions for Tommi Turunen:
Filter coffee or espresso-based?
Filter coffee.
Milk coffee or black coffee?
Black coffee.
What brewing method do you use at home?
Hario Switch or modified Kalita.
Hobby besides coffee?
Disc golf, reading, skiing.
Favourite barista tool?
Since I live in Tampere let’s say Tamper!
The number one coffee shop in Europe that every coffee geek should visit?
Places that I’ve visited, I’d recommend Mazelab and Frukt.
Favourite city outside your own for a coffee tour and why?
Helsinki, because it has the most specialty coffee cafes in Finland.