The coffee adventure Mbombela’s ‘bean’ waiting for

With sweet treats, delicious eats and the alluring aroma of freshly brewed coffee swirling through the air, the Lowveld Coffee Festival held on August 9 and 10 was a feast for the senses.

Friday and Saturday saw throngs of people stream through the Church Unlimited doors to sample some of the finest coffees known to man, learn interesting titbits about the noble bean and just have a good time with friends and family.

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In addition to live music, delicious food and a bouncy castle for the kids, festival-goers were kept entertained with competitions, speakers and cupping sessions that took tasters on a true java adventure.

The barista and art latte competitions saw coffee pros from across the region show off their expert skills on stage in front of an awe-inspired crowd of coffee lovers. Insightful speaker presentations enriched audiences’ knowledge on coffee, apparently the second-most traded commodity in the world.

Carel Burger of Foothills Coffee gave insight from a farmer’s perspective on the coffee production process from crop to cup. Jonathan le Roux of Caffeine Community amazed the audience with a latte master class and epic cappuccino giveaways.
On Saturday, Johan Swart shared insights on the future of coffee, letting festival-goers in on fascinating species of coffee most people did not know existed.

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Ongoing cupping sessions with different coffee producers not only offered the public a chance to taste new coffees, but also show off the sophistication of their coffee palates in a cup tasting competition.

On all accounts, it appears the Lowveld Coffee Festival lived up to the hype of being ‘the coffee adventure you’ve “bean” waiting for’. It was well attended and people had a good time connecting and celebrating coffee.