The London Coffee Festival Newspaper 2018

12 - 15 APRIL 2018

WHAT'S ON Festival features from artisan coffee and gourmet food stalls to live music and art.

HERE COME THE GIRLS Meet the female coffee farmers, baristas and influencers shifting the balance in London.

OLD TRUMAN BREWERY

LATTE ART 101 Top tips from a world-class barista on how to master art in a cup.

HOW TO TASTE COFFEE 2017 London Coffee Masters Champion James Wise rewrites the rules.

PLAN YOUR JOURNEY From newbie to aficionado or complete coffee geek, discover The London Coffee Festival.

2 Standard Tickets for £28 online - Quote LCFMAG

12-15 APRIL

www.londoncoffeefestival.com

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2018 Edition

Welcome.

Welcome to The London Coffee Festival. Eight years in, and our show is more exciting than ever, with a whole new floor of The Old Truman Brewery to explore.

Vast, vibrant, and forwardthinking, London’s coffee scene is one of the greatest in the world.

Cafés, roasteries and creative subcultures take centre stage in our social and creative lives, from our biggest high streets to our most tight-knit communities. At The Festival, you’ll rub shoulders with these burgeoning startups, industry pioneers and longestablished favourites.

Are you ready? Taste some of the world’s most exciting coffees and meet the craftspeople bringing specialty coffee to the bar. Learn, debate and join masterclasses in The Lab (p28) - now two times bigger than ever before - and go bespoke by enrolling in our bookable experiences.

Boost your coffee knowledge inside The Tasting Room (p34) and at La Cimbali’s Sensory Trilogy (p26), or get stuck into cacao at Hotel Chocolat’s School of Chocolate (p30).

Watch the world’s best baristas live in action on the Latte Art

Live stage (p24); phoenix, swan or rosetta, you name it, they’ll pour it. Crank things up a notch and take your seat at Coffee Masters (p18), our renowned global barista competition. Who will show the passion, skill, creativity, knowledge and personality that makes a true champion? It’s all to play for with a prize of £5,000 and the prestigious title of Coffee Master on the line.

And then there are the cocktails.

Sip flat white martinis (or Sandows’ classic espresso martinis) at the Baileys Espresso Martini Bar (p16), or head downstairs for a mini-me version at the Starbucks Mini Martini Bar (p30). Don’t forget to stop by The True Artisan Café (p35), La Marzocco’s original pop-up that sees the best specialty roasters and cafés in the UK and Europe take to their machines to serve you their signature drinks. This party-starter is an initiative with heart, donating all profits to Project Waterfall. We also donate 50 percent of your ticket price straight to the charity, to help fund clean water, education and sanitation in key coffee producing communities around the world.

On that note, community is at the core of The London Coffee Festival.

It would be nothing without the vibrant London coffee scene, the people that make it happen, and the café-goers themselves. To that end, for the first time, the first third of our magazine (p5-14) is full of editorial dedicated to these people.

Find out what our cultural figures think of the London scene (p6), and meet the women changing the face of the industry (p10).

We also pay tribute to our home, The Old Truman Brewery, where, just a few weeks ago, photographer Gary Handley shot our cover in collaboration with our family from La Cimbali, Hario, Ozone Coffee Roasters, Caravan Coffee Roasters, and 2017 London Coffee Master’s Champion, James Wise.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to our sponsors, media partners and exhibitors for helping to turn our ideas into reality. We’d also like to thank you, the visitors, who make The London Coffee Festival the biggest coffee celebration on Planet Earth.

Now, what are we waiting for?

Let’s party!

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

FOR PROFESSIONALS

/TheLondonCoffeeFestival

@LondonCoffeeFestival

#LCF18

CONTRIBUTORS Editor: Eilidh Hargreaves Graphic Design: Andy Mac Manus Photography: Gary Handley James Bryant Kate Johnston Front Cover Image:

by Gary Handley in collaboration with Ozone Coffee Roasters and Hario

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WHAT’S INSIDE

23 The Niners Bar

05 Plan Your Visit

24 Latte Art Live

06 Café Society

26 Cimbali UK Sensory Trilogy

08 How To Taste Coffee Like a Coffee Master

28 The Lab

09 Inside The Life Of A Q Grader

30 The Tasting Room

10 Here Come The Girls

31 The VIP Experience

12 Latte Art 101

32 The Roastery

13 The At-Work Brewing Bible

33 The True Artisan Café

14 The Innovators

34 House Of Coffee + School Of Chocolate

15 The Festival

35 The Cupping and Roasting Factory

16 The Espresso Martini Party + Music

18 Coffee Masters

36 Project Waterfall

20 2018 Photo Series

37 The White Label Kitchen

22 Coffee Masters: Get Involved

38 The Sustainability Programme

+ The Extraction Lab

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Plan Your

Journey Whether you’re new to the scene or a self-confessed coffee geek, there’s something for everyone at The London Coffee Festival. Boost your coffee knowledge and indulge in London’s finest food concepts.

Here are the best spots to start your journey.

Coffee Newbie

Coffee Aficionado

Coffee Geek

Not Coffee

1. House of Coffee, p34 For an introduction to the coffee journey, from bean to cup

1. Hario: How to Brew at Home, p28 Take tips from the Japanese masters of home brewing equipment in this lab talk

1. Coffee Masters, p18 Be first in line to watch top baristas battle it out for the prestigious title of Coffee Master

2. La Marzocco Kitchen, p31 Train with the pros on the Linea Mini home espresso machine

2. The Roastery, p32 Discover the art of hand roasting from industry leaders, Union Hand-Roasted

2. The Tasting Room, p30 Discover flavour at its best, from tea to wine

1. The White Label Kitchen, p37 Bringing together London’s coolest food concepts, The White Label Kitchen serves up the ultimate festival food

3. The Cupping and Roasting Factory, p35 Meet the experts and learn how to cup coffee like a pro

3. Sensory Mixology Experience, p26 Trial and test your senses in a discovery led mixology session at the La Cimbali bar

4. The True Artisan Café, p33 Taste signature drinks and cocktails from the best roasters and cafés in Europe

4. Latte Art Live, p24 Expect a series of throw downs and showcases from the world’s best latte artists

5. Sandows Cold Brew, p14 Pick up Sandows’ newly launched canned cold brew sodas to take back home, and don’t forget to catch them in The Lab

5. The Extraction Lab, p35 Learn about temperature profiling with a range of guest coffees on Rancilio’s machines

3. Tim Wendelboe: Coffee 101, p28 Catch the world-renowned Norwegian barista and entrepreneur live on in The Lab 4. Sensory Discovery: Taste, p30 Challenge your perception of taste in this new experience, based on Q Grader training with Union Hand-Roasted 5. The Niners Bar, p23 Sample Caravan Coffee Roasters’ famous Niners series, served in a unique bar experience

2. Bake For Syria, p37 Delicious sweets are served courtesy of the Bake for Syria team, with profits going to NextGen London 3. The Genius Pods, p22 Discover the truth about quality water with BRITA’s genius pods 4. Baileys Espresso Martini Bar, p16 Treat yourself to a flat white martini, which is not technically a coffee 5. Main Stage Acts, p16 There’s a lot of talent at The Festival, especially on the main stage, featuring Youngr, The Bloom Twins and more

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CAFE SOCIETY Cafés have long been meeting places for creatives of all types. Here, our favourite cultural figures report back on their treasured café moments.

MELISSA HEMSLEY

CELESTE WONG

London café culture is super available. It’s not always easy to find a great grocers or butchers, but there are always good coffee shops.

They are social hubs, where anyone is welcome to come and enjoy their time, even if you are spending less than four pounds. At the same time, you don’t feel uncomfortable if you go alone. I love those cafés that are open from super early until late, with a constant flow of people.

The London coffee scene is ever growing and dynamic, innovative and creative. Coming from New Zealand, it’s great to be a part of it.

Cook and Cookbook Author

The oldest café experience I’ve had is when my friends and I were in secondary school in Kingston and we started getting free periods. We used to scrape our pennies together to afford to share a hot chocolate (in the worst café ever), and we felt so grown up and cool. That was a real coming of age moment.

London is ahead of the game with trends. Rainbow lattes still seem crazy in other cities, but I think the new trend here is antisnobbishness. There’s no one drink that you should order; nowadays, you’ll go to cafés with your friends and all order completely different drinks. It’s becoming a lot more adventurous.

A lot of people are intolerant of caffeine, whether it’s because they are pregnant, breastfeeding or just because they can’t drink too much of it. Cafés in London are providing a brilliant choice to cope with that demand, and digestive drinks are becoming popular. There’s a big section on ginger teas and lemon infusions in my new book, Eat Happy. It’s all about having fun with herbs and spices; I particularly love chai tea.

My favourite cafés are Spiritland in Kings Cross, Kettle & Ryan at Yardarm and Arch Rivals in Leyton, as they are all set up by amazing people who do things the right way and use good produce.

Melissa Hemsley’s new book, Eat Happy, is out now.

Barista and Influencer

My oldest memory of a café subconsciously influenced my career. I was drinking a “mochaccino” as a young teenager late one night with my much older siblings and their university friends. The café was called “Ruby in the Dust” and was a cool, dark dive-bar where you could order thick-cut sweet potato wedges with sour cream at any time of day or night with your coffee. I remember sitting around a table, lit with a dripping candle, listening to their conversations over a muffled punk band playing downstairs, and thinking how cool and grown up I was.

The greatest idea I had in a café was starting my interview/ coffee series a few years ago (it was on YouTube and on the Air New Zealand in-flight entertainment).

It was a unique and innovative concept that rang true to who I am.

A good barista is someone who is consistent, who concentrates and is knowledgeable when making coffee, but isn’t so wrapped up in it that it affects their service. Some reputable places in London are Origin Coffee Roasters, Workshop Coffee, Climpson & Sons, The Department of Coffee and Social Affairs, Allpress and Notes Cafe. I like to champion indie cafés, too.

If I could only drink one coffee for the rest of my life it would be impossible. I’d have to choose two: a black filter coffee and a proper flat white.

Find Celeste at thegirlinthecafe.co.uk

Photo: Zsuzsa Zicho

“The London coffee scene is ever growing and dynamic, innovative and creative.”

– Celeste Wong

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“No matter where you are, you can always get a decent cup of coffee” – Baker and Evans BRENDAN BAKER & DANIEL EVANS Photographers

The London coffee scene is the best. No matter where you are, you can always get a decent cup of coffee.

The established independents have set the bar so high over the last few years and the knock-on effect means that even the smallest local spots serve great coffee. What’s more, loads of places do seriously good food, too. The variety in types and styles of coffee shops means you can pick depending on your mood.

To escape the studio and enjoy a coffee we go to Daily Goods in Camberwell. It was started by a mate of ours, Carter Donnell, as an in-store coffee counter in a Soho bike shop a few years ago before becoming a brick and mortar store.

The coffee is cracking and they’ve got a range of their own blends, too.

The initial ‘quick coffee’ inevitably turns into a whole afternoon planning collaborations.

The best design spot for a coffee is The Monocle Cafe in Marylebone.

It’s remarkably light inside, even on an archetypal grey London day, and the wooden slatted counter has a distinct Swedish sauna vibe to it...

In a good way.

On long shoot days we’ll drink countless coffees. We have a hefty cafetiere at the studio that’s always on the go, so it’s tricky to keep count.

More often than not the coffee is one of the Daily Goods blends.

If we could go for a drink with one photography legend it would be…

[Danny] Irving Penn. I’d order us both espresso martinis, but drop the vodka for a good whisky.

[Brendan] A mid-morning espresso and a Fernet-Branca with Wolfgang Tillmans. That would be a decent start to the day.

Find Baker & Evans at bbde.co.uk

ROISIN DUBH ALKEMIYA

ANNALIESE DAYES

The London coffee scene is huge, and it seems to be growing and getting more and more creative.

New cafés are integrating more into the overall sensory experience when it comes to indulging in a cup of coffee, and I notice it all living in the heart of London.

I put my best foot forward in London cafés, because I’m often meeting with people for the first time inside them. It’s always exciting, because I’m never 100% sure of what I’m walking into or how I’m going to gel with the person I’m meeting.

Cafés are sensory places. From decor, to ambiance, to the feel of the cup you’re drinking from. Being a scent artist, I find my inspiration from everything and anything around me, down to the smallest details. It’s a time when I can note down my thoughts or decipher a scent that’s just come into my mind.

The right crockery elevates the whole café experience to another level. I grab coffee in a disposable cup far too often, so when I do have that moment to get comfy in a coffee space, sipping on a weighty, thick porcelain cup is everything. It’s a calming moment, and a step outside of the busyness of London.

My favourite London café is a tiny new place called ‘Spring Taste’ on Malden Road. It’s run by Ram, a half Sicilian and half Albanian gentleman. I love working from there; we talk about our travels to Sicily, food, culture and coffee.

A decent coffee inspires me to take on the world, but it’s not about one café in particular; its the people I meet with and the vibe that inspires me. It’s also all about the coffee. As a no frills black Americano drinker, I like a strong, smooth blend.

Scent Artist

If I had to depict it through scent, it would be infused with scents of Oregano, Sicilian Bergamot and Sea Grass. I smell Sicily just being there; the decor is clean and fresh with hints of sea green, so it transports me back to the good times.

The last great idea I had in a café was starting to decipher how I am going to structure my new scent workshop, Fragrant Journey, so that it can be integrated into hospitality businesses to create a positive feeling for staff and customers.

Find Roisin at roisindubhalkemiya.com

Model and Radio DJ

If I had to depict coffee through music, it would be garage all the way. Whenever I have a day of meetings, I always stick on an old skool garage mix. The fast pace and funky vibe puts me right in the zone and that’s what a good cup of coffee tastes like; energising and upbeat.

There is no exclusivity in London cafés; everybody is welcome. They are social places, not only via face to face interaction but also through social media. Most of my meetings end the same way. I say my goodbyes, letting the other person walk away and then sit back scroll through Instagram and update my Twitter status. Done & Done.

Find Annaliese at annaliesedayes.com

“A decent coffee inspires me to take on the world, but it’s not about one café in particular; it’s the people I meet with and the vibe that inspires me.”

– Annaliese Dayes

SAM WAY Model and Musician

The London coffee scene is booming and shows no sign of slowing down. I love some of the micro-roasters around my area in Bethnal Green. The café culture at large has contributed so much to the city, providing interesting spaces to meet, hang, and savour the taste of great coffee.

I pencilled the lyrics to my latest song, You and All Your Things, in The Commons, a café on Old Bethnal Green Road. I had said goodbye to the person who this song is about, and the café was the nearest place to go. I sat in the corner with a macchiato and words came pouring out. That night I sat at my piano and put all the pieces together.

My go-to coffee spot for inspiration is my local, Second Shot. It’s a tiny place on Bethnal Green Road that serves great coffee and supports the local homeless community, too. Julius, who runs the place, is a lovely man, and he takes great pride in his coffee. I’m always working in there.

The most memorable experience I’ve had in a café is funny. I was playing a show in a café-bookstore on tour a couple of years ago. The audience was dead silent and somebody’s phone went off in the middle of my song…turns out it was mine and I had to answer it in the middle of the set.

I’d love to drink espresso martinis all night with The Prodigy. They were the soundtrack to my teens, and they must have some amazing stories to tell after a couple of drinks.

Sam Way is a signed model with Models 1, and his new single is out now.

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How to taste coffee like a Coffee Master Wherever you are on your coffee journey, there’s always more to discover.

Even for James Wise, the 2017 Coffee Masters Champion who is based at Assembly Coffee Roasters in Brixton.

We dropped by a cupping (translation: coffee tasting) to find out what it’s all about.

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tepping into Assembly Coffee is like entering a lab, but in place of white coats there are baseball caps, and instead of white surfaces, it’s all light, Scandinavian-style wood. Farming, roasting and tasting coffee is a fine art form, which is made clear by the accoutrements; Le Nez du Cafe, a wooden box containing 36 different aromas, and the tin box of organic acids sitting in a room with a small samples roaster. There’s enough coffee around to make any aficionado melt (at least 20 were on offer during the cupping session) and this is the perfect place to taste it. But, according to James Wise, Business Development Manager at Assembly Coffee and Coffee Master 2017, it’s time to rethink how we learn about coffee, starting with the sensory experience.

Let’s rewrite the manual. Here’s how to taste coffee according to the Master.

1/ Sensory first Cupping isn’t done enough at the start of people’s coffee education, even though in London there are one or two good cuppings a week, and in most cases there is guidance. I trained differently to most people, which is perhaps testimony to my success. All too often, people are trained in how to make coffee first, and the sensory and theoretical part comes after, or is optional. In my view, it should be sensory first, then theory, then production. That changes the way you think about coffee.

2/ Understand flavour To understand coffee, you’ve got to get to grips with flavour itself first. When I came into coffee I was trained using acid solutions and sugar solutions, less intense to most intense, because those are the

base components of flavour. I then started tasting everything that way. If i can find something that relates to those basic components, for example, I now know that an apple has the same characteristics

else. Many people can’t taste the exact flavours that are suggested, so removing them has worked very well. Too many people care about getting it ‘wrong,’ when it’s actually completely open to debate. Coffees

“Try to withhold as much information from yourself as possible. Then you can rely on the taste alone.” as malic acid, then I can build a flavour pathway. Taste is all about reference points, so practise trying the different elements on their own - like fruits - and build your own collection of references. Taste in-depth across the board with whatever you eat and drink, not just coffee.

3/ Trust your instinct People are very self-conscious as to whether they are tasting correctly, but there is no real way of doing it. At Assembly Coffee, we got rid of all the tasting notes on our coffee bags, because they were more alienating than anything

will taste differently to everyone, which is why we do our cuppings in such big groups.

4/ Learn what you enjoy I love rare and unusual coffees, but they aren’t always the coffees you want to drink every day. A classic example is the Panama Geisha, which sells for a high price and scores incredibly high in quality.

People want to try them and the tasting notes are often floral and very complex. It’s interesting, but it’s ok to not want to drink it every day. On the other hand, a natural Ethiopian Yirgacheffe tastes of chocolates and caramels - which are things I

enjoy eating. It’s sweet, it’s rich, it’s fruity; it might not score as high as a Panama Geisha, but knowing what you enjoy is important.

5/ Seek objectivity If you want to get serious, go to cuppings. There, the whole idea is that everything is absolutely repeatable. A lot can fluctuate during the brewing time and each coffee reacts differently. We often taste up to 60 coffees in one session, so we roast them the same way, and use the same water. It’s important to know that the visual experience is also very affective; colour sways your opinion subconsciously, so we use opaque bowls. The less information you know about the coffee the better. For example, if you know it’s by a roaster that you enjoy, or you know too much about where it’s from, you can’t be objective. Try to withhold as much information from yourself as possible; all you need to know is how it was processed and the region it was from. Then you can rely on the taste alone.

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Inside the life of a Q Grader Rudy Huemer is the Union Hand-Roasted Coffee Quality Manager and a licensed Q Grader (a certified coffee quality grader). Here, he spills the beans on everything from waking up in Peruvian Jungles to if he plans on getting his tongue insured.

What’s it like being Q Grader?

In my case it involves daily tastings – cupping samples of every batch of coffee that we roast and ensuring we are happy with how our coffees taste before we send them out. I usually taste more than a hundred cups a day; luckily I don’t need to drink them to the last drop, otherwise I wouldn’t have survived.

It can be glamorous, too. Imagine waking up at the heart of the jungle in Peru, opening your shutters and looking at the sun rising over a mountain range, knowing that you are about to spend the day tasting some fantastic coffees... It’s a dream come true.

We predominantly look for the potential to establish an ethical and sustainable relationship as a starting point.

How do you become a Q Grader?

The Q grading system was created by an international NGO called the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) aiming, amongst other things, to create a universal and fair way of assessing coffee quality. To earn the Arabica Q grader certification you need to pass a series of twenty tests covering an array of subjects from general coffee knowledge to various sensory abilities.

When did you realise you wanted a career in coffee?

Several years ago, I landed a job in a London café called Taylor Street Baristas. I was introduced to specialty coffee culture with a predominant Australian thirdwave influence. For me it was more about the people and the mind-set than the taste of coffee itself. The specialty coffee industry cares about all its people; from producers to baristas and customers, and everybody is willing to work handin-hand for the greater good.

Nowadays profitability is gaining ground over ethos in a lot of industries, but I hope the specialty coffee industry will somehow stay true to itself and not become solely profit-driven at the expense of human lives.

What’s the most extraordinary coffee you have ever tasted?

Hands down, a Geisha varietal from La Esmeralda estate in Panama. It was an incredibly sweet coffee with marvellous flavours one for the ages.

How should someone begin getting familiar with tasting coffee?

In “to get familiar with tasting coffee” there is “to get familiar with tasting”. It sounds obvious, but we mostly don’t pay attention to what we taste. Our brains go through a short check-list and in a

split second we know whether we like something or not. The first step is becoming more mindful of our sense of taste.

Try and taste as many coffees as possible over time; try to remember what you tasted and compare it.

Good questions to start with are: What are the similarities? What makes them taste different from one another? What makes you like or dislike them? Don’t let anybody tell you what tastes good and what doesn’t. Your sense of taste is unique to you and you don’t need to conform.

When you source coffee, what are you looking for?

We predominantly look for the potential to establish an ethical and sustainable relationship as a starting point. Coffee quality is also extremely important, so we look for attributes that fulfil specific purposes, for example: do we want to find a rare and outstanding coffee lot? Or do we want to offer a light and refreshing filter?

What kind of roasting profile do you aim for at Union HandRoasted?

The kind of profile that will make people enjoy our coffees, which ranges from light “Scandinavian” style to darker, more developed coffees. I don’t think roasteries need to be one-dimensional, although it certainly feels like there is a push in that direction.

Have you been designing espresso blends lately?

I am currently working on a new blend that you might see at The London Coffee Festival, with two components, from Brazil and Colombia. We want this blend to be easy to work with from a barista’s perspective and produce a very sweet and balanced cup of coffee with lively acidity and a smooth, coating body.

What would be your last cup of coffee and who would you share it with?

A nice balanced filter coffee produced by the Esquipulas cooperative in La Libertad, Huehuetango (Guatemala). I’d sit there with Iliana Martinez, the cooperative manager, and look back at the journey they have been on over the last ten years and the fantastic impact that growing, specialty coffee has had on peoples’ lives over there. That would allow me to come to terms with never drinking coffee again.

Is your tongue insured and for how much?

No it is not –let me talk to my boss and I’ll get back to you before the London Coffee Festival next year!

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HERE COME THE GIRLS Leave the stereotype at the door. Meet the female coffee farmers, baristas, Q Graders and influencers shifting the balance in London.

BIANCA TUCKWELL

Marketing and Content Creator, Ozone Coffee Roasters

I grew up in Northern NSW, Australia, on an Avocado Farm, but moved to London after graduating high school. I’m the youngest of four and, as a kid, revelled in the country life - from learning to drive a tractor to earning pocket money by ‘stickering’ fruit in boxes destined for interstate markets.

I discovered Ozone back in 2012, with a good Aussie friend. It soon became my ‘go to’ for a good coffee and an injection of Kiwi hospitality. I was noticed as one of the regulars, religiously posting on Instagram post-visits. After that, I was approached to contribute a photograph for use in one of Ozone’s very first Journals. Next thing I knew, I got the gig to photograph for the (then) website refresh. What a dream. I wanted to be a part of something special, that pushed me to my next level. Then the Marketing Manager and Content Creator role, came up, and here I am.

There are extraordinary women within Ozone: bringing badass babe power to the forefront. From our owner Lizzie Gurr, to our teams front and back of house and in the office, we have a strong female presence. The girlpower is awesome, but a serious shout out to the bros that bring it as well.

I love that I work with people I admire, respect and adore being around every day. I love that my job pushes me to be comfortably uncomfortable, to trust my gut and keep it real. Building a community is central to what I do. From connecting with those who make a difference to the industry - from skilled suppliers to technicians, producers and practitioners, to makitng friends with artists, customers, influencers and of course, #dogsofozone. Building these friendships is crucial and I love every minute of it.

YUKO INOUE

Coffee Masters NYC Champion 2016

I’m originally from Japan and moved to London in 2012, when I started working for a coffee shop called Timberyard. I took some barista courses and participated coffee events to get more knowledgeable and learned skills from other talented baristas. It was actually when I was living in Calgary, Canada, that I got started in the coffee scene. I wasn’t a barista at that time but started drinking specialty coffee there. I’ve been dedicated to the coffee industry since I fell in love with one crazy Ethiopian coffee I’ll never forget.

I wouldn’t say I am a top barista yet, because I am always learning.

There is always more to know, and it’s never ending, which is great. I’m still on my coffee journey, and the best thing about it is meeting people from all over the globe. I don’t think I would have so many friends in the world if I wasn’t a barista. The downside? I’ve been away from my family for a long time and can’t see them very often. I wish I could make coffee for my family everyday.

In New York, 2016, I became the first ever female to win Coffee Masters. It was a fun competition, and I learned so much from the other competitors. I’ve competed multiple times in Coffee Masters and I could see myself growing and improving as a barista each round. I just wanted to be better, so I continued to compete. All the champions before me were male, so that was my motivation to win... and then I did. I’ve met many women with different roles in coffee, and they are my inspiration and motivation.

My advice to other women? Follow your passion and do what makes you happy. Try something new and share your experiences with the people around you.

“All the champions before me were male, so that was my motivation to win Coffee Masters...and then I did” – Yuko Inoue

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“I can literally see the sparkle in our female farmers’ eyes and a change of perspective for the future.”

– Leticia Seda

LETICIA SEDA PRISCILA Owner of Sitio Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Brazil NOGUEIRA

FREDA YUAN

I was born in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, and am the granddaughter of Italian immigrants who came to work in the Brazilian coffee plantations. 13 years ago, my husband and I bought a forest reserve, where we built a chapel, a house and, eventually, a coffee plantation.

Originally from Taiwan, but moved to Melbourne after university, where I fell for the brunch and coffee culture. I came to London four years ago, and got my first barista job at Taylor St Baristas.

When my husband had to leave Brazil for work, I quickly had to take over the field, and, through books, articles, courses, lectures and practise, I learned about the art of coffee cultivation.

I was criticized by the way I worked, but after the harvest, I obtained the respect of the employees, neighbors and coffee-pickers. The big news was that a woman was taking care of coffee and with innovative ideas.

Men made fun of me, and when I joined an association I felt it more strongly.

I was always told, “you’re a woman; you can’t do it alone.”

Being a female producer isn’t easy. When your husband isn’t around, you have to earn respect through results. I refused to let it affect me, participating in several national competitions, receiving top rankings.

After moving to Santa Rita, I met women who grew coffee at home, too. I founded my women’s association, Amecafé Mantiqueira, to empower them, but husbands and children can also attend lectures and courses. We now have 62 female members, but it was when we got involved with the Coffee Cooperative that things really started changing.

We started appearing in the media, but it was help with transport, storage and commercialisation, as well as the courses and lectures provided to our women and their families, that helped us most. That added value to our lives that has changed our self-esteem as women.

I can literally see the sparkle in their eyes and a change of perspective for the future.

Owner of Farm Dona Alayde, Brazil

Coffee is a beautiful culture, but it has always been dominated by men. The sons of the historic Coffee Lords were the true heirs and the daughters were mere spectators.

Eventually the colonels’ daughters were allowed to cast aside their lace dresses in exchange for boots.

I am the granddaughter of one of these women. My grandmother took command of her father’s land young; it’s in tribute to her that we named the farm “Dona Alayde”.

With my father’s death at 52, I inherited the farm at only 18 years old. It was a heritage that I had an obligation to preserve, and an enormous commitment. Gradually I to know every bit of the farm, from the different characteristics of each fields and how best to run them.

In 30 years, a lot has changed. We had to go beyond simply showing that we women were capable in the coffee market, learning to produce high quality crops in a sustainabile and environmentally and socially responsible way. All the while, we want to ensure Brazil remains a leader in world coffee trade.

We coffee women are thorough and careful with our crops, and we have proved we can produce high quality coffees with incredible flavour.

Fazenda Dona Alayde is located in Carmo da Cachoeira, in the south of Minas Gerais, in a beautiful region with mountains and fertile soil.

Employees and their families live on the farm and the children study at the county school.

I know that woman can be successful, and without compromise. I want to ensure that Fazenda Dona Alayde is a place that provides warmth and happiness, where the best coffee fruit are grown and the best coffee is served.

Head of Quality, Caravan Coffee Roasters

Now, I am a qualified Q grader, and Head of Quality at Caravan Coffee Roasters. I love trying fresh coffees from different origins before anyone else, and helping the farmers or exporters, increase their quality. London is a brilliant hub, and almost everyone in coffee knows one another. People travel here from all over the world for specialty coffee, and especially for The London Coffee Festival; it’s one big party.

Winning the UK Cup Tasting Competition twice and coming third in the World Cup Tasting Competition in 2017 is the most exciting moment in my career so far. It’s self-confirmation. I overcame my past issues with bulimia and depression, partly due to the sensory experience of coffee cupping.

I am in a unique position as an Asian woman in an industry which tends to be male-dominated and European. I have battled stereotypes my whole life. There are so many rules and preconceptions where I grew up in Taiwan; I shouldn’t be single at my age, I should have a baby by now, or married a rich doctor husband. I should have won the championship of the World Cup Tasting competition instead of placing 3rd. I shouldn’t tell anyone about my depression because it is shameful to the family. I should be skinny. I should be good at math. I should behave like a girl and respect my culture.

I strive to break through these stereotypes and be who I really am.

When I realised I have to accept myself and just be, that is when I started to smash through.

“I strive to GINA WONG Influencer break through I was born and bred in London, and stereotypes have lived here my whole life, apart from my three years at university and be who when I was studying at Cambridge.

It was during my time there that I I really am. discovered my love for coffee, and used all my free time to find new When I realised coffee shops and brunch spots.

I have to accept That’s when I travelled to New York for two weeks and started taking myself and Instagram seriously - improving my photography, taking pictures just be, that is of my travels, and posting them online. Meanwhile, I was visiting when I started all the new coffee and brunch spots in the city, and people on Instagram to smashing enjoyed the recommendations. The New York Instagram community through” is huge, and my account picked up some traction whilst I was – Freda Yuan out there.

As an influencer I love getting to visit new restaurants and stay in cool hotels. The best experience I have had was working with Airbnb to try out some cool ‘Airbnb Experiences,’ like calligraphy writing and flowercrown making. I got to visit Prague and stay in a beautiful apartment.

Instagram has rewarded me with not only a career, but genuine friends that I meet up with, message on a daily basis, and really connect with. It’s my form of creative expression, and has trained me to appreciate things visually in a way that I never did before. I want to create inspiring content that does well, but I don’t enjoy the competitive manner in which some people use Instagram, and the fact that you often see repetitive material on your feed.

I find it very refreshing when I see a female barista absolutely smashing the coffee scene, which happens more in London nowadays.

The majority of Instagrammers in London that I follow are also female, and very involved with the coffee scene - it’s a supportive community, and I love that. There’s an incredible host of influencers out there who have had my back - people that I’ve communicated with over many years and all over the world (not just in London), and that’s been amazing.

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LATTE ART 101 Rob Clarijs is the founder of Dasawe Coffee Roasters, and he’s returning to London this April to compete once again in Coffee Masters. Here, the top barista brings us his slickest tips on mastering art in a cup so that you can try it for yourself.

1. Use the right milk Whole milk is best for latte art; both pasteurized and sterilized milk work just as well. Use cold milk directly from the fridge to give you more time to froth it. You don’t want to heat the milk above 40°C, so the more temperature difference at the start, the more time you have.

2. Don’t over froth Over frothing makes foam too thick, so don’t froth for more than 15 seconds. Make sure the total volume of the milk expands to around around 1/4 more than you started with. For more froth, lower your pitcher slowly for the “shhh” sound. Froth until the milk reaches 40°C, and then put the steam wand further into the pitcher, heating the

milk to 70°C, using the palm of your hand for guidance.

3. Swirl to mix foam and milk The milk will be resting at the bottom of your pitcher, with the foam on top. Swirling the pitcher in circles gently mixes the milk and foam, making it a lot easier to pour your latte art. Stop swirling when you see the reflection of light on the surface of the milk.

4. Pour that art There are thousands of patterns to pour, but it’s best to start with the easiest ones. Try a heart first, then a rosetta or tulip, and before you know it you’ll be pouring inverted phoenixes sitting on an olive branch.

HOW TO MAKE A ROSETTA • Start with a freshly pulled espresso in a cup or glass that is big enough for a cappuccino or latte.

• Pour milk from the pitcher from about five to ten centimetres above the surface.

• Slowly lower your pitcher towards the surface of the coffee while continuing to gently pour the milk.

• Once you see a cloud of white appear on the brown espresso-milk mixture, start making a wiggling movement with the sprout of the pitcher, while slowly pulling the

pitcher toward the edge of the vessel. A waving line will appear.

• The vessel should be almost full now. Bring your pitcher back up to about five cm above the surface and pour in a straight line (from you to the other edge of the vessel) to strike through the wiggling line, making a rosetta.

Be sure to let us know if you try it by tagging us @londoncoffeefestival on Instagram.

Find out more about Dasawe Coffee Roasters at dasawe.com

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Illustrations: Valero Doval via Courier

How to brew delicious coffee at work

What’s in CAFETIERE AEROPRESS CHEMEX ESPRESSO the pot?

Also known as the French press. For For the noble coffee geek who Top client to impress? Your new Oh boy, you want an espresso at a morning stand-up meeting that doesn’t do sharing.

Chemex skills will do the trick. work? If you’ve fallen out with your We explore needs perking-up. local café and need to DIY, the La Difficulty: Doable with a degree Difficulty: It’s all about practice; Marzocco espresso masterclass at four brewing Difficulty: Quick and simple. of accuracy; it’s also great for the grind, contact time and weight The London Coffee Festival is your There’s nothing more fool-proof travelling and easy to clean. of coffee are key to success. last hope. Here’s some tips to tide devices to than this trusty plunge brewer. you over.

Tools: AeroPress coffee maker, Tools: 6-8 Cup Chemex, Chemex help you make Tools: Cafetiere, 60g coffee AeroPress filters, 16g coffee (fine filters, 40g coffee (coarse Difficult: Yes. (medium to coarse ground), 1 litre ground), 250ml freshly boiled grind), 680g water (91-94° C), a the perfect of freshly boiled water (filtered or water (91-94° C), a grinder, scales, grinder, scales, stirrer, timer and a Tools: A good quality espresso bottled water that’s just off the boil, stirrer, timer and a pouring kettle pouring kettle. machine (such as the La Marzocco cup al desko. ideally 91-94° C), a grinder, digital (optional).

Linea Mini), 18g of coffee (fine scales, a spoon and a timer.

Method: Grind the coffee to a medium to coarse grind size. Place cafetiere on scales, add coffee, reset the scales to zero and gently pour in water to achieve the right ratio (1 litre in this case). Leave to steep for three to four minutes, stirring the crust on the surface with a spoon half way through; this will make it fall back down. Scoop off the floating grounds (if necessary), put the lid on and plunge.

Insider tip: “Play around with how long you let it brew for; a shorter time (such as 2-3 minutes), will result in a sweeter and slightly fruiter taste” Ozone Coffee Roasters UK.

Method: Lock filter paper into the brewer and run hot water through to rinse and remove paper taste.

Place mug on the scales, and sit the AeroPress on top, filter side first.

Add the coffee and tare the scales.

Let the boiling water sit for 30 seconds after the kettle has boiled, start your timer, add the water and stir vigorously for a few seconds.

Insert the plunger to create a vacuum. After around one minute, remove from the scales and slowly press down for thirty seconds.

Insider tip: “If the strength of the coffee is too weak, grind the coffee finer, or if it’s too strong for you, grind it more coarsely” – Caravan Coffee Roasters UK.

The coffee: “Colombia Matambo” from Ozone Coffee Roasters

The coffee: “Special-Bru” filter by Caravan Coffee Roasters

The damage: brew kit starts from £70

The damage: from £85

The golden ratio: 60g of coffee per litre of water or 1/17 ratio You can buy the Bodum Cafetiere at The London Coffee Festival

Interesting fact: The AeroPress was invented by Alan Adler, the American inventor who also invented the Aerobie flying ring.

You can buy the AeroPress at The London Coffee Festival

Method: Add the filter to the Chemex neck, rinse with hot water and discard. Place on scales, add the fresh coffee and tare. Start the timer, add just enough water to cover the coffee (approximately 50ml), and take a break while ‘the bloom’ happens. After 30 seconds, carefully pour in rest of the water in circular motion, avoiding direct contact with the filter. Give the Chemex a gentle swirl and leave to drip until the coffee grounds look dry. The whole process should take less than 4 minutes, otherwise the grind is too fine. Bin the filter, pour and enjoy.

Insider tip: “Once you have poured your water, give the brew a stir to avoid ‘high and dry’ coffee grounds up the side of the filter paper. This will help give a more balanced taste in the cup” – Square Mile Coffee Roasters The coffee: “Hartmann Estate Geisha” from Colonna Coffee.

The damage: from £100

espresso grind), an espresso grinder, filtered or bottled water, a tamper, scales and milk or nut milk (optional).

Method: The best way to start is by asking your roaster for suggested measurements. It all starts with mastering the art of dialling in your espresso grinder, which requires a masterclass in itself. Once cluedup, clean the espresso basket with a dry cloth. Place the handle on the scales to weigh the coffee as you add it, then tamp to make sure it’s even.

Flush water from the machine and add the cups on top of small scales.

Lock the handle in brew for around 28 seconds. When dripping has finished, the espresso is ready.

Insider tip: “If you want to add milk, the trick is to stay controlled when steaming it; make sure not to heat above 65 degrees Celsius, then swirl the milk in a circular motion around the jug to blend into a silkysmooth texture, ideal for pouring” – La Marzocco UK The coffee: “Sweetshop” from Square Mile Coffee Roasters The damage: Just under £4,000 for a dream kit.

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No cash?

No problem.

Meet the brand making card payments simple for businesses big and small.

Nicholas Harris, Head of Partnerships at forwardthinking payments company, Square, tells us about the tools it’s building to help businesses sell both in-person and online.

The Innovators

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ugh Duffie and Luke Suddards went from behind the bar at Tap Coffee to founding one of the most innovative food and drink brands right now. Here, Hugh Duffie shares his learnings on how to build a successful business in 2018.

1/ Tap into what people want We’re all about sharing specialtygrade coffee with as many people as possible through our cold brew format. Luke and I had started to think about setting something up together when we worked as baristas at Tap. When our Tap cold

3/ Be relevant and inclusive We’ve always had a strong emphasis on design and hospitality across our presentation. We think it’s pretty special that we sell something that feels premium and polished, yet only costs a couple of quid. Strong visuals like our crossed barbells help to build trust that Sandows is all about quality and creativity. Coffee experts and newbies alike can subscribe to that.

4/ Build brand personality It’s really important that you have a consistent and distinctive tone and style. We’ve always used Instagram

we’ve kept it all black and not added milk or sweetener, even though it would have made life easier in the short term.

6/ Keep innovating We have spent the past year developing new canned cold brew sodas, which will launch at The London Coffee Festival this year. It’s been a massive amount of work over 18 months, and they represent a huge progression for us (we’ve produced 100,000 of each variant), so we can’t wait for people to try them. Cold brew is the sort of product that you

“...if we think something is cool, we don’t worry too much about whether it’s right or not. That’s been really useful for maintaining momentum.” brew constantly sold out, we put two and two together and decided to act on the demand.

2/ Create whip-sharp branding First, we re-appropriated the flask format, which is normally only seen in booze, to grab attention and communicate the value of our drink.

The barbells, our logo, came about through researching the Victorian strong man Eugen Sandow, who’s approach to bodybuilding used unusual, innovative training methods to achieve “the Grecian ideal”; the embodiment of masculine perfection. We drew a parallel with the way we brew our coffee overnight to draw out the smooth flavour and decided to name the brand in homage to him.

to show and tell what we’re doing and what it means to us. We target people like ourselves, so if we think something is cool, we don’t worry too much about whether it’s right or not. That’s been really useful for maintaining momentum.

5/ Pioneer your area We’ve worked hard to actually create a market for ready-todrink cold brew here in the U.K. As the first brand in the space, we had to focus on education and sampling, which have been integral to our growth over the last four years. We take the responsibility of ensuring the experience is distinct and recognisably different from “iced coffee” very seriously. That’s why

can become obsessed with, but it can be an acquired taste. We’re catering for those who want to drink great coffee everyday without breaking the bank.

Going forward, we hope to have our products available in major retailers whilst continuing to support our ever growing network of independent cafés, restaurants and bars. And, in time, we hope to grow internationally.

Square launched in the US nine years ago with the idea that the economy is better when everyone has access to technology and the tools they need to grow. We work with over two million businesses of all sizes, from micro roasters in Bristol, to multi-location café chains in London.

We provide tools that shorten the distance between having an idea and making a living from it. The Square reader (our original pocketsized card reader) and Dashboard (our free app that tracks your transactions) allows businesses to take payments and keep track of their sales.

Britain is going cashless. In 2017, for the first time ever, more than half of UK purchases were made by card. It’s important to us that small previously cash-only businesses aren’t missing out. We partner with organisations across the UK to support small business communities and educate them about card payments.

Fair and Square. We’re already seeing lots of businesses making the switch to Square from traditional payment providers who have high recurring costs and lengthy contracts. With Square, you only pay when you make a sale, meaning it costs less when you have a quiet month (or you run away to the sun for a while).

THE FESEmbark on a journey of discovery at The London Coffee Festival, celebrating London’s vibrant coffee scene and its creative subcultures. Rub shoulders with burgeoning start-ups, industry pioneers and longestablished companies to a soundtrack of live DJs and musicians. From specialty tastings to industry talks, artisan workshops and showcases from world-class baristas, the party is on.

T I VAL

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Youngr

Each year we kick off with a celebration, in the form of the Espresso Martini Launch Party.

From coffee cocktails by Baileys, to live DJ sets and dancing, it’s always a highlight. Following on from last year’s hit set by Norman Jay, we’ve got emerging international star, one-man-band YOUNGR, taking to the stage.

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ince breaking through last year with self-released debut single ‘Out Of My System’, the multi-talented musician has racked up over 34 million streams on Spotify. His live show has traveled to over 50 festivals including SXSW, Latitude, Ultra Music Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival. Now, Youngr is headlining The London Coffee Festival Espresso Martini Launch Party, which takes place between 20:00-22:00 on Friday 13 March.

Get your tickets for Friday night to ensure your launch party invite. Can’t make it? Don’t worry; the bar will be open all festival long.

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook @youngr

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Bloom Twins

Gypsy Hill

Other Main Stage Acts Across The Weekend Gypsy Hill

All The People Bloom Twins

13:00-14:00 & 16:00-17:00 daily

14:00-15:00 & 17:00-18:00 daily

15:00-16:00 & 18:00-19:00 daily

Prepare for the intoxicating sound of Balkan brass, Mediterranean surf-rock, ska and swing. There’ll be guitars, horns, tuba a scratch DJ and a mix of live electronic beats, Gypsy Hill blend the traditional with a unique modern sound. Fresh from playing at Sulafest in India, their new material nods to Bollywood star Salaman Khan.

Take it from Earmilk; All The People channel, ‘mood, lyricism and uplifting melody... exactly what youth culture and desensitized music listeners need to hear more of.’ Priding themselves on making music that reflects their creative and experimental approach to sound, they’ve been compared to legends like Hot Chip, Bonobo and Caribou. With influences ranging from RnB to 90s soul, jazz and electronic music, they’re hitting our main stage with good vibes only.

When London-based Bloom Twins uploaded their first track to YouTube -‘Fahrenheit’ - in June of 2013 they were only 17 years old. Now four years on, classicallytrained multi-instrumentalists Sofia and Anna have released a string of self-penned, intoxicating songs, performed to thousands of people all over the world, garnered significant press coverage, starred in their first movie, and appeared in innumerable fashion campaigns.

Expect a blend of electro, with haunting melodies, they have created their own signature sound, which they describe as ‘dark pop’.

PARTY O’CLOCK Baileys are bringing their Flat White Martini back to The Festival, plus a special guest...

Stop by The Baileys Espresso Martini Bar to try Baileys’ infamous Flat White Martini. This luxurious reworking of the classic espresso martini is available at the Espresso Martini Party on Friday night, and throughout the weekend. Mixing it up this year are Sandows Cold Brew, who’ll be joining the party with their espresso martini made with Ketel One Vodka and Mr Black.

The Coffee Music Project This high profile competition that showcases emerging musicians, engaging those who share a passion for great music and coffee culture.

Eight finalists from this year’s London edition will be performing on the main stage from 10:00-13:00 during the Saturday and Sunday of The Festival. The Coffee Music Project supports Project Waterfall, which you can find out more about on page 36.

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CO F F E E M AST E RS 24 Contenders 7 Disciplines 1 Winner

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t’s the ultimate, fast-paced knockout competition, dubbed

by Caffeine Magazine this year as ‘The Coffee Olympics’. Judged by a panel of industry figureheads, Coffee Masters is back, with a fierce line up of 24 baristas. Over four days they will go head-to-head, showcasing their skill across a broad range of disciplines. With a prize of £5,000 and the prestigious title of Coffee Master on the bar, the heat is on.

THE CUPPING A test of the barista’s ability to understand taste profiles in a highlycompetitive time-pressed battle.

Each competitor is presented with six coffees set in a particular order. The competitors have three minutes to taste and memorise the order in which those coffees are placed on the table. The coffee bowls are then shuffled randomly, and competitors have two minutes to taste and return the coffee bowls back to their original order.

THE BREWING A test of the barista’s ability to choose the right brewing method for a coffee.

The competitor will select one of the six coffees presented in The Cupping round to brew.

This discipline aims to assess the barista’s understanding of grinding (using an EK43) and their ability to select the right brewing method among Chemex, Aeropress, Kalita or V60 to maximise taste. The competitors will be judged on the correlation between their choice of coffee and brewing method, their presentation and the taste of their coffee.

THE LATTE ART A test of the barista’s mastery of milk, challenging them to create specific patterns in milk-based drinks against the clock.

The judge will roll a dice three times, determining three different coffee patterns that competitors have to replicate and present to the judges. The presented coffees will be judged on visual appearance of the pattern, milk quality and contrast.

THE ORDER A real world test. Baristas are challenged to deliver an order of ten espresso-based drinks, common to a quality café menu.

Baristas will be presented with an order docket, including three plant-based Alpro orders, which they will be challenged to produce in nine minutes or less. The competitors will be judged on their technical skill, professionalism and time.

THE SIGNATURE DRINK Baristas will need to replicate and present the same Signature Drink as per their online submission video.

The signature drink is a coffee based mixed beverage consisting of three or more ingredients, as long as they are safe and legal to use.

The competitors will present three identical drinks to the judges and will be judged on taste, creativity, consistency and presentation.

THE ESPRESSO BLEND Baristas will create an espresso blend from the coffees used in The Cupping.

The ‘Espresso Blend’ discipline will only occur during the semifinals. The two finalists will need to replicate their bespoke blend during the final.

THE ORIGIN The Origin tests the barista’s ability to identify coffee origins by taste, in a highly competitive timepressed battle.

Each contender is presented with six coffees, and a table-top map of the world. The contender will have five minutes to taste the coffees and place them on the map in the correct geographical location from where they originate.

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Coffee Masters Ingredients & Equipment

The Coffee

The Machine

The Grinder

Caravan Coffee Roasters have once again been tasked with sourcing a selection of unique and interesting coffees especially for the Coffee Masters competition. These are The Niners. After 12 months of hard work, travelling to countless different countries and tasting hundreds of coffees, they have finally curated them down to nine.

The Coffee Masters contestants will be working their magic on the Faema E71, a top-of-the-range professional coffee machine. An outstanding blend of iconic design, cutting-edge technology and classical features, it was purposebuilt to give baristas full flexibility to express their art. With next-level adaptability, it leads to a beautiful coffee every time.

In 2015 MAHLKÖNIG became the official espresso grinder sponsor of the first ever Coffee Masters in London and has provided the grinders for every edition since then. Besides the famous EK43, the competing baristas will have the K30 PEAK at their disposal on stage.

The MCs

Coffee Masters Contenders

Mikaela Gervard Mikaela has a dual role as barista and HR-Coordinator at The Coffee Collective in Copenhagen. She’s represented her home country, Finland, in the World Brewer’s Cup on several occasions, coming second internationally in 2016.

Gwilym Davies 2009 World Barista Champion and founder of East London’s Prufrock Coffee, Gwilym, is famed for making coffee in 36 different countries. He’s now settled in Prague where he owns and runs a Barista Training Centre.

Sonja Zweidick Sonja is Founder of Barista Connect, a female network where women from all parts of the industry meet and inspire each other at international events.

She’s also a three-time national Barista Champion, Judge, Roaster and Barista.

Jordan Michelman Jordan co-founded one of the most important coffee news sites in the world, Sprudge.com, in 2009.

Now a network of over seventy writers around the world, Sprudge covers the latest and greatest in coffee, including our very own Coffee Masters.

David Donde David’s Cape Town based café, Truth Coffee, has been named the best in the world by more than a few prominent UK Newspapers; twice in a row by the Daily Telegraph. He believes in results, individuality and playing on people’s strengths.

The one thing he hates? Excuses.

Lem Butler 2016 USBC Champion Lem Butler is joining the impressive line-up of MCs for the fourth time. When not competing on stage, Lem spends his time working for Black & White Coffee Roasters.

Janis Podins, The Coffee Collective, Denmark Phil Groves, Timberyard, UK Shinsaku Fukayama, St Ali Melbourne, Japan Kristóf Mayer, Department of Coffee and Social Affairs, Hungary Rob Clarijs, Dasawe Coffee Roasters x Beanspire, The Netherlands Jimmy Dimitrov, Clifton Coffee, UK Max White, Small Batch Coffee Roasters, UK Polina Vladimirova, Coffeemania, Russia Agnieszka Rojewska, Freelance, Poland Wissem Ben Rahim, Ben Rahim, Germany Eliasz Minkiewicz, Weanie Beans, UK Dagne Vaskopa, Rocket Bean Roastery, Latvia Daniel Horbat, Network Café, Romania Cole Torode, Rosso Coffee Roasters, Canada Jennifer Hall, Black & White Coffee Roasters, USA Kasey Headley, Trinity Street Coffee Bar, USA Jaya Chingen, LP Café, UK Natanél Stürenberg, Five Elephant, Germany Claire Wallace, Brew Lab Coffee, UK Petra Strelecka, Industra Coffee, Czech Republic Sam Reed, Stir Coffee, UK Matteo Colaci, The Bookshelf Coffee House Ireland, Italy Wojciech Tysler, Bewley’s, Ireland Tomas Misar, Hagen Espresso Bar, Czech Republic

The Coffee – Caravan Coffee Roasters The Machine – Faema E71 The Grinder – MAHLKÖNIG The Milk – Allan Reeder Plant-Based Drink – Alpro For Professionals Water Filtration – BRITA Hand-Brewing Equipment – Hario Cups – Acme & Co.

Judges: Anne Lunell, Sonja Zweidick, Mikaela Gervard

The Judges Meet the industry leaders putting our contenders to the test Anne Lunell – Head Judge Anne is a Swedish barista and Brewers champion and the visionary behind Koppi, an internationally respected and wellloved coffee roaster in the Swedish town of Helsingborg.

Tim Wendelboe The world-renowned Norwegian barista and entrepreneur, has won the Nordic Roaster Competition three years running. He is for his dedication to visiting and assisting coffee producers to improve their quality.

Freda Yuan Head of Quality Control at Caravan Coffee Roasters, Freda Yuan is a licensed Q Grader, current UK Cup Tasters Champion, and Authorised SCA Trainer in English and Mandarin.

Kris Schackman Berlin-based Schackman works at Five Elephant Coffee Roastery & Cake Shop as CEO and Green Buyer, focusing on ethical and responsible business practices and direct sourcing of high quality coffee.

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Coffee is sensory before anything else; from tranquil interiors to the scent of the brew and the sheen of latte art. Here, the London coffee scene is presented through the lens of an emerging photographer.

Photographs by Kate Johnston

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01 Flavour Bastard 02 Aida Shoreditch 03 CafĂŠ Fiorucci 04 Farm Girl Chelsea 05 Bourne & Hollingsworth 06 Department of Coffee and Social Affairs 07 Milkbar 08 Clerkenwell Grind 09 Attendant Clerkenwell

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Coffee Masters’ Style The Aprons

The Cups

The Traditional English Apron Company are kitting out our Coffee Masters contenders with a set of beautiful, bespoke handmade aprons. Built to go-the-distance, the British-made canvas and leather improves with age and wear, and the solid brass buckles and rivets serve to re-enforce weak points.

Get your own bespoke apron at traditionalenglishapron.com

Let’s be honest; what’s a competition-winning coffee without a gorgeous cup and saucer to match? Trust ACME to serve pure crockery goals. You’ll see their new signature competition cups – bespoke for Coffee Masters – in new colours Whale and Rata, embossed with a gold Coffee Masters logo flying around the stage all weekend.

If you’re quick, you’ll be able to purchase one of a limited additional run of the Cappuccino and Flat White cups at the LCF shop.

Get Involved

Devour strawberries, cream and top-grade milk Last year, something delicious risked stealing the Coffee Masters limelight. Allan Reeder is back again, serving up strawberries and cream to onlookers, plus an array of other samples and treats. After all, you’ve got to keep a roaring crowd fed, right? Not only is the quality milk producer supplying our contenders with their top-grade Brades Milk, they are supplying the whole festival. Sample their milk throughout The Festival and don’t miss them at Latte Art Live.

Learn how water affects coffee Water quality is a hot topic; it’s always been vital, but there’s never been a better time to educate ourselves. Luckily the experts from BRITA will be on hand at this year’s festival to boost your knowledge and answer all your questions.

The team, complete with a trained Water Sommelier from the Global Headquarters’ laboratories, will be showcasing their four ‘genius pods’ - taste, technology, protection and sustainability - which will guide you through the essentials of water.

Challenge your taste buds and test out filtered versus unfiltered water in tea; learn what goes into filter technology and why it’s a gamechanger; see the damage caused by unfiltered water; and get savvy with sustainability.

Become a home-brewing pro Pair a Coffee Master with Hario, the Japanese masters of hand brewing, and your cup will reach new heights.

Hario are bringing their iconic V60 collection, as well as the coffee syphon to the Coffee Masters bar.

Pick up tips as the contenders brew head-to-head to wow the judges (and get hands-on at their home brewing session in The Lab). The big news? Hario is launching its new Limited Edition Ceramic V60 range at this year’s festival. Check out five stylish new colours, from pearl pink to turquoise blue and get ready for when they go on sale this summer.

Plant Power Forever Alpro, the plant power legends are back, with three of their For Professionals range (which has been crafted especially for baristas) featuring in ‘The Order’ round of Coffee Masters this year. With a soya, almond and coconut offering, the range is every forward-thinking barista’s dream. Try it for yourself by visiting the Alpro stand, where Merijn Gijsbers, Alpro Ambassador and Dutch Barista Champion, will be at the helm. As well as sampling a range of delicious hot drinks, there’ll also be a Nitro station, and you can learn more about Alpro’s fantastic sustainability story.

Plus, all weekend-long, you can get involved in Alpro’s pedal-powered espresso bike (located in the House of Coffee), where, for a small donation to Project Waterfall, you can take the #plantpower challenge to see if you can be the fastest to make a delicious Alpro coffee.

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The Niners Bar Bastions of the London Coffee Scene, Caravan Coffee Roasters return once again with a new twist on their now legendary Niners Series - a selection of unique specialty coffees sourced exclusively for The London Coffee Festival.

The nine exceptionally sourced coffees put baristas to the test in the Origin round of the Coffee Masters competition, but now coffee lovers can sample them for themselves. To immerse yourself in the full experience, head over to the new Niners Bar for a taste of the action.

Here, for the first time, all nine coffees will be available to taste, each served in a unique way.

From straight espresso and filter brews to Kombucha, Single Origin Negronis, and a very special

collaboration with Camden Town brewery. However you take your coffee, the Niners Bar will take you on a journey of origins and preparation methods using these nine incredible coffees.

For those who don’t get to sample all nine, Caravan Coffee Roasters has sent packs to some 30 coffee shops across London, ensuring the Niners legacy lasts a little longer in the capital, at least until Londoners drain the last cup.

Latte Art Live Dreaming of pouring the perfect glossy rosetta? Or simply head over heels for milky coffee? Latte Art Live is back, with the world’s best baristas set to pour the unimaginable using Ozone Coffee, Allan Reeder Milk and Almond Breeze. Expect a series of throw downs, showcases and hands-on workshops on the legendary Modbar. That and a lot of free coffee.

World-Class Baristas You’ve seen them on Instagram, and now they’re at work right in front of you. Phoenix, rosetta or swan; you name it, the legends will pour it. Taking to our stage will be Dhan Tamang, the UK Latte Art Champion since 2013, Lem Butler, 2016 USBC Champion, and Luke Shilling, Australian Latte Art Finalist and Blue Diamond Ambassador, to name but a few.

The Ozone Throwdown Starring...

Ozone Coffee Roasters have been at the heart of Latte Art Live since its debut last year, and one thing’s certain: they know how to draw a crowd. Catch their daily throwdown, where the stars behind their Leonard Street café will take to the stage for dynamic showcases and interactive workshops. If you know them like we do, you can expect high-level pours, and a lot of fun.

Breezey Masters Takes London Catch the first UK heat of Breezey Masters on Saturday 14 April.

Taking latte art smackdowns to new heights, the Breezey Masters takes place in the UK, Finland, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, where the winners from each country will converge in Melbourne to fight out for the title of Grand Breezey Master 2018.

With a trip down under on the cards, it’s going to be fierce.

Join Latte Art Karaoke Brave enough to pour live on stage?

Enter your name and your pour and cross your fingers that the Ozone team pick you to take part in Latte Art Karaoke. This session is about you; whether you’re a barista, an at home coffee buff or a keen newbie, we want to see what you’ve got.

Dairy-Free Latte Art Workshop

by Almond Breeze Luke Shilling will be leading this daily series of latte art workshops, with special guest Lucky Salvador from Common Man in Singapore.

Test out your skills and learn to pour with these legends, both pervious Breezy Masters champions, who’ll teach you everything you need to know about dairy-free coffee.

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LATTE ART LIVE INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT Espresso machine: Modbar Coffee: Ozone Coffee Roasters Milk: Allan Reeder Plant-Based Drink: Almond Breeze Cups: Acme & Co.

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CIMBALI UK SENSORY TRILOGY

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Leave preconceptions at the door. Trial and test your senses with a trio of Cimbali UK sensory experiences, from a discoveryled tasting menu to a coffee mixology experience.

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THE AUCTION Cimbali UK are offering £15,000 worth of premium coffee equipment to one lucky bidder. Submit your bid to win the Cimbali M100 HD DT3 with TS4 in Silver and the Cimbali Elective On Demand Grinder. All proceeds from this auction will go

to Project Waterfall, to help support key coffee growing communities with clean water and education.

Want to get involved?

Submit your bid at the Cimbali UK stand or online at londoncoffeefestival.com now

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e’re all about innovation, and there’s nothing better than a heritage brand that is dedicated to pioneering technology. That’s why The London Coffee Festival is proud to partner with Cimbali UK for 2018.

individual pour overs. Cimbali’s Group Coffee Specialist, Rob Ward, will lead you through the flavour journey. Ask questions, challenge presumptions and take your coffee knowledge to the next stage.

Now tell us; can you imagine a more compelling foray into the world of coffee?

From the production of its first coffee machine – the Rapida – in 1930, to winning the prestigious Compasso d’Oro prize in 1962, for its striking, minimal and modern design, La Cimbali has long been one of the great Italian innovators.

THE BENCHMARK BAR

This year’s London Coffee Festival is no exception. Get ready to trial and test your senses at their brand-new experiences, set to educate even the savviest of coffee connoisseurs.

Fancy something straight up? Turn, instead, to the Benchmark Bar, located just next door. This menu represents the benchmark standard of high quality coffee – deliverable even when your café is full to the brim – and you’ll have four options to choose from:

THE SENSORY BAR Imagine you enter a room, knowing you’re about to embark on a journey of taste discovery. You take a seat at the bar and forget everything but your senses. Your four-part tasting experience begins with their newly created espresso Barbarella mk IV, exclusively curated for The London Coffee Festival; a fruity mix of Washed Kenyan Kathakwa Embu

AA , Natural Rwandan Gatare and Washed Colombian Cauca Totoro.

Part two is about deconstruction. See, smell and taste the three individual components of Barbarella mk IV in

espresso format. Then, compare the flavour development of one of the coffees served as a cold brew.

Finally, sample all three of the Barbarella mk IV coffees as

The Benchmark Blend, a chocolatey blend of Natural Beneficio Pedra Branca Brazilian Yellow Bourbon and Red Honey Las Lajas Finca Sebana Redonda Costa Rican beans, and the same fruity Barbarella mk IV that’s deconstructed in the Sensory experience above. The former is served long, and the latter short; choose each either with or without milk and leave with the perfect cup.

COFFEE MIXOLOGISTS SENSORY SERIES Guest presenting the Sensory Bar from 3pm on Trade Days and all weekend-long are some of the finalist duos from Coffee Mixologists, our baristamixologist competition which took place in March at The Amsterdam Coffee Festival.

Expect more great coffee, worked into a landmark cocktail, curated by leading competitors in the coffee mixology scene. You’ll be wowed and entertained in a visual and flavour experience that breaks out of the box.

To book into a Cimbali UK Sensory Experience, go to Manage Your Booking at londoncoffeefestival.com/tickets

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L A B

From demonstrations, to workshops and tasting sessions, The Lab, powered by Mumac, is all about innovation, learning and boundary-pushing talks. Designed to offer visitors an array of interactive experiences, the programme covers everything from how to open a coffee shop to home brewing techniques.

Thursday and Friday sessions are designed to inspire industry members, whatever your role. With specific sessions targeted to the barista, café owner, hospitality executive, product specialist and entrepreneur, the line-up is more comprehensive and diverse than ever. Expect interactive demonstrations, workshops and tasting sessions, as well as inspiring talks and lively debates.

Whether you’re a coffee newbie, aficionado or self-confessed geek, the Saturday and Sunday sessions have your back. There’ll be fun and educational sessions to inspire and entertain, tastings and talks on everything from tasting coffee to mixology.

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P H Y S I C A L TRADE SESSIONS (THU - FRI)

CONSUMER SESSIONS (SAT - SUN)

Engage in Key Findings With The World Coffee Portal The Executive Director of The Allegra World Coffee Portal, Anya Marco will open The London Coffee Festival 2018 with Key Findings from Allegra Project Café2018 UK. Go in-depth on market intelligence and consumer insight about the UK Coffee Shop Market. On Friday, she will present, “The Importance of Day Part to Coffee Shops: when and where do consumers eat?” exploring key food and beverage trends from Allegra’s Project Café Series.

The Baileys Treat Collective; Celeste Wong’s Mocha-Nut Join top barista Celeste Wong, aka The Girl In The Café, as she shows us how to make her indulgent Mocha-Nut cocktail with both Baileys Irish Cream and the new Dairy Free & Vegan Friendly, Baileys Almande. It’s a decadent treat you’ll be showing off at dinner parties for years to come.

Breaking Into Hospitality Join Paul Kelly from La Marzocco for this discussion with his guests Daniel Thompson of Soho House, Anne Lunell of Koppi Coffee and Gwilym Davies of Prufrock. From barista to coffee roaster, through to head of quality and operations, this debate panel aims to expose ways to break into the hospitality industry and give the audience some priceless tips and advice.

MUMAC Takeovers Between 1pm and 2pm on Thursday and Friday, MUMAC will take over The Lab. Highlights include Jonathan Morris, Research Professor in Modern European History at the University of Hertfordshire,

speaking about the history of your coffee shop menu, from the evolution of the espresso menu in Italy, to the history of international adaptations and additions. On Friday, don’t miss sessions on developing Espresso and customer knowledge growing your Micro Roastery and maintaining Quality and Consistency on the FAEMA E71.

A new approach to developing talent and maximising potential

by Well Grounded Well Grounded is on a mission to support Londoners into employment as baristas, with their Specialty Coffee Training Academy.

Eve Wagg, Founder and CEO of the social enterprise will take to the stage with Well Grounded Graduates who are now working at cafés and roasteries, and Robert Richardson, Co-Founder Notes Coffee. From recruitment to longterm development in your café, this talk sheds light on Well Grounded’s mission, approach to talent development and societal impact.

Don’t miss: the Courier, Square and Machine of the Future panels.

Hario: How to Brew at Home Trust Hario to produce jawdropping coffee kit. The Japanese company is renowned for nextlevel design and clever, minimalist technology. This is the stuff you’ll want to take home; lucky they’re set to show you exactly how to use it, too. Join Hario for this top-level masterclass and be sure to pick your own iconic V60 before you leave The Festival.

Taylors of Harrogate: But First, Flavour Join Taylors of Harrogate alongside Stylist Food Writer and Saturday Kitchen star Rosie Birkett, as they bring together the ultimate panel to discuss cocktails, chocolate and cuisine. It’s an exploration of flavour – its past, present and future. What new flavour trends are on the horizon? How can blenders

and roasters seek inspiration from industries outside of tea & coffee?

All questions answered – and flavourful free samples a-plenty.

Don’t miss: Tim Wendelboe Coffee 101, Raw Material and the BBC Good Food coffee cocktail upcycle workshop.

For all information and the full Lab timetable, visit londoncoffeefestival.com/ whatson/thelab

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The Tasting Room From tea to cold brew, The Tasting Room is a place to discover flavour at its best.

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offee, chocolate, wine, whisky and beer. These are the key ingredients of The Tasting Room; an aptly named area dedicated to an exciting programme of tasting workshops. Launching in the Tasting Room this year is the Union Hand-Roasted Sensory Discovery: Taste masterclass. Keep your eyes peeled for when the tickets drop…

Highlights…

Sensory Discovery: Taste, by Union Hand-Roasted Explore and challenge your perception of taste in this brandnew Tasting Room experience.

Learn about the five basic tastes, how to identify them and how this can help your awareness of taste when it comes to coffee.

Based on SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) sensory training, this is a dynamic and insightful expert led session to help you appreciate more when tasting food and drink.

For a head start on this experience,

stop by the Union Hand-Roasted stand first to try out their famous Flavour Challenge.

weekend, they’ll be running their beginner-focussed Home Coffee Skills workshop.

The Chemistry of Coffee, by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood Running every day of the London Coffee Festival, this coffee chemistry workshop is a cupping and tasting session focussing on the importance of water in coffee, water chemistry and the frozen grind.

Brought to the stage by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, a highly respected innovator in the UK specialty coffee industry, known for being a champion barista, author, café owner and roaster.

Coffee and Chocolate Pairing,

by Rio Nuevo Chocolate and Origin Coffee Antonio McFarlane, Origin’s resident chocolate sensory expert is teaming up with Rio Nuevo to co-deliver a new concept in the Tasting Room. Explore the parallels of coffee and chocolate, and embark on a journey through the flavour characteristics of both, discovering the contrasts that compliment each other, creating balance through difference, and get tasting.

Train with London School of Coffee They are known as some of the best educators in the industry, catering to every level from the home enthusiast to the coffee professional. Enjoy one of two taster sessions during The Festival. For trade, the London School of Coffee will be delivering The Specialty Coffee Barista session, and at the

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The Royal Treatment Picture the scene; it’s a bright April weekend in London, and you know you’re waking up to a great day. Why? You’re a London Coffee Festival VIP, and the full Royal treatment awaits.

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rrive in style to the dedicated VIP entrance and slip in without waiting.

To set the tone right, make your first stop the La Marzocco VIP Hospitality Suite. Collect your complimentary cocktail from the bar, and rummage around in your VIP goodie bag, full to bursting with gifts from your favourite brands.

From there, The Festival is your oyster: taste all the coffees your heart could desire, explore The Matcha Bar by teapigs, and swing by Coffee Masters to watch the world’s best baristas live in action.

VIP Highlights Kick back in the La Marzocco VIP Hospitality Suite As The London Coffee Festival continues to grow, so do the perks for this year’s lucky VIP guests.

La Marzocco are proud headline sponsors of 2018’s VIP Hospitality Suite, with more to explore than ever before. Step up to the VIP Coffee Bar to trial incredible coffees from a unique line-up showcasing top-

quality roasters from the UK. Now located on the stunning second floor of The Old Truman Brewery – a brand-new festival floor to discover – with a dedicated programme of DJ sets and bar take-overs, it’s a real treat. Kick back and pour over your copy of The London Coffee Guide whilst you sip your way through show-stopping coffees and champion cocktails, and bop to the beats.

Savour complimentary lattes at The Matcha Bar by teapigs Enter your bespoke matcha popup bar. Launching for the first time inside the VIP suite, teapigs will not only be serving lattes from their range (including pure matcha, turmeric, chai and mint), but they’ll have pros on-hand to offer you oneon-one tips. Compare the flavours, learn exciting recipes to impress your friends and quiz the experts. teapigs matcha is organic, and premium grade, which means one thing: it’s some of the very best.

Find the VIP Secret Garden By the time The London Coffee Festival arrives, spring will have

officially sprung. What better way to embrace the switch of season than at La Marzocco’s hidden VIP Secret Garden, tucked neatly away from the hustle and bustle of The Old Truman Brewery. Its debut at last year’s festival made it a firm visitor favourite, for obvious reasons; is there anything more delicious than a barbecue? Laze around in the sunshine, sip a cocktail (shaken-up in association with Grey Goose Vodka) and get stuck into the barbie, manned

by Espresso Solutions. Access is granted to all VIP ticket holders.

The La Marzocco Kitchen Train like a pro in this 30-minute home barista course. Get to grips with the Linea Mini – the mini me of La Marzocco’s legendary espresso machine – and the Lux D Grinder.

Home Barista trainees will be led by La Marzocco’s friends and partners, including London School of Coffee, Coffee Culture and Well Grounded.

What’s more? 100% of the class fee goes towards Project Waterfall’s continued efforts.

Turn Up The Heat From The Roastery, to The Flavour Challenge, Union Hand-Roasted Coffee is back.

The Roastery

The Flavour Challenge

Previous winners of the Best Coffee Roaster — Europe category at The European Coffee Awards, Union Hand-Roasted Coffee will be presenting live roasting demonstrations at The London Coffee Festival 2018.

Like wine, coffee has wide ranging taste notes from fruity to nutty, and zesty to chocolatey. Flavour is influenced by several factors from coffee bean varietal and soil to processing and freshness. If you like specialty coffee (and have a competitive streak) put your taste buds to the test with the Union HandRoasted Flavour Challenge and see if you can match four different coffees to their flavour profiles.

Recreating the buzz of their East London roastery, founders Jeremy and Steven will be firing up Union’s San Franciscan roaster to create an olfactory experience like no other. Learn the art of hand-roasting from the masters themselves and sample a range of delicious, award-winning coffees.

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The True Artisan Café Bringing independent roasters and cafés from the UK and overseas to the big weekend, it’s the best offering yet from La Marzocco’s True Artisan Café.

Celebrating local and independent coffee communities, this original La Marzocco pop-up is at the heart of the specialty coffee movement.

The rotating coffee shop concept is designed for you to meet the artisans one-on-one. Different independent cafés will take over La Marzocco’s legendary machines with a bespoke specially created signature drink.

The drink has to involve espresso, and be atypical of their style and taste

(cocktails obviously encouraged).

This year’s line-up includes some of the best cafés from the UK and abroad, but who’s signature drinks will you prefer?

Drinks won’t be charged but donations to Project Waterfall are encouraged.

UK

International

The Grind Café Francais by Grind Everyone loves Grind’s unique (and indulgent) cocktail offering. This year, they are bringing a fresh twist on the famous Irish coffee to The London Coffee Festival, using the infamous French vodka Grey Goose to perk drinkers up.

Pura Vida Spritz by Tres Cabezas Straight from their Berlin roastery, the Tres Cabezas team are bringing their Ethiopian Kochere double espresso and shaking it up with toasted oat, pistachio syrup and Plantation Rum, served over ice, topped with soda and a sprig of thyme.

The Hard ‘Hood Breakfast Split by Hard Lines Cardiff and Neighbourhood Coffee Liverpool Get to know the up and coming specialty coffee scene in the DRC the right way - accompanied by soft serve and doughnuts. This sweet treat is made with D R Congo Katanda yellow espresso; a light and delicately flavoured coffee.

Peanut Butter Mocha Smoothie

by Deliciously Ella A seriously delicious smoothie

by Deliciously Ella that’s vegan friendly, gluten-free and nonalcoholic. The thick creamy base of banana, peanut butter and almond milk is balanced out by energetic cacao and Extract Coffee Roasters Original Espresso.

His Majesty The Coke by HMC Italian artisan roasters His Majesty The Coffee are serving a royal twist on Coca Cola. Bursting with flavour, the natural Ethiopian Mekuria Yirgacheffe double espresso mixed with Coca Cola, cascara and water, then filtered on an Aeropress, will pack a punch.

Ginger Ninja by Meke Coffee Roasters Trust Ibiza’s top specialty coffee roasters to bring a dash of fun to The Festival. Expect sweet flavours from the Meke espresso, hailing from the Serrano region of Cuba, and a big kick from it’s sidekicks; mezcal, ginger and orange Check out the full list of roasters and cafés presenting at The True Artisan Café at l o n do n c o f f e e f e s t i v a l .c o m / whatson/trueartisancafe

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House of Coffee Undertake the coffee journey from bean to cup; discover raw green coffee beans and learn as they are roasted and brewed using different techniques.

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olonna Coffee, Taylor St Baristas and Redemption Roasters are readying up to join roasting equipment experts IKAWA and Giesen, to guide you through a coffee processing and flavour journey. It’s the perfect first-stop for anyone new to coffee; you’ll see, smell and taste your way through the holistic coffee experience.

Taste Different Coffees Join one of the industry’s forefront specialty roasters and educators, Taylor St. Baristas, as they guide you through a tasting session.

Learn about sourcing, quality control, roast profiling and brewing specialty coffee, and take on their tasting challenge to win a course of your choosing in the Taylor St. Baristas training academy.

the hustle and bustle of upstairs; come on down, kick back and enjoy a flat white martini cocktail or two, conjured up by the masters that are Starbucks and Baileys.

Discover The Art of The Blend Payments company Square are partnering up with Curators Coffee to bring you the Brew Bar. Head down to learn about Curator’s coffee ethos and see Square’s point-of-sale and card reader in action. You’ll also be able to sample Curators Coffee custom blend, which supports allfemale farmers in Colombia, see hourly tasting demos and meet the Square team to hear more about taking card payments at your business.

Drink Mini Martinis Chill out to a soundtrack of DJs spinning old jazz on vinyl at the first ever Mini Martini Bar by Starbucks. This is a spot to escape

The School of Chocolate Cocoa lover? Treat time. The Hotel Chocolat School of Chocolate is returning once more.

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t’s hard to think of a better way to spend your time than surrounded by delicious, premium chocolate. Fire-up your taste buds and put your thinking caps on to learn about the journey from bean to bar and indulge in delicious samples via three different bookable experiences.

The Tasting Adventure An interactive chocolate tasting experience curated especially for chocolate lovers, where you’ll taste approximately 13 chocolates.

Hosted by a Hotel Chocolat expert chocolatier, you’ll get the insider lowdown on the world of chocolate and different variations of cocoa.

Discover the best way to experience chocolate, how to taste it, and what to look out for.

Coffee and Chocolate Pairing It’s an established truth among master coffee blenders that a adding little chocolate always helps. Learn how to pair Hotel Chocolat’s ownblend coffee (a balance of Brazilian Yellow Bourbon, Ethiopian Sidamo,

Colombian Excelso and Sumatran Mandheling – all separately roasted top-quality Arabica beans), with chocolates specifically selected to compliment.

Rare and Vintage Masterclass Good chocolate reflects the flavours of the region where the cocoa beans are grown, and how they are dried and fermented. In this class, taste chocolate from six distinct cocoa-growing regions: Colombia, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, Vietnam and Saint Lucia, where Hotel Chocolat have their own plantation. It’s a show-stopping showcase of the vast breadth of flavours of high-quality cocoa, treated with care.

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The Cupping and Roasting Factory What happens before coffee hits the grinder? VIPs can get involved in the roasting and cupping process with live demos and sessions, powered by Loring.

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eturning for its third year is The Factory, an area dedicated to the art of cupping and roasting. Aptly named after The Factory in Copenhagen - a roaster and lab that houses a Loring smart coffee roaster - it’s a rare view into the life of a professional roaster or Q Grader.

Experience top-of-the-range roasters The big roaster you’ll see in The Factory is brought to The Festival

by Loring, the makers of some of the world’s best roasting equipment.

Twice a day every day, Loring themselves will be hosting a casual walk-in walk-out roasting demo.

See a real top quality roaster in situ and find out what goes down from the professionals themselves.

Taste coffee with Caravan and Raw Material Green coffee provider Raw Material is teaming up with Caravan Coffee Roasters to bring a series of four cupping sessions to The Factory

on Friday 13 March. From a flavour analysis workshop on Rwandan experiments in processing; Same coffee, three ways, to a Colombian Microlot Series, it’s the ultimate opportunity to learn about what goes on at origin.

Cup with Green Coffee Provider, Belco Industry visitors, can’t miss Belco’s ‘Best Of…’ series on Thursday and Friday. Entitled ‘A wide coffee compilation,’ you can expect to cup a large selection of coffees during the session. Hosted by Gabriela Parfair, Head of Green Coffee for Belco, it’s an essential introduction to a variety of incredible coffees.

Also watch out for sessions by Butterworth & Sons, Tim Wendelboe and green coffee suppliers Nordic Approach and Cup a Lot. Visit londoncoffeefestival.com/ schedule for the full timetable

The Extraction Lab Take your best shot on Rancillio Specialty; a new line of espresso coffee machines designed for specialty coffee, to be presented at London Coffee Festival.

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here are many factors that affect the quality of your cup of coffee. Blending, roasting, grinding and brewing time to name just a few. Last but by no means least, it is the coffee machine used, which is why Rancillio’s range of coffee machines feature advanced temperature profiling.

Taste it for yourself by exploring The Extraction Lab, an area dedicated to showing the effects of temperature profiling on a guest line-up of superb coffees, brewed on the Rancilio machines.

Discover the potential of Rancilio Specialty, a brand-new coffee machine created to raise the quality of coffee and to take baristas’ creativity to new heights. The specialist engineers from the Rancilio R&D team will be on-site to invite coffee lovers to try out the machines, and answer all of your questions. Learn how to can you maintain quality consistently and at pace, with a reliable machine and a high temperature stability.

Alongside the newly released Rancilio Specialty, the Silvia Limited Edition 2018 in total Black will also be on show. It’s a new yet timeless design, and a headline act in Rancilio’s range of Home Line products.

Why not also stop by the Rancilio booth, where you can chill out with a cappuccino, or another of your favourite serves. Industrial and urban elements like streetlights, blackboards, brick walls, ceramic tiles and concrete floors alongside lighter materials like wood and plants will create a relaxing space to take some time out.

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Project Waterfall

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roject Waterfall is a charity initiative established by The Allegra Foundation to bring clean drinking water and sanitation to coffee growing communities. Since 2011, The London Coffee Festival has donated over £500,000 to support clean water projects in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Project Waterfall on the road: a diary of a trip to Uganda.

This year, The London Coffee Festival will be supporting a project in the Jabi Tehnan district in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is Africa’s top producer of coffee and the home of Arabica coffee. More than 38% of the population in this district depend on coffee for their livelihoods, yet 70% of the rural population of Ethiopia don’t have access to clean drinking water. With support from The London Coffee Festival, Project Waterfall will be working with WaterAid to bring clean drinking water, sanitation and education to 7,000 people in the district over the next 4 years.

Project Waterfall has been working with WaterAid to bring clean drinking water and sanitation to communities in the Kyenjojo District in the Rwenzori Region of Uganda. Last year, the team visited the Kichwamba coffee farm and met with members of the Kwatampoa Coffee Farmers group to learn more about how coffee is grown in the district. This is their photo diary.

All photos taken by Eliza Powell.

50% of ticket sales from The London Coffee Festival 2018 will directly support this valuable cause.

Arriving at Kichwamba farm we were welcomed by coffee farmer Nalongo Jowani Bujwera, a member of the Kwatampora Coffee Farmers’ Group.

Kwatampora Coffee Farmers Group is located in the Kichwamba Village, Kihura Sub County in the Kyenjojo District of Uganda. The group has 28 members, of which eight are women.

Photo: Joan Bujwera, coffee farmer and member of Kwatampora Coffee Farmers Group.

Joan is 58 years old and a mother of twins, as well as five grow up children. She lives in the Kisita village and has recently started growing coffee. Joan explained to us: ‘I have 50 coffee trees. I would love to add more coffee trees but I’m getting old now and have less energy. In most cases I spend most of my time growing food crops like sweet potatoes and cassava, which grow first. However, in our farmers group we are encouraged to grow more coffee if we want to get out of poverty.’

Coffee Art Project

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he Coffee Art Project is a high-profile art competition linked to the theme of coffee which aims to showcase the talents of artists from across the world while raising valuable funds for Project Waterfall.

Photo: Coffee farmer Kateeba Severino holds a handful of ripe coffee berries at his farm in Kichwamba, Kyenjojo District, Rwenzori Region, Uganda - May 2017.

Kateba Severino now has 2,500 trees, and two coffee harvests each year. In a good season he harvests more than 700kg of hurled coffee. He explained “Growing coffee is very profitable, I have managed to educate my children, my third born is currently at Bishop Stuart University, I have bought more land in our town centre where I plan to build a commercial house.”

Photo: Coffee farmer Kateeba Severino (R) talks to the Project Waterfall team.

After looking round the farm, we sat down to learn more about how the farmers group is organised. The group meets three times a month to plan different activities and share knowledge. They also have a savings and loan system where members of the group can borrow money for their children’s school fees or fertilisers. Their goal is that all members live a good and healthy life.

Out of hundreds of applications, the top 30 pieces will be exhibited at The London Coffee Festival. The winning artist will be selected by a panel of judges and announced on the Sunday of The Festival.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite piece, and the artist with the most votes will receive a visitor award.

All artworks exhibited will be for sale, with a 50% donation from each piece supporting Project Waterfall.

Photo: Coffee farmer Kateeba Severino (R) with Daniel McGrath, UCC Coffee (L), and Phil Smith, UCC Coffee (back)

Photo: Coffee farmer Kateeba Severino (L), Daniel McGrath, UCC Coffee (2nd L), Rebecca Hodgson, Project Waterfall (2nd R) and Phil Smith, UCC Coffee (R)

Photo: Joan Bujwera, Moses Kagoro, Phil Smith, UCC Coffee, Kateeba Severino, Daniel McGrath, UCC Coffee and Rebecca Hodgson, Project Waterfall stand with other local coffee farmers at their farm

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Bake for Syria After a great meal, there’s nothing better than a sweet treat. You’ll be able to find Bake For SYRIA on the top floor of the Old Truman Brewery, next to the VIP Suite and The Coffee Art Project. The supper club that became a global movement, Cook For Syria, has switched savoury dishes for delicious desserts. All proceeds from their sales will go to NEXTGen London, a charitable network delivering emergency support to Syria and the region.

W H I T E L A B E L K I TC H E N Warning – do not read when hungry

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ittle leaves a bad taste in your mouth more than having a fantastic experience only to be ruined by terrible food. But you won’t find any expensive chip vans, lack of vegetarian options and greasy noodles The London Coffee Festival. The White Label Kitchen is an innovative dining experience that provides a blank slate for a handpicked selection of London’s hottest food concepts to join forces and create the ultimate festival menu.

So, whether you’re a proud devourer of meat, super-food freak, or ‘gluten free, dairy free, everything free’ type of person, your hungry stomach’s sure to be satisfied. Here’s this year’s line-up.

Arancini Brothers A favourite amongst festival goers since day one, Arancini Brothers

are best known for their Sicilianstyle, hand-made risotto balls.

Last year they served up the likes of a Risotto Ball Salad Box packed with superfood salad, four wheat free risotto balls and homemade chutney, as well as The London Coffee Festival Special Burger, made from organic brioche and filled with a beef patty, sweet bacon garlic confit and Colston Bassett Blue, with a side of smoky fries.

Crabbieshack Making its second appearance at The London Coffee Festival and bringing the Kent coast to The White Label Kitchen is Crabbieshack.

The Folkestone-inspired shack uses local and seasonal produce to celebrate the humble crustacean.

Soft-shell crab is coated in Old Bay batter before being deep-fried for intense crunch. Fluffy, brioche burger buns and stuffed with fresh fillings, topped with crispy crab and drizzled in a choice of sauce.

Spicebox Hungry for veg-with-edge? Lucky for you, Spicebox is taking The White Label Kitchen to new levels

with veg-centric food, packed with Indian flavours. Using spice to enhance the natural goodness of vegetables, without any gimmicks, Spicebox serves good, well crafted, honest food that’s packed with flavour, character and style.

DF Mexico Famous for its nachos, tacos, buns and burritos, DF Mexico is all about… you guessed it: hearty Mexican food that packs a punch. Our favourite dish? The tacos; two soft tortillas served with crunchy slaw, salsa and your choice of filling. Bringing Mexico City to the Old Truman Brewery, it’s sure to be a hit.

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Let’s Talk About Sustainability We take pride in positively impacting the global coffee community through our commitment to Project Waterfall and by providing small businesses with a platform to grow. But, as with everything, there’s always more work to be done. Our sustainability programme seeks better solutions socially and environmentally. Here’s what we’ve got going on.

1. Championing coffee growing communities and the Allegra Foundation We are proud to have worked with Project Waterfall since 2011, from the launch of the first London Coffee Festival. Every year, we donate 50% of ticket sales to the charity (a total of £500,000 so far) to help provide clean water, sanitation and education for key coffee growing communities around the world. Thus far, the contribution has helped in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua and Uganda. Head to the Project Waterfall stand to take part in the Water Challenge, play at Spin the Wheel, or find out more about what they do. If you want to help further, drop by La Marzocco’s True Artisan Café to sample signature drinks from top specialty cafés; instead of paying for your drink, La Marzocco are accepting donations to Project Waterfall.

Find out more at projectwaterfall.org, or on page 36.

2. Recycling 100% of paper cups Paper cups have been headline news this year. In a bid to do better, we have developed and implemented a commitment to recycling our paper cups in partnership with Seda and Simply Cups. Driving the conversation forward, Seda are working with new materials, meaning their cups are fully recyclable and being recycled at a higher rate, as well as being sustainability sourced and responsibly produced. To make this happen, we are working with Simply Cups - the UK’s only cup recycling scheme, who will be recycling 100% of the disposable paper cups used at The Festival.

Look out for the paper cup bins dotted around The Old Truman Brewery and make sure you drop yours in before leaving. Simply Cups are also offering to help our friends who stock these cups in their cafés, aiming to involve as much of the wider world as possible in our bid to protect the environment.

Find out more at simplycups.co.uk

3. Recycling 100% of coffee grounds Thought coffee grounds were useless? Think again. Meet Bio-Bean, our new friend and innovative eco warrior. The award-winning clean technology company has industrialised the process of recycling used coffee grounds into advanced biofuels and biochemicals. Since 2013, they’ve been turning grounds into Coffee Logs. It’s smart; not only does it save businesses money, but it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and displaces conventional fossil fuels, and we’re proud to have them on board for 2018.

Find out more at bio-bean.com 4. Backing the sale of reusable cups Join the movement proudly pioneered by a number of brands in the specialty coffee industry, many of whom are exhibiting at The London Coffee Festival. KeepCup, Ecoffee Cup and Stojo will all be on site, fully-stocked with their

reusable brew cups. Proving quality design and being eco-friendly are not mutually exclusive; their cups are fully customisable, so you can leave with the design and format that works best for you. We are also excited to partner with Sol Cups to release 500 limited edition London Coffee Festival Cups to the scene.

They are available on our website londoncoffeefestival.com now, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Find out more at londoncoffeefestival.com 5. Recycling single-use plastic As part of their fight against singleuse plastic, BRITA are hosting a bottle amnesty throughout The Festival with their Green Team, equipped with wheelbarrows to collect plastic and promote the benefits of reusable, sustainable alternatives. Keep your eyes peeled for one of the Green Team members who will be handing out vouchers throughout the show for a discounted filter water bottle bundle.

The 2018 Festival cup. Produced in partnership with Seda

100% of paper cups at The London Coffee Festival will be recycled.

TICKETS AT WWW.BALANCE-FESTIVAL.COM

TICKETS AT WWW.BALANCE-FESTIVAL.COM

& S S E N T I 12 F S E G A T S YOGA G N I K O O LIVE C & TALKS DEMOS , D O O F Y H T L A E E R H O M & N O I H S A F

JOIN THE MOVEMENT* 11 — 13 MAY 2018 THE OLD TRUMAN BREWERY, LONDON

*Exclusive offer: Quote LCFMAG for 2 standard tickets for £45. Redeem at checkout at balance-festival.com