Big things are brewing at the London Coffee Festival
Co-written by: Sadie Pitcher
We attended the London Coffee Festival on April 11, here are our top coffee picks and more.
The London Coffee Festival (LCF) is brewing in East London this weekend, so naturally we needed to give it a try. With over 250 vendors, live latte art competitions, seminars on current trends in the coffee industry and more, the London Coffee Festival is a coffee fanatic’s dream.
Sadie Pitcher, a barista for over 5 years, and I, simply a coffee lover, spent our Thursday afternoon trying all the LCF has to offer. We wandered from stall to stall in a caffeine-induced haze, getting lost in the maze of expensive coffee machines and alternative milk, organised over three floors.
From shots of balanced espressos to Alpro oat banoffee iced lattes, the festival had something for everyone. There was even an artist in residence for the festival, Rory Wynn who had created a collection of coffee-inspired prints available to buy.
A dozen cups of coffee and several sweet treats later, we’re still buzzing. After spending the afternoon chatting with coffee professionals and tasting a variety of products, here are our top coffee choices from the London Coffee Festival.
Coffee rankings:
Alternative milk dominated the London Coffee Festival scene, and Moma Oat Milk proves why. Speaking to the baristas working at the Moma stand, they believe that it’s the milk that differentiates a good cup of coffee from a great one. “[I like] something that has a smoothness to it, a decent milk makes all the difference,” said Pip from Moma Coffee.
Pip was right, we both love a smooth creamy coffee and the flat white and cappuccino served at the Moma stand was just that. It complimented but didn’t overpower the coffee, making it stand out from the rest.
Our rating: 8/10
Alpro’s bright yellow booth along with their interesting menu drew our attention right away. The coffee options: oatmilk banoffee latte and natural blue tea coconut latte. Alpro, another alternative milk brand, came as a close second for us. It wasn’t the milk in particular that stood out to us, but the coffee flavors themselves. Neither of us have had a banoffee flavored latte before, and Alpro’s left us wanting more. The coffee wasn’t too sweet or acidic; it was a perfect blend.
Our rating: 7.8/10
Us v. Them was our first stop on our three hour coffee tour. The cappuccinos we tasted were bittersweet, but still made a positive impression on us as we kicked off our coffee journey. The coffee itself felt pretty standard, but we would definitely get it again.
Overall rating: 7/10.
Sproud is another alternative milk brand serving monochromatic branding, flavoured alternative milk made from peas and carton iced coffees. With low-sugar and low-climate impact products, their samples were tasty and good for the planet. Their iced salted caramel latte and plant-based vanilla was our favourite. Sproud’s plant-based milk adds nice flavouring to your coffee without adding too much sugar.
Iced coffee overall rating: 6.9/10
Plant based Vanilla Milk: 8/10
Turmeric latte
A turmeric latte wasn’t necessarily at the top of our lists to try at a coffee festival, but this latte pleasantly surprised us. Oftentimes turmeric lattes tend to be quite strong, with the spice from the turmeric overpowering the coffee flavor, but this turmeric latte was a nice balance of spice and espresso. Plus, turmeric is rich in nutrients and helps with inflammation, so you can have your espresso and vitamins all in one cup.
Overall rating: 6.8/10
We’ve tried Hermanos coffee before at their Notting Hill location and quite enjoyed it. However, the cappuccino we drank at the London Coffee Festival did not live up to our great expectations. The cappuccino was too acidic with no sweetness to balance it out. Unfortunately, we only had a couple of sips before deciding to give up on the coffee and moving on to the next stand.
Overall rating: 4.8/10
15 grams partnered with oat milk brand Oatly to bring their roasts to life at the London Coffee Festival. Truthfully, even Oatly’s notoriously good oatmilk couldn’t save them. The cappuccinos were way too bitter and dark. We both prefer a lighter blend with a more balanced flavor; the opposite of 15 grams.
Overall rating: 4/10
Despite Windmill Coffee’s aesthetically pleasing branding and knowledgeable staff, its espresso finds itself at the bottom of our list. To be fair, we aren’t fans of straight up shots of espresso which has a major impact on how we grade it, but even with milk we don’t believe Windmill’s espresso would land near the top. We tried both the house and seasonal blends, which were okay but we wouldn’t try them again.
Overall rating: 4/10
To balance out the coffee we also tried matcha, soft drinks and ginger and turmeric shots. Jenki Matcha, a company producing ceremonial grade matcha, were serving iced matcha samples. Moju had a stall where you could try one of their health shots and take a shot in their themed photo booth. Unrooted Health also had samples of their good gut and good health shots. We even tried a cold brew negroni and a coffee colada and picked up a can of Something & Nothing rose spritz on our way out.
What’s a coffee shop without sweet treats? The London Coffee Festival showcased a variety of food vendors in addition to the coffee roasters. Cake samples from the Exploding Bakery and Cakesmiths were the perfect accompaniment to our many cups of coffee. There were also stalls from Tony’s Chocolaloney, Lotus and ManiLife peanut butter. When the sweet tooth was well and truly satisfied we had a go on a grabbing machine to get a bag of Eat Real crisps.
Feeling the coffee buzz, we left the festival with a slight headache, full stomach and tote bag from Moma that we filled with goodies from the festival. These goodies include an Alpro Coffee Mug, Rude Health socks & rice cakes, Eat Real veggie sticks, Liquid Death sparkling water, Lotus Biscoff biscuits, Unrooted health shots and a can of Cano Water.
Although we didn’t originally plan on spending our Thursday afternoon taking shots of espresso and indulging in sweet desserts, we don’t regret it. The London Coffee Festival is a must-do for any casual or avid coffee lover. However, next time we’ll make sure to eat a full meal before drinking a dozen cups of coffee.
The London Coffee Festival celebrates London’s thriving coffee scene. Head down to the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane from 11th-14th April for DJ sets, coffee tasters and lots of stickers. Tickets start from £38.
