Experts and enthusiasts from around the world are congregating at the Old Truman Brewery this April to celebrate the coffee bean and all we've learned to do with it. The London Coffee Festival is the largest of its kind in Europe, giving Londoners a chance to taste their way around innovative new blends and learn more about the science behind their favourite brews.
2020 marks the 10th birthday of the four-day festival, which promises to be buzzier than ever with tastings, workshops, talks, live music and over 250 exhibitors showing off their wares to an estimated 35,000 coffee lovers. This year, fortune favours the keep-cup holders, who can enjoy fast track entry and skip the queues on showing off their reusable cup.
Keep cup users are being rewarded with fast track entry at this year's London Coffee Festival
If you want to know just how your coffee gets from bean to cup, make a pit stop at the festival's famous Lab, where professional roasters are revealing their secrets through a series of interactive demonstrations, talks and tastings.
Dive into the awe-inspiring, Insta-friendly world of Latte Art Live, where macchiato maestros turn regular cups of joe into mocha masterpieces at a fast and furious pace. Or take a seat around the Coffee Masters™ counter, where 16 top baristas go head-to-head to win the Coffee Master crown and a £5,000 cheque. Those looking to deepen their appreciation for their favourite vice, meanwhile, should book in for the multi-sensory Mindful Coffee Tasting experience, where you’ll learn how to sip mindfully.
London Coffee Festival
New for 2020 is the people’s choice London’s Best Coffee Shop Awards. If you think your local deserves to take that title, remember to vote for them – you’ll be in with a chance to win a year’s worth of free coffee at your nominated shop.
Of course, no birthday is complete without cake and dancing. Visit on Saturday if you're keen to witness a surprise celebrity baker unveil their ten-tier coffee cake masterpiece. And if you’re keen to get the party started, swap your steaming mug of joe for a chilled, expertly brewed espresso martini and boogie the night (okay, late afternoon) away to live music and DJs spinning the decks.
London Coffee Festival
Landmark birthdays also deserve a bit of self-evaluation. To mark its 10th anniversary, the London Coffee Festival is also launching a new sustainability scheme, which aims to implement a zero waste festival strategy by 2024. As well as rewarding festival-goers for bringing reusable cups, this first year of the initiative sees exhibitors use compostable packaging only, while a composting and upcycling scheme is being rolled out across the site.
| What | London Coffee Festival, Old Truman Brewery |
| Where | Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Shoreditch High Street (overground) |
| When |
02 Apr 20 – 05 Apr 20, Sessions last three hours and times vary |
| Price | £37 per pair of tickets |
| Website | Click here for more information |
