A pleasantly unexpected Instagram dm later, I got to cover the first Los Angeles Coffee Festival on behalf of Spoon USC. After success in global coffee capitals like New York, London, and Cape Town, the obvious next destination was Los Angeles. I was expecting it to be similar to Coffee Con, which we covered in 2017 and 2018, but don't be like me and confuse the two (throw in Coffee Fest too!) LA Coffee Festival was all about creating a full experience that both coffee connoisseurs and pupils can enjoy. There were so many interactive demos from latte art tutorials to coffee cocktails to pulling your own shot, it gave opportunities for us average joes to learn a thing or two in a sea of coffee snobs.
Coffee
If you want me to give you free promo, give me pins. LA Coffee festival got the message, now my jean jacket is a brand rep for like 20 coffee shops and roasters.
The first cup we enjoyed was a straight espresso shot from the Faema booth, off to a great start. Cool dudes, but I can't buy an espresso machine, yet.
Verve Coffee Roasters is the coffee shop that has become known just as much for their Instagramability as for their coffee. Their pins, patches, and mugs were so cute, it definitely set them apart for me. They were smart in handing out cans of coffee as take-home samples because I was getting pretty jittery by this point.
If you don't own a keurig like me, you can still make a quick cup of coffee with Kipsy! All you do is open the pack over your mug and pour hot water through the filter. I sampled some of their single origins and blends to learn how to pick up flavor notes on their chart. You can buy here.
The guys over at Arcade Coffee Roasters were the best at talking you up while making your latte. They used Minor Figures Oat Milk, who created the best die I've ever seen for promo.
Tea
Coming out of London, Chalo's Indian Chai reminded Zia of her mom's chai she made at home, sweet and milky. They're sold as drink mixes, so you can make them with or without dairy. They served 4 flavors: masala, cardamom, lemongrass, and vanilla.
Dona's chai was my personal favorite tea for the day. They served warm chai in oat milk, with a homemade chai marshmallow using their own chai. The turmeric latte was also my favorite of the ones I had that day. You can find Dona in coffee shops nationwide or buy them as bottled tea concentrates for home.
Rishi Tea and Botanicals won for prettiest drinks of the day. The bright orange turmeric ginger chai with tonic water was both light from the bubbles and refreshing from the ginger zing. The floral notes of the blue jasmine/coconut milk base layered with earthy matcha would be appreciated by any real tea drinker.
Cocktails & Demos
The live demos give you a much needed break between espresso shots. There's Latte Art Live in the first half of the day, but we caught Coffee Mixologists L.A. Allstars in the afternoon. We got to watch the bartender mix up several coffee concoctions, while sipping on his rum/coffee/pineapple cocktail, the "Java Bird". Tastes better than it sounds.
Grey Goose let me mix my own cocktail for the first time, which inspired me to drop out of school to bartend. It was Grey Goose's rendition of an espresso martini using their vodka, Mr. Black cold brew liqueur, and espresso. That drink was STRONG, my wimp self could've used a little Kahlua or simple syrup like the og recipe.
Non-Dairy Milk
By the end of the 3 hours, I think I had enough caffeine to last me the rest of the week (which is saying a lot because I run on 2-3 cups a day). Literally shaking the last shots of cold brew up to my mouth. I decided to cut myself off, so the last two booths we tried were non-dairy milks. Never in my life have I had so many options in front of me, a vegan heaven!
Elmhurst has the widest array of non-dairy milks I've ever seen. Whatever your dietary restriction, they can accommodate: almond, brown rice, oat, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashew, and chocolate peanut.
Hailing from Aussieland, Milkadamia offered the milked nut Elmhurst was missing: macadamia. The flavor was subtle enough not to overpower the latte, but creamy enough to give it body. Macadamn!
Extras
In case you weren't caffeinated by now, you will be with Quantum's Energy Squares. With an espresso shot's worth of energy, 10g of vegan protein, and natural sweetness from dates, it makes an ideal morning pick-me-up. Coconut was our pick.
For those that miss texture from your date-based energy bars, Tosi provides that nutty crunch. Started by a mom and daughter, these vegan protein-based, non-gmo, fiber and omega-3 rich bars are a spoonies dream. Get 15% off with 'coffee15'.
Top pick of the day:
Califia Farms
As expected from my favorite non-dairy brand, the almond milk latte was delicious and artfully prepared as it should be at LA Coffee Festival. We also got to sample their mango yogurt drink, which reminded me of a guilt-free gogurt. They gave away free copies of the beautiful pink book in the background, a coffee enthusiast's collective 100% female curated. Need anymore reasons to love Califia? They also had a coffee scrub bar set up repurposing coffee grinds in coconut oil and brown sugar.
'Til Next Year, Los Angeles Coffee Festival!