The United Kingdom is getting ready to welcome its sixth edition of The London Coffee Festival.
Taking place from 7 – 10 April at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, as many as 35,000 people are expected to join this year’s coffee celebrations.
The festival caters to all interests of the market. Visitors can take part in interactive workshops, sample coffees, indulge in coffee and food pairings, partake in demonstrations from world-class baristas, listen to live music, and much more.
The Coffee Masters competition is back, and 2016 Australian Latte Art Champion Ben Morrow is hungry to do better than his semi-finals placing in CM London 2015. Fresh from placing sixth in the World Latte Art Championship, Ben will be one of 16 baristas contending for the title of 2016 London Coffee Master.
The fast-paced multi-disciplinary barista competition designed by the team at Allegra and coffee creative duo DunneFrankowski was hosted for the first time at The London Coffee Festival in 2015. This competition involves seven disciples, with four judges testing the barista’s skills in categories of Cupping, Brewing, Latte Art, The Order and Signature Drink challenges. In 2015 James Bailey from Workshop Coffee Co was crowned the inaugural winner, receiving the prestigious Coffee Master title and about $9000 cash prize.
In more competition news, this year’s London Coffee Festival will host The Coffee Art Project, an art competition linked to the theme of coffee. The competition will showcase the creativity and talent of emerging and established artists, who must submit an original piece of artwork that represents the concept of ‘coffee’ or a ‘coffee shop experience’. This unique project gives artists the opportunity to be part of a growing creative community with a passion for coffee while raising money for LCF’s chosen charity, Project Waterfall.
La Marzocco’s True Artisan Cafe will return, with 32 of Europe’s best coffee shops showcasing its finest beans, brews and beards (maybe). Born out of a desire to provide an internationally-renowned platform for baristas and coffee shops to showcase their skills and create signature espresso-based drinks, this creative partnership between Allegra Events was established in 2011 and is still going strong. Expect to see baristas from the likes of BrewDog, Beany Green, Coffee by Tate, Hawksmoor, Barber & Parlour, and Rapha.
Guests can also participate in Coffee Masters Workshops – a series of activities scheduled to take place between the competition battles on the stage – and The Lab program, where visitors can get involved in an array of interactive demonstrations and tasting sessions.
Nuova Simonelli will be hosting a free Instagram contest title at the event. All visitors to the Nuova Simonelli exhibition space (stand #G26) can use an Oscar II to prepare a cappuccino and place some latte art no top. Once ready, visitors can photograph the latte in the stand’s photobooth, and post the photo on Instagram using the hashtag #WinOscar2 #LondonCoffeeFestival and with tag @nuovasimonelli. The one with the most likes will win an Oscar II. The new small coffee machine features a professional filter holder and a nozzle for steam and hot water.
In addition, Victoria Arduino’s stand will host the “Why Every Gram Matters” program. Six roasters including Doubl B, Kofibrand, Mind the cup, Origo, Röststätte, and UCC Coffee will present their blend at three different weights to highlight how a difference of a very few grams between one cup and the next can produce completely different sensory profiles.
To kick-start the festivities, Allegra will host the official launch party with DJ Yoda at the Espresso Martini Launch party on Friday 8 April. Espresso martinis along with flat white martinis will be flowing thanks to Baileys.
For more information visit www.londoncoffeefestival.com/Home To purchase tickets click here.