The annual event celebrates the capital’s vibrant coffee scene and its subcultures at The Old Truman Brewery in London
Embark 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 long-established 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.
Now in its ninth year, The London Coffee Festival is Europe’s largest gathering of coffee aficionados, and this year, it’s set to be bigger than ever. Over 250 exhibitors and 30,000 coffee lovers are expected to join the celebration over four days.
From coffee pros to average Joes, there’s something for everyone with a penchant for coffee, food, music and art. Dreaming of pouring the perfect glossy rosetta? Or simply head over heels for milky coffee? Good news: Latte Art Live is back, bringing the world’s top latte art specialists along with it. You’ve seen them on Instagram, and now they are at work right in front of you; expect a series of throwdowns, showcases and hands-on workshops. That and a lot of free coffee.
If you want to take a step further and get into the nitty-gritty of coffee, there’s plenty of opportunities to learn about the industry, from bean to cup and everything in between. Book into a session at The Lab for an exciting line-up of live interactive demonstrations, workshops, talks and artisan tastings.
2018 Highlights Video
Coffee Masters
Crank up your coffee geek setting one more notch and take your seat for Coffee Masters. Returning for the fifth time, this prestigious competition takes coffee to the highest level. The UK’s top 20 baristas will go head-to-head over four days of competition for the coveted title of Coffee Master and a cheque for £5,000. It’s the ultimate test of skill, innovation and creativity and – let’s face it – a real crowd pleaser.
New this year is the Mindful Coffee Tasting. A brand new multi-sensory experience, festival goers can immerse themselves and appreciate coffee in a new and mindful way – with meditation brought my Just Breathe.
Jeffrey Young, Founder of The London Coffee Festival, says: “It’s been a brilliant year for growth within the coffee industry, with new festivals opening all over the world – most recently in LA. London remains a real centre for innovation though, so it’s fantastic to see it continue to grow.”
The London Festival kicks off UK Coffee Week (29 April – 5 May); a national celebration of the UK coffee scene, founded to give back to the communities that make our love for coffee possible. Both the festival and UK Coffee Week support Project Waterfall, a charity initiative where 100% of proceeds go towards providing clean drinking water and sanitation to the world’s coffee growing communities. Last year, over £100,000 was raised at The London Coffee Festival.
Thursday and Friday’s sessions are reserved for trade only. On Saturday and Sunday, there are brunch, lunch, teatime and VIP full day sessions. To purchase or for more information, please visit www.londoncoffeefestival.com
YOU JUST CAN’T MISS…
1/ All the coffee
You were promised a coffee festival and that’s exactly what you’ll get. Over 500 free coffees will be on offer, including small batch roasts from pioneering roasters like Caravan, Ozone, Square Mile and Assembly.
2/ The True Artisan Café
Celebrating local, 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 cafes will take over La Marzocco’s legendary machines to create a bespoke signature drink.
3/ 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 all lined up to pour the unimaginable, using Ozone coffee, Allan Reeder milk, HuskeeCups and Almond Breeze.
4/ La Cimbali Sensory Series
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.
5/ The Roaster Village
La Marzocco’s Roaster Village is back! But there’s a difference – it’s split over two floors, allowing even more of Europe’s finest roasters to take up residency and serve incredible unique coffees from LM’s Linea Mini machines.
6/ Coffee Masters: 20 Contenders, 8 Disciplines, 1 Winner
Judged by a panel of industry figureheads, the fast-paced knockout battle format of Coffee Masters will see 20 baristas showcase their skills head-to-head across a broad range of disciplines. With a prize of £5000 on the bar and the prestigious title of Coffee Master, the stakes are high.
7/ The Tasting Room
Coffee, chocolate, wine, whiskey and beer; these are the key ingredients of The Tasting Room, an aptly named area dedicated to an exciting programme of tasting workshops. These very special hands-on sessions will be available to book in February, with existing ticket holders being given 24 hours to book their place first.
8/ Home Barista Workshops
Ever dreamt of getting out of the rat race and becoming a barista? Well, now you can (sort of) thanks to the generous guys at La Marzocco who’ll be running Home Barista Workshops in the La Marzocco Kitchen. And the best part? It’s all in aid of Project Waterfall – the Festival’s chosen charity.
9/ The Lab
The industry day sessions are designed to inspire you. 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.
10/ The White Label Kitchen
Little 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 at 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.