From June 8th – 17th, coffee lovers gathered in Seattle for the Coffee Crawl, which took place all over the city. The week-long event was the prequel to one of year’s finest events – the first annual Northwest Coffee Festival. The Coffee Crawl gave customers an opportunity to sample the upcoming festival, allowing customers to view selected baristas and roasters that were featured at the coffee festival. A map, produced by the festival’s organizers, outlined the best coffee shops and cafés in Seattle. Each venue worked to raise awareness for the festival by offering customers an opportunity to win prizes such as their own espresso machine, a $500 gift certificate to Seattle Gear, or one year of Stumptown coffee before the festival officially began.
The day after the Coffee Crawl ended, the premiere baristas and roasters from all over the Northwest overtook Seattle for Father’s Day weekend, this year from June 18th – June 19th, which kick started one of the most delicious festivals that Seattle will begin to offer for years to come. Hundreds showed up to attend, and according to an email sent by the Northwest Coffee Festival representatives, the customers walked away with satisfaction at having attended, and leaving them hungry for next year’s festival.
Over ten different baristas and roasters congregated at the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center, and coffee lovers rejoiced at the wide variety of roasting processes, organic coffee makers, and the new kinds of coffee that were readily available. At the Northwest Coffee Festival, there was an espresso bar, slow-pour coffee bars, educational presentations as well as live music performances from Supersones, Bosa la Rubma, Woody and several other musicians. For those who were interested in learning how to brew the perfect cup of coffee, hands-on demonstrations available were available for baristas to pass on their knowledge of how to make the perfect cup. While the event was for all ages, this bash also boasted a section for those who are 21 and over, where those of age enjoyed locally brewed Northwest beer, wine and cider. There was also the Northwest’s first latte art competition with different baristas showing off their cream-pouring techniques, and it was a particular hit among the customers.
Representatives of the Northwest Coffee Festival wrote in an email that, “We hope to educate coffee lovers about where their coffee comes from, the people who grow it, and the great skill that is part of roasting and preparing good coffee” and they certainly delivered.
A part of the proceeds from the coffee festival were distributed among several non-profit organizations that serve to enhance the lives of the people that they work with. This year, the organizations chosen aim to improve water quality, create clean cooking technology and help those with disabilities. Water 1st, SeaChar and Provail were the beneficiaries of this year’s gala. To learn more information about each of these non-profit organizations, visit the Northwest Coffee Festival’s website.
With the entire week before and during Father’s Day weekend packed full of activities, the Northwest Coffee Festival offered activities for families looking to celebrate the holiday together and java junkies alike. This first annual, incredibly delicious festival officially took over Seattle.