London Coffee Festival

by Deepa Narwani

To pay tribute to one of Britain’s most popular beverages, this week is UK Coffee Week (April 23 – 29). What better way to celebrate our most uplifting drink than by attending the London Coffee Festival from April 27 – 29 at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane.

The festival was the brainchild of Jeffrey Young who founded it last year, he has also penned the London Coffee Guide and is the founder of the UK Coffee Week.

It will host experts, explore the latest brewing techniques, discuss and debate coffee’s most critical ethical issues.

There will also be conferences about setting up coffee shops ad talks about the history of coffee, or people could just relax with a drink.

Sara White, a representative of the festival said: “The festival was launched last year with a successful start - over 7,500 visitors and over 100 exhibitors as well as an interesting Lab programme designed to educate the keenest coffee lovers.” 

She continued: “This year, over 12,000 coffee and food lovers, professional baristas, coffee shop owners and top decision-makers are expected to attend the event.“

“The festival will also play host to the UK Barista Championships 2012 where 20 of the UK’s finest baristas will battle it out to be crowned UK Barista Champion 2012," she added.

The standard ticket price is £9.50 if you buy online and £12.50 at the door, it includes entry to all the events. The proceeds from the sales go to Project Waterfall, a charitable component of the coffee week.

There will be musical performances at the event by The Hackney Globe Trotter, Richard James and Sherry Davis among others.

Keith Mohan, a student at the London College of Communication said: “I would definitely check this festival out. I love coffee and think this would be a great place to meet fellow addicts.”

Research has found that there are now 1,900 independent coffee houses in London and the number is growing at an exponential rate.

Festival Zones

Hyde Park: Wander through the parkland village, explore the Tea Garden and indulge yourself at the Chocolate Factory. Also enjoy live acoustic music from the bandstand.

Shoreditch: This zone is dedicated to all that is delicious. From artisan food stalls at The Street Food Market to the finest boutique roasters in The Artisan Producer Market, this is the place to sample a range of gourmet food products and taste the most unique coffee blends.

Soho: Here you can talk to coffee experts, be dazzled by live barista demos and experience London indie coffee shops at the True Artisans Café.

The Lab: The Lab hosts an exciting programme of live interactive demonstrations, workshops, talks, theatre, story telling and debates throughout the festival.