Quickly, because it ends tomorrow…
The London Coffee Festival is on this weekend and is recommended if you’re remotely interested in coffee. If you like hot chocolate, or tea, or cake you’ll also have a good time. If you’ve never tried drinking fudge this is your chance. Fancy something more alcoholic? What about an espresso martini? Add in an eclectic music stage, world food stands, a fashion and design area and an art exhibition and you’ll have a busy time at the Old Truman Brewery.
Latte art by Connor on the Starbucks stand
There’s plenty to do from blind tasting the constituents of Kahlua to experiencing Australian anrancini or tasting sweet coconut and vanilla popcorn. But coffee is the main attraction. You can learn about the growing process, taste the difference between coffees grown in different parts of the world, and start to understand the importance of geography and altitude in coffee production. The French would call it the importance of terroir.
I didn’t know coffee was so technical. In one room a lecturer was talking about two powerpoint graphs. The titles of the graphs – I kid not – were Particle size distribution and Conical burr grind distribution. The room was packed.
It’s great that there are boffins studying coffee in such depth so that the rest of us can enjoy a nice drink, but luckily the festival is not all so technical. There are stands just letting you taste great coffee. Many have a special selling point, often concerning fair trade or welfare. For example Orang Utan Coffee works in North Sumatra, making a medium, creamy coffee but also helping maintain the habitat of the Orang Utan. Karma Cola works with the Mende and Temne people of Sierra Leone, helping communities recover after the ten year war.
It turns out people don’t just drink coffee. Beanergi turns waste coffee grounds into pellets which can be burned as fuel. Another company whose card I have mislaid but hope to find soon turn coffee waste into tables. Whilst we’re on the subject of turning things into other things, the Belgian biscuit company turns Belgian into a spread. Bizarre, but ideal if chewing is just too much work for you.
There are artists drawing portraits on coffee cups and iPads. There is also a barista championships, taste tests, roasting demonstrations and much more. We’ll be reviewing some of the coffees we tasted soon, but if you want to taste them for yourself you’l have to visit East London by the end of Sunday 6th April.
More to follow
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