Londoners to wake up and smell the coffee with four-day festival of caffeine-fuelled fun reports LondonTown.com
(TRAVPR.COM) UK - April 22nd, 2013 - Arabica aficionados can celebrate the capital's burgeoning coffee culture at the London Coffee Festival later this April – a four-day bean binge bringing a range of coffee-related activities under one roof, as well as a raft of artsy and foodie spin-off events. The flagship event of UK Coffee Week, the London Coffee Festival runs from Thursday 25th April until Sunday 28th April at the Old Truman Brewery off Brick Lane in east London.
Tea may remain the national drink, but coffee is fast becoming London's favourite hot beverage of choice. In the past few years independent coffee shops have cropped up all over the capital, which has been infused by a strong appreciation for artisanal specialty-grade coffee served by passionate baristas very much outside the branded coffee chain juggernaut that haunts our high streets. The London Coffee Festival is a nod to the growing demand amongst more savvy and discerning consumers for premium quality coffee.
Paying homage to London's love of the coffee bean, the four-day festival boasts eight zones dedicated to the art, science and appreciation of coffee; numerous stalls and stands with artisanal coffee to sample and buy; the latest vintage coffee kits on display; a range of interactive barista demonstrations and competitions; plus a full programme of musical and artistic events – not to mention food markets to help soak up the caffeine. Located in the heart of east London, the Old Truman Brewery is found on the flamboyant Brick Lane and nearby the markets and decent London Restaurants found in and around Spitalfields.
Two industry days on Thursday and Friday (10am-5pm) are followed by one public evening session (5pm-8pm) and the Espresso Martini Launch Party (8pm-10pm) on Friday night before the weekend opens the festival completely to the public with three 3-hour sessions – Brunch (10am-1pm), Lunch (1pm-4pm) and Teatime (4pm-7pm) – taking place on both Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets sold out at last year's festival, which welcomed around 12,000 visitors, so make sure you book in advance. Tickets start at £9.50 with 50% of all sales going towards Project Waterfall – a charity aiming to raise £1m to deliver safe drinking water and sanitation projects for up to 100,000 people, specifically in coffee-producing countries in Africa.
Highlights of the festival include the True Artisan Cafe – a pop-up cafe showcasing the best London's independent coffee scene has to offer, where visitors can marvel over the magic of London's most talented baristas from 33 coffee venues and micro roasteries – such as Small Batch Coffee Company, Nude Espresso, Extract Coffee Roasters and Bonomi. Alluring aromas of caramel, nut and chocolate should pull in crowds at the pop-up Union Roastery where visitors will be able to experience sessions on roasting, brewing and tasting.
The Make Decent Coffee Lounge will give guests tips from the top on how to make the perfect coffee at home (including those cute steamed milk patterns that adorn many a professional latte) while the Lab Stage will run an exciting and wide-ranging programme of live interactive demonstrations, workshops, talks, theatre and debates – covering anything from coffee's ethical issues to exploring London's coffee history (which dates back to 1652 with the opening of the capital's first coffee house in St Michael's Alley, Cornhill EC3). Fans of La Cimbali will enjoy a display of the traditional and iconic espresso and cappuccino machines, while the festival will also play host to the UK Barista Championships and numerous other specialist competitions.
The Hyde Park Festival Zone will welcome to the stage some of the best acoustic talent the UK music scene has to offer, while two contrasting art exhibitions – Twin Peaks 20th Anniversary and the Coffee Art Project – will feature work from both emerging and established artists from around the world. If all the coffee drinking is making you feel a little feeling peckish there's both an Artisan Food Market and a Street Food Market offering an array of delicacies to take home as well as hot dishes and ready-to-eat snacks (think hog roast, gourmet burgers, Rhoti wraps, Dim Sum and Tex Mex). Brewers & Union return with a range of specialist craft beer for those who wish to move on to something a little stronger.
The four-day festival underlines the exciting and evolving coffee boom in London and welcomes coffee-lovers of all calibres to be part of the roastery revolution. For more information please take a look at the comprehensive preview and guide to the London Coffee Festival produced by the website LondonTown.com.
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