# London Coffee Festival 2015



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Day 1 of London Coffee Festival 2015 is done and dusted.

I visited for 4 hours today and had a great time, getting hands-on with lots of new pieces of kit and trying some lovely coffee too.

I'm back again on Saturday and taking Nadine along - so we will make a bee-line for some of the stands that I would like to visit again, and visit some of those I just couldn't get near.

Within 5 minutes of walking through the doors I was chatting with the owner of Rocket Espresso who had flown in from Milan.

I am off to visit Rocket factory towards the end of May and cannot wait!

Next stop was the Bespoke Water stand where I pulled shots on a white La Marzocco Home machine (RRP around £3k).

Whilst there Clockwork Espresso - the designer of the PUSH tamper - popped by and gave us a demo. They are super simple to adjust and lovely to hold. They will come in a range of colours too - to match a wide range of machine and kitchen finishes.

A few stands along was the Coffeeasy stand (see the Coffee Omega banner rotating in the top position for details) and I had a great chat with Peter the designer who is very passionate about his product.

In the same area were IKAWA home coffee roasters who had just launched their Kickstarter offer. I was literally 2 minutes late to see the roasting demo, but could see the finished product cooling.

Next stop was Ozone Coffee Roasters, to check when the Acaia Lunar Scales were due to land (maybe early June), and I tried a lovely Kenyan that was just like drinking warm blackcurrant juice.

Small Batch Coffee Roasters were on the Marco stand today and I enjoyed a Chemex prepared by their head barista and a long chat with the lads. Be sure to check them out when you visit. They will be in the artisan area this weekend.

I stopped by the Sage stand where Will from Pact was pulling shots from their Fruit and Nut blend on the Sage Dual Boiler paired with the Sage Smart Grinder.

After spending time road testing the Cafflano, tasting numerous filter coffees, drinking cold tea infused with vanilla pods and catching up with dozens of industry contacts I had to bid the festival farewell and head off to an afternoon of conference calls and meetings, via Milk & Sugar - the extension of the festival as you exit the building.

On Saturday I have a list of people to catch up with and hopefully make it to some very popular stands (like Coffee Hit as I simply couldn't get within 10ft of the counter)

After work I popped in to the (Nuova) Simonelli&Friends event at Prufrock and met the 2014 Siphon World Champion from Japan. Through her interpreter we had a great conversation and I learned a lot about the coffee culture in Tokyo, followed by some Kernel Table Beer and then headed home for dinner and to post this update.

11200 steps later I'm ready for bed


----------



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Thanks Glenn - for an interesting and tantalising review. I'm looking forward to being there on Saturday.


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

That's a lot of steps, can't blame you if you're feeling shattered.

Thanks for sharing some great info for those of us not attending.


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

I will post a much longer post on Saturday - I packed in much much much more









I only walked just over 5 miles today. I'm sure I will almost double that on Saturday

If you're heading to the show from Liverpool Street station then stop by Peleton&Co for a brew on the way or the way back

I had a filter there before I hit the show (and that was after a Cortado at home...)


----------



## scottomus (Aug 13, 2014)

I really want to go Saturday! It's too late to buy a train ticket at a reasonable price now lol. Stupid question, but is there parking locally?


----------



## Flibster (Aug 15, 2010)

What did you think of the Cafflano Glenn? I was interested in taking a look at the grinder section of it. I never saw a photo of the underside so was fearing the worst, but it actually felt like a big improvement on the Hario Skerton which it looks to be based on. The shaft seems significantly more stable than in the Skerton and it seemed a lost more consistent than the Skerton. It's certainly tempting for travel. 450ml mug, filter cone, grinder and pouring kettle all in one 8" tall package. £60 is a bit steep, but it certainly feels solid.

The Coffee Master competition area is where the UKBC stage was in the past events, and it's very cool. As you'd expect with Vic and Rob behind it tbh. It's a beautiful setup with 2 baristas competing at the same time. No one really seems to know what's going on there though. It's the first year so you have to expect a few stumbles. I'm sure it'll get better as it goes along. I fully expect it to go smoother tomorrow.

Don't forget to check out the Square Mile stand. They're running 3 splurtys *I know they're now called the SP9, but I still prefer Splurty* and doing a different coffee on each and you get all 3 in a little tray. Mr Hoffman was already losing his voice at about midday today, so who know what he'll be like by the end of the festival.









As well as Peleton, you've also got a Department Of Coffee at Spitalfields now too. Spotted that this morning when I ambled past, and then did a double take to ensure I wasn't imagining it.

Oh, and my Moto360 says I've done about 12.3 miles so far. No wonder I'm a little achy.


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

I liked the Cafflano

The spindle looks more stable than the Skerton and the entire kit is made of 4 materials, comprising 25 parts, with a lot of thought going into the finer details.

Marco had the SP9 (aka splurty) on their stand - which looked even more refined than when we were at La Marzocco Out of the Box last year


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

How was the LM Mini?


----------



## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

scottomus said:


> I really want to go Saturday! It's too late to buy a train ticket at a reasonable price now lol. Stupid question, but is there parking locally?


Yeah there is on street parking around and about. Not cheap from memory. Couple of grimey car parks for the less loving car owners. Probably still not cheap. You could drive down to canary wharf and then get the dlr or something across. They used to do a few hours free parking there. Not sure now.


----------



## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Am here today for a bit.

Had a go on the LM Mini. Very solid machine but bit weird that there is so much plastic on the tactile bits.

Allpress have a new blend out (but not available to try as Espresso!?). Have a sample bag to take home tho so looking forward to trying that.

Been talking to numerous roasters about bespoke darker blends for DSOL. Very excited at the potential from Ozone who gave me a sample bag of Empire - a 7 bean blend!!

It's very warm in the main hall so bring your CFUK t shirts!


----------



## Flibster (Aug 15, 2010)

Currently sat in the lab waiting for the talk on re imagining coffee shop design.

Its nice to have a bit of a sit.

Not wearing my Coffee forum tshirt today. Shirt again, with a red tee underneath.


----------



## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Milanski said:


> Very excited at the potential from Ozone who gave me a sample bag of Empire - a 7 bean blend!!


Whaaa! Be very interested to hear how they taste.


----------



## simontc (May 21, 2014)

I'm dropping in tomorrow... Were samples for all and sundry or did you have to drop cfuk line?


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Plenty of sample drinks on offer

I'll be there along with Nadine from 1000-1300 wearing my Coffee Forums UK tee and hope to catch a few of you there also

The LM Home machine is easy to use. Haven't pulled a dud shot yet


----------



## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

simontc said:


> I'm dropping in tomorrow... Were samples for all and sundry or did you have to drop cfuk line?


All roasters were selling, but once I mentioned I was looking for 20+Kgs they were happy to donate a sample


----------



## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

In other news I had a play with the Rhino mini. Much like it's bigger sibling in terms of build quality but fits inside the aeropress for travel.

Also has an adapter so you can grind straight into the 'press. Due for general release in August.


----------



## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Glenn said:


> The LM Home machine is easy to use. Haven't pulled a dud shot yet


Same here. With no scales to weigh in or out I pulled some lovely shots by eye!

The controls (valves and paddle) are a bit plasticky for my liking and the water reservoir is accessed by pulling out the drip tray!?

However, the matte black paint job version disguises it quite well and makes for a very cool addition to any kitchen!


----------



## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Got invited to the new Allpress Roastery on Dalston Lane. Can't believe how much green bean storage they have! Three or four mahoosive silos and a rather large roaster to boot!


----------



## simontc (May 21, 2014)

Looking forward to that lines him for sure... Excited!


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

@Milanski

Some nice updates.

Thanks.


----------



## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I'll most likely be hanging around the True Artisan Cafe from about 4 drinking some boozy coffee cocktails. If you see me come say hi.


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Scotford said:


> I'll most likely be hanging around the True Artisan Cafe from about 4 drinking some boozy coffee cocktails. If you see me come say hi.


Don't forget to take some photos please. Ta.


----------



## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

DoubleShot said:


> Don't forget to take some photos please. Ta.


I'll try but as I'm just getting ready to head out for a boozy lunch they may not even be worth sharing!


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Ha ha. Okay well enjoy them Scotford and tell us all about them in your own time. Cheers. ️


----------



## jjprestidge (Oct 11, 2012)

We parked at Baynard House yesterday. Very cheap on Saturdays - £2.50 for the afternoon. Took 20 minutes to walk to Brick Lane.

Coffeehit are serving Wendleboe coffee on Aeropress - tasting good. Had some good coffee from Max on the La Spaziale, and Pete Garcia served me some lovely Bifdu Gudina on the Marco.

St John have a pop up there as well - great rarebit.

JP


----------



## simontc (May 21, 2014)

I've had so much coffee today...


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Isn't the saying...you can never have too much coffee? Or is that...coffee related equipment?


----------



## simontc (May 21, 2014)

All I know is I feel pretty damned queasy... Had some good stuff today though, and some stuff I feel is way too hyped. Square mile failed to excite, as usual.


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Enjoyed catching up with Phil104 who was sporting a Coffee Forums UK T-shirt.










In the background is Brandon from Slayer.


----------



## simontc (May 21, 2014)

Did you guys have a go on the slayer? Was really nice- good espresso without issue.


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Slayers might be amazing machines but to me they deffo aren't lookers!


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

One of the more interesting machines at the show this year


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

WOW! 

Did you get a chance to have a play on the Andronicas?


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Another was the Black Eagle from Nuova Simonelli on the Square Mile stand


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Andronicus is a coffee roaster. The machine itself did not appear to be switched on / plugged in / plumbed in.


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

If you like your siphon coffee then I hope you paid Tomoyo Ueno a visit (on the UCC Coffee stand next to the entrance)

She is the 2014 World Siphon Champion


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

That black eagle looks cool.

That's the kind of machine I would expect to see in Darth Vader's private suite on the death star. Probably.

Is that the gravimetric one?


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Yes, although I was a little disappointed that no-one thought to dress up as Batman to operate the machine. That would have been a great photo opportunity!


----------



## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

Glenn said:


> Yes, although I was a little disappointed that no-one thought to dress up as Batman to operate the machine. That would have been a great photo opportunity!


I guess you don't mean Adam West?


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Glenn said:


> If you like your siphon coffee then I hope you paid Tomoyo Ueno a visit (on the UCC Coffee stand next to the entrance)
> 
> She is the 2014 World Siphon Champion


Don't know if The Systemic Kid was attending or not but would have been right up his street if he did?


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

DoubleShot said:


> Slayers might be amazing machines but to me they deffo aren't lookers!


They're a wet dream










http://www.slayerespresso.com/pictures/


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Glenn said:


> Enjoyed catching up with Phil104 who was sporting a Coffee Forums UK T-shirt.


Phil104 looks about 7 foot tall next to you Glenn!


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Even when they're in use they look pretty good


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

DoubleShot said:


> Phil104 looks about 7 foot tall next to you Glenn!


Anyone looks about 7ft tall next to me


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

I was going to ask if you're as short as you look but thought I'd try an alternative tact, lol!


----------



## spune (Oct 3, 2011)

The Slayers look awesome. Would have liked to have seen one in action to be honest! Another time maybe...


----------



## aaroncornish (Nov 7, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> They're a wet dream
> 
> 
> 
> ...


In your colour too Jeebsy, when does it get delivered


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Give me a Speedster over a Slayer, in the looks department, any day! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that...


----------



## dwalsh1 (Mar 3, 2010)

jeebsy said:


> They're a wet dream
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I pulled a shot on it and yeah it was cool, well built, and way over priced. I'll stick to my Faema


----------



## scottomus (Aug 13, 2014)

They do look pretty cool. What's average price for one of them!?


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

£6000 (average)


----------



## scottomus (Aug 13, 2014)

Oh wow. I was thinking half that









if money was no object....

id still choose something else haha


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Someone was asking £11k for a second hand two group recently.

Slayer, if you're reading this, i'm happy to put a one group through its paces on my market stall...


----------



## Sk8-bizarre (Jan 22, 2015)

woah.....

Wasn't to sure on the look and then went on their site and changed my mind about the look as a few appealed, cash wise though......


----------



## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Definiteness no cocktaiks










Had a chat with Matt Perger and Ben Morrow, nice guys and really really pushing the boundaries of the southern hemispheres scene.

Drank waaaay too many cocktails, had a dance to a very pretty house DJ, met quite a lot of very hyper enthusiasts and generally had a really good evening. Feel pretty bloody rough now though. 14 hour shift to survive. #long


----------



## RagingMammoth (Sep 21, 2013)

Making my way over in a minute!


----------



## Grimley (Jan 18, 2015)

Well here I am, (proof I went there)










I Bought back a couple of bags of Beans, some shot glasses, a new grinder & I got a free book on the London Coffee Guide. I thought about getting an aeropress but decided against it as it would not be suitable for the time of day I want to use it. I would say 3 hours is more than enough for a visit. (It get very busy, noisy & hot) I would say to anyone who is new to taking drinking coffee seriously, its a good day out.

I didnt take many photos but here they are.

https://plus.google.com/photos/113547450840023272930/albums/6144578101282034577


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Thank you for sharing your images.

What grinder did you bring home?


----------



## bronc (Dec 10, 2012)

Do you guys know if the organizers will be uploading photos from the event?


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

The gallery is usually updated on this page http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/Gallery.aspx


----------



## dwalsh1 (Mar 3, 2010)

bronc said:


> Do you guys know if the organizers will be uploading photos from the event?


Follow londoncoffeefestival on Instagram for loads of photos


----------



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

DoubleShot said:


> Phil104 looks about 7 foot tall next to you Glenn!


Nah - it's the camera angle&#8230;.


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

I was waiting for either of you to say that!


----------



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

DoubleShot said:


> I was waiting for either of you to say that!


And I was standing on stilts. It was great to meet Glenn and Nadine and also to say hi to Spune and Lindsay, who were having a good time. Glenn - you gave some great tips about who to go and say 'hi' to, including Tomoyo Ueno - who is a star. Had some knockout syphons. I'm going to stick some not quite selfies (I don't have the necessary tec) on the other thread, if I can find it.

What Glenn din't mention was that if the yellow of the Slayer had gone with either of our kitchen schemes, Brandon was going to give it to one of us. We were too honest with him and he didn't want to put on the forum as a raffle - he said it would be too hard to swing that with the company.

My daughter went away with a lot of beans and other stuff. I came away with a cafflano, not least because of the radiant enthusiasm of Justin Ahn, below, and look forward to seeing how well it works as an office alternative.

Stewart at Minor Figures, cold brew, was ace - Glenn said that he would look after us and he did. The cold brew tastes spot on and the granita (made from cascara) was greatly refreshing.

I thought the Ikawa home roaster looked interesting and would fit right in at home although it's expensive - on kickstarter.

Went looking for Knock - who were listed - but hadn't taken it up.

It was my first time at the festival and overall I thought the atmosphere was great, friendly and good natured. Enjoyed lots of good conversations with It did get busier but not unmanageably so. Had a spell sitting and watching the Coffee Masters competition, with Pete Garcia and Simone Konig facing each other, which was good until we realised that our time slot was going to be up and there was still a lot we hadn't seen. Could easily have had the day there.


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Asking myself why I didn't plan to attend this festival myself?!


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Me too. I hadn't really clicked that it was on this weekend. Am really too busy anyway but the amount of time I've spent avoiding the jobs I'm supposed to be doing by posting on here could've been better spent at LCF learning stuff and meeting people. Still there's always the rave day coming up soon.


----------



## spune (Oct 3, 2011)

Echo your comments, Phil, it was nice to meet some members in person.

I much preferred Minor Figures' cold brew compared to what Union were offering.

It was another enjoyable day, again, much better this year and last with the filtering downstairs once your time was up. But as always, 3 hours is never long enough to enjoy everything that the day has to offer.

One of my favourite quotes of the day was by a rep selling coffee bags: "all the benefits of coffee without the hassle of coffee machines". I was too startled to begin to explain how fundamentally opposed our opinions were...


----------



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Just posted some selfies on the other thread.

Meant to say - no sign of the Push tamper. Also - had a great time with the people on the Union and Grumpy Mule stands. And as a big thank you to my daughter who took the 'selfies' and who bought me the ticket for my birthday - here she is at Grumpy Mule:


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

It's Grumpy Mule







but I'm sure even their Donkey has a bad day too

Great to meet you and your daughter yesterday Phil


----------



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

spune said:


> Echo your comments, Phil, it was nice to meet some members in person.
> 
> I much preferred Minor Figures' cold brew compared to what Union were offering.
> 
> ...


Ah, missed that gem, steadfastly avoided anything that looked like the next best thing after nespresso. Your own gem was not about height (i.e., you look bigger/taller than you do on the forum) but about age. I agree with you about Minor Figures - it was way better than what Union had (although I still liked it). Minor Figures are putting a lot more thought and care into their process and I guess they have to because (apart from the granita and the soap) it's their core business. I think there is going to be a lot of cold brew band wagon jumping-on - it's clearly set to be the next big thing (after espresso martini).


----------



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Glenn said:


> It's Grumpy Mule
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Glenn - on both counts. Actually, Cleo used the Grumpy Mule photo back drop, which she has stuck on twitter - I'll ask her for a copy.

https://twitter.com/cleoplum


----------



## Colio07 (Mar 9, 2015)

Glenn said:


> If you like your siphon coffee then I hope you paid Tomoyo Ueno a visit (on the UCC Coffee stand next to the entrance)
> 
> She is the 2014 World Siphon Champion
> 
> View attachment 13746


The coffee she brewed was amazing. I have a Cona at home (an old vacuum brewer), but have never had siphon coffee that tasted anything like what Tomoyo Ueno brewed.


----------



## Colio07 (Mar 9, 2015)

DoubleShot said:


> WOW!
> 
> Did you get a chance to have a play on the Andronicas?


It's a Kees van der Westen Spirit. But just as Glenn found, when I was there it didn't seem to be plugged in.


----------



## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

How disappointing. A showpiece bit of kit...just on display for show!


----------



## Colio07 (Mar 9, 2015)

Didn't manage to get any selfies to post on the other thread (and sadly don't have a Coffee Forums UK t-shirt).

That said, I did manage to speak with James Hoffmann (about roasting - particularly his views on Scott Rao's data-driven research on optimal roasting profiles), Tomoyo Ueno (learning about what she was doing, the coffee she was using, and the important variables when using a siphon), and Matt Perger (about distribution and even extractions... asked about how to square the goal to extract espresso evenly with unimodal grind sizes and the fact that espresso pressure and water come from the top... I can't decide whether or not it was a stupid question!). Also had a good chat with a consultant to Cimbali who'd worked with them on developing their pressure-profiling machine. Anyway, some thought-provoking chats and definitely the highlight(s) of my day.


----------



## Grimley (Jan 18, 2015)

Glenn said:


> Thank you for sharing your images.
> 
> What grinder did you bring home?


The Rhino hand grinder that was on offer on the Coffee Hit stand. My Porlex has seen better days so its gone downstairs for morning use.


----------



## scottomus (Aug 13, 2014)

Just seen your post grimley on OC


----------

