There’s a chill running through the urban canyons of Manhattan. In Central Park the leaves turn to yellow, then orange, then a brilliant red. Soup starts sounding pretty good—maybe some borscht from Veselka, or a a bowl of ramen at Ippudo. And with the coming of fall in New York City comes the annual NY Coffee Festival, now in its incredible fifth year and counting, an epic consumer-focused festival of all things specialty coffee.
The 2019 New York Coffee Festival is October 11th-13th at the Metropolitan Pavillion in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. (Well, it’s right between Chelsea and the Flat Iron.) Tickets are still available!
Sprudge has partnered with the NY Coffee Festival to bring you previews and on-site coverage from the event all weekend long, part of an international partnership that includes upcoming coverage of events in Los Angeles and London. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for live coverage from the event! This year’s NY event promises to be the biggest, best, and most packed ever, so let’s dig in to some of what’s got us buzzing going into event weekend.
The Competitions
Latte Art Live is a main attraction at this year’s show, bringing together a cadre of some of the world’s premiere latte artists in an event presented by by La Marzocco, Almond Breeze, Battenkill Valley, Mahlkönig, and Bluestone Lane. There’s also daily “In-Foamation sessions” (lol), a battle of Latte Art H.O.R.S.E. and a lively Latte Art Pro-Am presented by NYC TNT (featuring prizes from Sprudge!), workshops presented by noted pros including Ujae Lee and Emilee Bryant, and much more. Visit the official Latte Art Live homepage at NY Coffee Festival for more info.
Roast Maters is a brand new coffee roasting competition making its North American debut at NY Coffee Festival 2019. A who’s who of coffee roasting brands (including Joe Coffee, Intelligentsia, Elixr, Partners Coffee and more) will perform to an event MC’d by Erika Vonie and Ezra Baker. From the event page: “The competition, formed of three disciplines taking place over three days, showcases excellence in coffee roasting and espresso blending in a fast-paced, dynamic live setting.” Visit the official event page for more information.
The Experiences
There’s a lot of buzz around this year’s edition of The Lab, NYCF’s free talks series. We previewed a few of our most anticipated talks already on Sprudge, but now a full schedule of speakers is available via the official event page.
The Brew Bar is a must-visit, must-stop, all day every day attention grabber at this year’s fest. The full schedule is here but you better believe we already have our favorites circled (Joe Coffee, 11:45 Friday; Partners Coffee, noon Saturday). Peruse the list and make your own picks!
The Movie Room is one of the truly unique offerings at this festival, an all-day film festival dedicated to coffee screening original films by Stumptown, Califia Farms, and more.
The Vibe
The 2019 NY Coffee Festival has a lot to recommend from a vibe perspective. Feeling hungry? The show has an in-house street food market. Want to check out some art or listen to music? Visit the Coffee Music Project stage and walk through the Coffee Art Project gallery. Need something a little stronger than just coffee? Check out the Cold Brew Cocktail bar presented by Kahlua. In the mood for cooking demos? They’ve got that, too. Want to check out emerging brands and exhibitors? There’s so much to explore. We’ll be there covering it all but even then—there’s always something new to find. Happy festing!
Disclosure: Allegra Events, presenters of the NY Coffee Festival, are an advertising partner on Sprudge Media Network.
