Limassol Coffee Festival
The very first coffee festival to be held in Cyprus let alone Limassol.
A very very long day. Up at seven for breakfast. Local bus to Ayia Napa, Intercity Bus to Larnaca, Intercity Bus to Limassol
Saturday or Sunday not good days to travel by bus. Not that any day good by Intercity Bus, weekend is worse.
Scenery different, mountainous.
I was surprised how large Limassol and the degree of development taking place.
Limassol Coffee Festival held in Limassol Marina. At least half an hour to find. Ticket useless, qr code, nothing more.
Finally find. Hungry. Web site said street food. No street food. No food.
Quick look round, then serious business of trying coffee.
Two coffee stalls with exceptional coffee, one from Ukraine the other from Moscow.
I buy coffee from Mad Heads and from ЭРНА Erna, roasted by Silky Drum.
Erna, a Moscow coffee shop, are mentioned in Standart issue 19.
A stall I did not try, The Welder Catherine, a Russian stall next to Erna, though Erna recommended I tried. Yellow bags, easily confused with The Underdog.
I later try The Underdog. I can try any time in Athens. I am surprised that the coffee from Ukraine and Moscow exceeds that from The Underdog. Exceptional indeed.
Chat with guys from Kudu, another Athens coffee shop and roastery. One of the girls knows me from Athens.
Later I find Stefanos Domatiotis. He is amazed to see me. Unfortunately I did not see last time in Athens during lockdown. We have many mutual friends. His Create videos excellent on how to brew coffee. A special plea, in English please, currently only in Greek. I am introduced to Christos from Brew Lab. If in Nicosia I will have to find him.
One of the stalls Square Mile. No, not Square Mile, a coffee shop serving Square Mile.
A chat with Rocket. Very rare to find in UK, but find in Cyprus and Greece. The Third Room and Nick’s Coffee Bike in Larnaca use Rocket. Hand made in Milan.
One very large stall, I assumed catering supply coffee, but surprised to find no, Cup from Crete. Interesting conversation when introduced to the owner. We discuss not only coffee, but also chocolate. I highlight Luisa and Bullion, bean-to-bar craft chocolate. Cup, their cold brew excellent. But no more than two. My God, refreshing on a hot day.
A conversation with several people, coffee roasteries springing up like fungi after warm autumn rain. Too many are cowboys or at best amateurs, with no knowledge of coffee, gives the industry a bad name
A problem in Cyprus, I have not encountered elsewhere, a bad coffee shop obtaining beans from a reputable roastery via the back door. It gives the roastery a bad name.
Amusing how everyone gave Coffee Island the Greek version of Starbucks a wide berth. Almost as though diversions signs around their stall. At least shows serious coffee drinkers at Limassol Coffee Festival.
Talks? If there was, I did not encounter.
All good things come to an end. Time for bus to Larnaca, I’d already missed one. Now feeling very sick. Caffeine poisoning. Not eaten all day since breakfast.
Thoughts.
Ditch the moronic music. Not necessary.
Forget trade day. Make all days open. Public transport dreadful weekend, and not good weekdays. We are lovers of good coffee. Do not discriminate.
Street food would have been a good idea. And I emphasise street food not disgusting junk food.
Ditch the useless ticketing agency. Try EventBrite.
Mixed feeling on Limassol Marina. On Intercity Bus route, essential, but need to know where located within Limassol Marina.
Size about right and the right mix. Never follow the example of London Coffee Festival which has degenerated into a monster.
No corporate chains, no franchise operations, no commodity coffee.
Limassol must move away from their arrogant selfish dog-in-the-manger attitude it is our festival. Cyprus is a small island, we must all work together on improving the dire offerings in Cyprus, on educating and informing what is good coffee.
Cyprus is infamous for bad coffee. Anything that raises the standard of coffee in Cyprus is to be welcome.
I would recommend hold every two years in Limassol, alternate with a coffee festival in Larnaca.
I cannot comment on the coffee scene in Limassol, first time visit, and all I saw was Limassol Marina.
Larnaca with four excellent coffee shops
- The Third Room
- Koffea
- Paul’s Coffee Roaster
- Nick’s Coffee Bike
has become a coffee destination.
Find one, and ask.
Thanks to everyone for their efforts, organisers, exhibitors, and not forgetting volunteers, for making an inaugural coffee festival in Cyprus a huge success.
