A Trip to the Coffee and Tea Festival

There are very few reasons I would wake up before noon on a weekend. But when I was invited to go to the Coffee and Tea festival, I decided waking up early was a sacrifice I would have to make.  I knew as soon as I got a whiff of some freshly brewed Turkish coffee, I would be wide-awake.

I was mostly excited for the various seminars offered at the festival. Learn how to cook and bake using coffee and tea? I’m in. Learn how to make cocktails out of coffee and tea?! I’m on my way! But, those would have to wait. First on the itinerary would be to taste test every vendor’s caffeinated products. While my friends are mostly coffee fanatics, I have always been loyal to tea. Black tea, green tea, white tea – I’ll try them all. That explains why I spent a majority of my time at the Japanese brewing station.

After picking the tea master’s brain about random tea facts and tips on brewing a good cup, my friends dragged me away for some more exploration. We followed the laughter and applause and found the barista competition. Coffee pros competing for who could brew the best cup? I would have loved to be the judge of that competition. New Yorkers sure do love their coffee! I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a crowd of New Yorkers as excited about something as they were this competition.

Finally, it was time for the “making tea and coffee infused foods” class. Besides learning tips on how to incorporate different coffees and teas into our every day cooking/ baking, we got to sample a few fabulous recipes! We’re talking green tea rice and coffee infused brownies, yum! Visit my article on the seminar to see what fun things I learned!

This festival was the perfect activity for a fun and mellow girls day! Whether you’re a tea or coffee connoisseur, you can find the perfect activity to celebrate your favorite hot (or cooled!) drink. My advice? Pace yourself. So much caffeine in one day leads for one long, sleepless night. We’re still trying to catch up!