The New York Coffee Festival gets underway this weekend and the coffee community is abuzz with activity. Yes, there are all the many, many cool coffeeables happening within the confines of the Metropolitan Pavilion, but don’t let the sheer magnitude of the NYCF fool you into thinking there aren’t things happening just outside of its orbit.
One such event is Slurptoberfest. Taking place Friday, October 11th at Counter Culture’s New York Training Lab, Slurptoberfest is a palate-development competition raising money for some good causes.
The competition consists of three rounds of thwips and zweeeeets (or whatever your preferred slurping sound is. Mine is a rolling boil), with the first being the cupping round. Contestants will be tasked with correctly identifying the origin of eight mysteries coffees served cupping style. And make sure you are taking notes because the next round will be six of those same coffees but served as espresso, drip, or cold coffee. Competitors will again try to identify the origins.
For the third and final round, a smattering of “mystery flavors” will be thrown the contestants’ way for them to name. Is that watermelon rind or fresh-cut garden hose? Plum or pluot? Who can say.
The person who performs the most admirably will take home a brand new Bambino espresso machine provided by Breville. And there will be other prizes as well as raffles for those unable to secure the top spot. There will be free beer for all attendees and cocktails, which can be purchased with raffle tickets.
For those interested in participating in Slurptoberfest, the cost of entry is $5-10 or a donation to GetchuSomeGear, a donation-based initiative looking to provide coffee gear to coffee professionals from marginalized groups. Proceeds from the entry fee and raffle ticket purchases will go to RAICES, a Texas-based non-profit organization that provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees.
It all kicks off 6:00pm on Friday, October 11th at the Counter Culture New York City Training Lab. For more information, visit the Slurptoberfest Instagram page. Time to limber up those lickers, because Slurptoberfest is going to be tongues of fun.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
