4 days, 4 top roasters, 4 skilled baristas and some good old English summer weather made for an enjoyable weekend at Taste of London.
Mercanta joined forces with the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association at Taste of London Festival in Regent’s Park, London to introduce festivalgoers to specialty coffee.
Four of our customers came on board to provide their best Brazilian single origins and espresso blends for sale in both brews and beans. Each day we had a different roast on the espresso machine as well as introducing the public to the subtleties of filter brewed specialty coffee and selling ‘take home’ beans.
Mercanta’s Caffeine Kid Will Corby oversaw the whole event, doing sterling service on the machines over all seven sessions. We were also lucky enough to have top baristas from our roasters join him over the course of the weekend.
Dale Harris kicked off the weekend with Has Bean’s Brazilian Espresso Perfetio on the machine. Origin’s Barista Trainer, Alex Passmore, took over the reigns on Friday showcasing their FInca Rodomunho, while we roped in LSC and The Espresso Room’s Ben Townsend to caffeinate the hordes with James Gourmet’s BSCA espresso blend on Saturday.
Having been popular over the weekend due to its quirky name, Grumpy Mule’s Damian Blackburn came along on our final day to give a ‘roasters eye view’ on the Serra Dos Crioulos we had for sampling.
It was wonderful to get the opportunity to talk to visitors all weekend and share our passion about the small farms and roasters who make this coffee unique. Those visiting our stand were astounded by the sweetness and flavor that comes through when all the elements of coffee are treated with care. We converted many a drinker away from sugar and made them reconsider stepping into their nearest chain for a bucketful of syrup and milk!
Over the course of the weekend we also introduced and educated a multitude of chefs on the wonders of specialty Brazilian coffee. Tom Kitchen, Theo Randell, Nigel Hayworth and Peter Sanchez-Iglesias were among those who discovered the difference freshly roasted coffee, perfectly steamed milk and a little care can make to a simple drink.
Not only was it enjoyable but also successful, spreading the word that specialty coffee makes a difference and deserves far more recognition than it currently receives.
