Saturday
I went to CoffeeCon, a consumer coffee festival in downtown LA, a few weeks ago on Saturday while Cindy when on Sunday and this was my spin on the experience.
See also: Our Experience at CoffeeCon last year
1. I rolled into CoffeeCon after 10:00 a.m. and was excited to see that happy hour was earlier than usual. Your girl Grey Goose and your boy Johnnie Walker decided to show up to the party too. Espresso vodka martinis and scotch Johnnie sodas were served with lines going around the corner. You could say that CoffeeCon started out with a fizz.
I thought I was fancy with my Chemex and goose neck kettle but CoffeeCon opened my eyes to a whole new world (cue Aladdin and Jasmine).
Sunday
After hearing Catherine's rave reviews, I was psyched to go the next day.
2. First of all, it's designed for everyone from your everyday coffee drinker to your professional barista. (And if you need to brush up on your Coffee lingo, we got you) Unlike a lot of other coffee shows, CofeeCon LA is made for anyone who has a secret (or public) obsession with coffee. Anyone.
I went with the most minimal knowledge of brewing and tasting coffee, expecting to be overwhelmed by technical know-hows and follow my boyfriend (an avid coffee drinker and barista) around. But when you get there, you find instead a large coffee community of roasters, coffee lovers and entrepreneurs who were all friendly and eager to share their story, unique blends, and, of course, free coffee!
3. Not convinced by the free drinks and flowing conversation? Perhaps these (very adoptable!) pups and kittens would change your mind!
MuddyPawLA, established in 2007, has a unique mission to help animal rescues and support local charities make a difference in these animals' lives. Not only do they offer award winning hand-roasted coffee from all over the world, they also have loose-leaf teas with cute names like the Catnip, a fruity black tea blend, and Cuddle time, a Green tea with Jasmine flowers.
But after an hour of chugging free samples, I had drank more coffee than I have the entire year and my taste buds were pretty much numb.
4. We passed by Just Made Cupcakes and tried a sample of their vanilla buttercream frosting, and I knew I had to get one of their cupcakes! We ended up trying their signature Lemon Blueberry minis, bursting with vanilla flavor, a hint of lemon and fresh blueberries mixed into the batter, they were the perfect pick me up for the afternoon!
5. Did we mention there were multiple cupcake shops at the event? The delicious Red Velvet and Mocha Cheesecake cupcakes featured below are both from Dreamy Creations, the two time winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars! If, like me, you're a foodie who has watched every episode of Cupcake Wars and Chopped, this is something you definitely wouldn't want to miss!
Our takeaway: After this weekend, we're pretty convinced that you don't need to be a barista to enjoy coffee. Whether you're a coffee enthusiast or the occasional dabbler, there's bound to be something that would catch your eye at CoffeeCon.