Event preview: London Coffee Festival

Excitement brews for the event that is at the centre of the European bean scene...

The London Coffee Festival is back this April (20-23rd) at The Truman Brewery, London. Set to be the biggest ever, with hundreds of exhibitors and some of the best coffee in the world to try, it is a must for every coffee-connoisseur or budding barista.

The legendary Coffee Masters tournament will take place at this year’s show, judged by a panel of industry experts and hosted by coffee pros Celeste Wong and James Wise. This fast-paced knockout battle format sees 16 baristas showcase their skills head-to-head across a broad range of disciplines to see who has the best pour and whose signature drink stands out amongst the rest. With a prize of £5,000 on the bar, along with the prestigious title of Coffee Master, the pressure is on in this caffeine-fuelled event.

Get into the nitty gritty details of the coffee industry at The Lab, with sessions that have been hand-chosen for all baristas, café owners, hospitality professionals, entrepreneurs and straight up coffee fanatics. From sustainability to inspiring women leaders to the data behind what makes the coffee consumer tick, the sessions will cover the emerging trends and important topics impacting the industry.

There will be talks from the award-winning social enterprise Well Grounded, who will be leading a session exploring barriers faced by new talent in the industry and how businesses can create more inclusive onboarding practices. Also, be sure not to miss a session from a group of influential women in coffee including Jessica Worden, head of coffee for Gail’s Bakery, Camilla Morgan, UK sales manager for Victoria Arduino, and Bharti Radix, founder of BloomsYard. They will be discussing how to make positive change in your business and how to drive change in diversity, gender equality and sustainability.

You can also Angelo Sportelli, trainer at MUMAC Academy, the coffee machine academy of Gruppo Cimbali, for an interactive session showcasing the new Be Faema app. It allows users to operate machine parameters from their phones while being part of the ever-growing coffee community.

Ever wondered how to create the perfect pour? This year’s festival sees the return of Latte Art Live, showcasing the world’s best baristas talents in an interactive zone dedicated to the highly admired skill. Expect a series of throwdowns, showcases and hands-on workshops at the legendary Modbar.

Last but certainly not least, there will be a number of expert speakers at the festival, including Lavazza, Algrano, WatchHouse, British Coffee Association, Gail’s Bakery, Rastislav ‘Rasty’ Kasar, Victoria Arduino, Fiorenzato, Allegra, Lumina Intelligence and La Marzocco, plus many more!

Essential info
What? London Coffee Festival
Where? Truman Brewery, London
When? 20th to 23rd April
More info: www.londoncoffeefestival.co

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