The 70th Coffee Fest is coming to New York City, N.Y. at the Jacob Javits Center March 7 to 9, 2014. The Coffee Fest show will have over 200 exhibition booths and 80 workshops. According to the release, this year the annual America’s Best Espresso Competition has a new sponsor: Café Imports, an importer of fine specialty coffees. Café Imports, like Coffee Fest, desires to produce an event that is beyond reproach and will oversee the judging apparatus of the competition. Café Imports joins sponsors Roast magazine, Nuova Simonelli and Rancilio this year.
America’s Best Espresso Competition is conducted annually for three regions of the U.S. and Canada. The regions are West, Central and East. Every coffee roaster is welcome to participate during the Coffee Fest in their region. There are three winners chosen from each region. The first place winners from each region will move on to the national competition in Portland, Ore. this October.
Competitors go through a round in which they have six minutes to brew their espresso shot from one of four onsite espresso machines on the first day of the event. The competitors will compete one on one until there are sixteen contestants remaining at the end of the day. On the second and third day, Saturday and Sunday, they have ten minutes to prepare three espressos which are then judged by a selective panel of three judges. Saturday will discern the top four espressos with the championship final being held on Sunday. Each espresso will be judged on three categories: flavor complexity, aftertaste and “mouth feel” and appeal.
David Heilbrunn, show manager of Coffee Fest, said in a prepared statement, “I have seen this competition conducted around the country and find it thrilling to find the best shot of espresso of the region at the end of each event. In America we love our coffee and espresso is a leap above that. This competition lets roasters and attendees know what the best of the best is and that is what we strive for.” To learn more about Coffee Fest please visit www.coffeefest.com.
