I got the chance to visit one of the amazing annual events in Los Angeles. An event that hit near and dear to my heart. An event that offers me the ability to see some of the latest and greatest things in one of the most important industries in the whole entire world. The Los Angeles Coffee Festival.
Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, right near the Superior Court House, and right next to what used to be the largest chair in America (beat out in 2008 by two measly feet by one built in Missouri), is The Reef. The Reef is a creative habitat that typically hosts LA Mart; the West Coast’s largest collection of fine regional goods, from home design, to lifestyle lines. On the second floor, in The Magic Box, lay the largest collection of coffee vendors I’ve ever laid my pretty little eyes on. The scent of roasted beans wafted through the air, giving me a second-hand caffeine rush as I entered and picked up my badge.
Feeling like a kid in a candy shop, I could barely contain myself as over 100 vendors were waiting to offer me a taste of not only their coffees, but of the different methods of which they brew them using the innovative machines that were exclusive to only them.
Because there were so many vendors, I’ll only give a synopsis of a few of the most interesting booths I saw.
Drink Perfection
This was one of the first booths that drew my attention. With really cool looking glassware containing what appeared to be copper coils, I was immediately drawn in. The device is said to bring drinks, hot or cold, to your perfect drinking temperature within mere seconds, without distorting the flavor at all. Every time I want a cup of iced coffee, it’s a process! I have to either make coffee the night before and throw it in the fridge for the next day, or make it extra strong and add ice, which never quite ends up being the strength I need or want in my iced coffee. And it’s the same at every coffee shop I go to, whether it’s Starbucks or Barclays. Typically I ask the baristas at Starbucks to grab me an iced coffee, but when I tell them not to cut the thick coffee soup with water, they look at me like I’m crazy. Don’t judge me! I don’t have the problem, you do! I digress. With the Drink Perfector, that process is completely removed. Make the normal coffee at the strength I like, throw some ice in the Perfector, slowly pour the coffee into the black reservoir on the top, which then funnels into the copper coil and into your cup below. By the time it comes out, it’ll be the temperature you want it! I was told that the device can cool a drink by 100 degrees in 30 seconds. It also works for wine.
Gita
As I was wandering the floor, enjoying the sights and the smells, I happened upon a corner booth with only a cooler filled with lotions and lip balm. Thinking it was empty, I was about to move on… until I saw the cooler move of its own accord. It was following one of the people at the booth! This thing is crazy, and definitely my favorite out of all the technology I saw this weekend. Gita is the latest creation of Piaggio, the creators of such wonders as the Vespa. Gita is more than just a cooler. It can be used as a smart wagon. By pressing a button on the front, Gita scans your body, then knows to follow you wherever you go. It’s speed caps out at 6mph, so it can even follow you during a casual bike ride to and from the grocery store. Available for public purchase on November 18th, this R2D2 is perfect for camping, road trips, or picnics in the park. It features a USB port for charging your devices, and a set of smart speakers with some pretty great sound quality.
Your new robot sidekick will set you back about $3250, but the utility of having a robot carry around your things will definitely be worth the investment!
Wize Monkey
Hear me out. Coffee leaf. Tea. With a variety of flavors, like Jasmine, Mango Party, and Earl Grey, I was surprised to learn that the leaves used were coffee leaves! What does this do? Why would anyone want this? Is it even really the same? So coffee leaf tea is made from the leaves of arabica plants. So yes, it’s tea. No, it’s not quite the same. For instance, Earl Grey is a black tea with bergomot flavoring. Instead of using black tea leaves, Wize Monkey uses coffee leaves. The benefit of this, is you get a smoother taste, it’s slightly sweeter (which is great for people like me who can’t abide bitter things), and it has no tannins. No tannins means you can steep it for as long as you want. It’s impossible to oversteep. You won’t get a caffeine crash, since it has less caffeine than a standard cup of black tea. For those who swear by the health benefits of their teas, no worries! You still get your antioxidants, your anti-inflammatory properties, your metabolism boosters, and your blood cholesterol-lowering effects.
What I love about this company is it’s small business, pesticide-free, and fair trade. In fact, it takes fair trade to the next level by repurposing all parts of the plant that might be otherwise considered unusable, which generates jobs in the coffee trade that last beyond the typical season.
Mr Black Coffee Liquor
A cold brew coffee liqueur that blends Australian arabica coffee with a vodka base that’s produced in-house. Like me, the founders of this brand believe that coffee is more than just a method to caffeinate oneself. It’s a way of being. Because they share a love for the bean, and respect for the coffee culture, each bottle of coffee liqueur is made by hand and, I would assume, with some form of actual love. Like the kind a mother has for her good child, but not the one that turned into a jerk in his teens. But maybe also a little of that, too. This bitter brew also offers a sweet note of caramel, and a great, rich body. It’s dark and intense, while maintaining a nice balance, which is exactly what you’d want from something like this.
With this kind of mixture of bold and nuance, it makes for a glorious addition to certain cocktails. Mr Black has some recipe recommendations for just that purpose. The website offers recipes for Paloma Negra, a Cold Brew Old Fashioned, and an Espresso Martini, among others.
A 750mL bottle of Mr Black will run you about $30, and it’s only available in a few states. Luckily, BevMo is one of the locations, and most of those stores have the ability to order items, no matter where you live. Give it a shot. It’d be great for the coming holidays!
Partake
This family-run grassroots food company is the perfect solution for parents of those with food allergies, vegans who can’t find satisfaction in the store-bought cookies that are available, or people who suffer from some of the many diseases which create dietary problems like gluten intolerances — with health in mind!
Food allergies are on the rise, and some schools are now requiring that food that’s brought in fall within these standards. This limits tasty and healthy options, as many of these allergens are generally considered to be good for you or essential parts of recipes which would take a major textural or flavor hit if omitted or replaced. Partake prides themselves on being Kosher, vegan, free of GMOs and the top 8 allergens, with the addition of also being free of some less common allergens, like mustard, sulfite, and sesame. They also perform gluten rapid tests on every single batch of finished product, so you can be certain that you won’t get that one bad batch that causes potentially deadly issues (like all those great e.coli outbreaks because industries like to cut corners to save costs).
You can grab yourself a box set of some crazy delicious flavors for around $15 for 3 boxes, or order one of each for $25. Coming from someone who has exactly zero dietary restrictions and can’t stand most vegan/gluten free options — especially in baked goods — these hold up to their “crave-worthy” claim.
Crew Bottles
Last, but definitely not least, is Crew Bottles. This small start-up is one of the many independents at the LA Coffee Festival that warrant some definite attention. For those who know me, I can be a bit crazy about eco-friendliness. And when it comes to the ocean, it’s one of the few things that I take seriously in life. I make dead baby jokes, despite having had a miscarriage. Nothing is off limits. Almost nothing. In another life, I could have been an eco terrorist. Or a mermaid. Or both. Grab some treasures from the deep and drop it off for recycling to treasure hunters.
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NGO: Wrap it Up gif property of The Animation Workshop and promotes the Danish environmental organization, Plastic Change
They’ve partnered with Plastic Bank, an award-winning, revolutionary community that recovers, recycles, and monetizes plastic from the oceans. Since 2013, Plastic Bank has recovered more than 13 million pounds of plastic from the ocean and used the value to help improve the lives of over 4200 poverty-stricken families. With every bottle purchased, 1kg of plastic debris is removed from the world’s oceans.
Crew Bottles not only dedicates some of their energy to a cause that I love, but they’ve created an innovative and sustainable way to store liquids in a bar setting or even at home. Each bottle has a standard-sized, removable, easy to clean, BPA-free, unscrewable bottom cap, which allows you to ditch the bottle brushes and not worry about missing invisible gunk that can cause bacteria or stinky funk in your drinks. That’s just unsanitary! Not only is it easy to clean, but it’s also made from FDA-approved, food safe materials. And it’s hard to break! Which is great for clumsy jerks like me! Or people with kids who are also clumsy jerks. Or people with cats who are just plain regular jerks. It’s called Craft Tech Glass. It’s shatter-resistant, feels like a lighter version of regular glass, and can withstand extreme temperatures. No more cold-glass meets hot-beverage debacles for me! But that also means it’s dishwasher safe.
“Holy moly, a bottle that’s dishwasher safe and can’t be broken?! I bet they cost a ton!”
Well, actually… They’re pretty standard for bottles of that size. Which is honestly incredible, considering just how much care and technology went into the creation of each product. Like with most items meant to be sold wholesale, the price per bottle decreases with the more you buy at once. A single bottle is $28, but that becomes $20 per bottle when you buy 12 at once. You also have options of base color, and whether or not to get a bottle with measurement lines on the side.
All-in-all, I’m just really impressed with their innovation and motivation toward making the world a better place.
In addition to the vendors were a great deal of experiences and labs!
Latte Art Live is an interactive zone that’s dedicated to the skill of foam art. I got to watch art battles where the medium was as delicious as the baristas’ creations. Besides the numerous competitions, I also got to enjoy classes in latte art techniques, like how to properly steam milk, and how to use my elbow and not my wrist while pouring the cream into the foam, so my foamy masterpieces don’t look so janky.
The event also included a look at how to make a decent espresso with the La Marzocco Home Espresso Bar, tastings of some bomb coffee-based cocktails at the Coffee Cocktail Bar (LACF was kind enough to post some recipes in their blog), and Coffee Masters, a major barista tournament which has been around since 2015, but only this year made it to the West Coast.
The Lab and The Tasting Lab, like milk and coffee, are totally different things that work great in tandem. The Lab featured some cool workshops, like info on how water quality can impact the flavor of your coffee, how to ethically source your grounds, and tips on how to develop your palate. The Tasting Lab allowed visitors to bring their experiences to life by allowing you to taste first hand while learning about developing your palate. But this time it’s wine and not coffee, which could be great or terrible depending on why you came here in the first place. And if you came alone, like I did, and have to drive home soon.
Among the many causes that were mentioned in this article, I want to mention one more before signing off. It was a major feature at this event, with a huge wall dedicated to it, and I do think it’s worth noting here.
Project Waterfall
A charity working alongside the New York City-based charity:water, Project Waterfall aspires to bring clean water to coffee-growing communities and end the water crisis. 785 million people worldwide don’t have access to clean water. Between the two organizations, the hope is to solve this life-threatening dilemma during this lifetime. 100% of the proceeds go straight to helping developing communities have access to uncontaminated drinking water, which has a direct impact on things like child mortality rates, and, according to UNICEF, is also linked to a lack of education due to unsanitary facilities, which results in children (mostly young girls) being forced to drop out of school. Uneducated women are more likely to become impoverished and dependent, if they’ve had a poor early education.
The Los Angeles Coffee Festival was kind enough to donate 10% of all the profits from the event to Project Waterfall. This was truly an incredible, inspiring, innovative, eye-opening, and amazingly fun experience, and I’m grateful to have been able to attend.
Did you attend? Would you have, if you could? What would you like to see at the 2020 Coffee Festival? Comment below!
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