Lady’s London Coffee Festival Guide

Today I want to share my London Coffee Festival guide with you. This caffeine-fueled event at the Old Truman Brewery in Spitalfields is one of the most exciting of the year for coffee lovers. It’s worth a special trip.

London Coffee Festival

When I moved to London, I was embarrassed to drink coffee. Tea is a national obsession here, and I was already American enough with my funny accent and foreign customs.

Add to that the fact that ordering a “coffee” in London gets you a confused look—they don’t have a go-to style here like we do in the States—and I quickly converted to tea.

But over the years coffee has become trendy in London, with independent coffee shops popping up all over, an annual UK Coffee Week developing, and a London Coffee Festival taking place every year.

London Coffee Festival Guide

Hence my London Coffee Festival guide. This annual extravaganza is a multi-day event celebrating all things coffee. From demonstrations to tastings, there’s a lot going on.

There are stalls selling the latest coffee gadgets, speakers educating people about various themes, and prizes awarded throughout the event.

It’s a fun place to walk through and take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of London’s creative culinary scene.

Festival Atmosphere

Set in the confusingly labyrinthine halls of the Old Truman Brewery building in Spitalfields, the London Coffee Festival celebrates the city’s coffee scene and is the event for caffeine lovers and industry types.

Its location in trendy east London is fitting given the festival’s hipster vibe, with tattooed baristas vying for the title of Coffee Master and more beards than an Amish wedding.

But even the unhip can enjoy the festival, as I can personally attest.

The space is divided into different rooms with over 250 stands, some showcasing new products and technologies, others featuring coffee brewing and roasting demonstrations.

From Ozone to Volcano, Notes to Illy, small and large coffee companies are represented.

London Coffee Festival Food

There’s also a space at the London Coffee Festival with non-coffee related products like fashion accessories and food.

And speaking of food, there are enough samples to graze on that even someone as sensitive to caffeine as I am won’t go into hyperactive orbit after her fourteenth coffee.

There’s chocolate from leading British chocolate companies, plenty of savory snack foods, and creations like espresso-injected banana and toffee puddings.

There’s even an entire section dedicated to tea for those wary of being seen as too continental.

There’s also more substantial fare for sale at stalls run by famous London restaurants and cafes. They make it easy to make a day of attending the London Coffee Festival.

Coffee at the Festival

But coffee is the focus, from the faux Hyde Park with its picnic tables and live music to the long bars and high counters dedicated to education and demonstrations.

The lounge is busy all day with curious visitors eager to learn how to brew the perfect filter coffee, and the roasting demonstrations at pop-up roasteries attract crowds interested in finding out more about the process.

And that’s to say nothing of the talks and presentations at the London Coffee Festival, which range from social media to home barista workshops and latte art classes.

Best London Coffee Festival Guide

The London Coffee Festival gets bigger and better every year, and tens of thousands of people visit the Old Truman Brewery while it’s on. It’s one of the best food festivals in the UK capital.

The event gives visitors a great opportunity to enjoy anything from an espresso to an Espresso Martini, and offers a lot of great learning and shopping opportunities besides.

I hope this London Coffee Festival guide has made you excited to get your tickets.

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