World’s Greatest Trade Show for Specialty Coffee Retailers

World’s Greatest Trade Show for Specialty Coffee Retailers is just three Weeks Away

Seattle, WA—Coffee Fest is excited to announce an amazing line-up for Coffee Fest Las Vegas, held in conjunction with The Great American Dessert Expo, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, June 3 through 5. Following are just some of the show’s planned highlights:

Coffee Fest’s popular three-day specialty coffee business seminar presenters, Kent Holloway, David J. Morris and Tommy Thwaites will host the Coffee Fest Hands-On Barista Training and Certification Program, sponsored by Nuova Simonelli. Classes cost $249 per person. Sessions will occur from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as from 1:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Certification testing includes a hands-on and written test with a registration fee of $49.

Coffee Fest is hosting, in conjunction with Stirling Gourmet Flavors, the first-ever “Stirling Signature Beverage Open”, a free-form competition designed to shine a spotlight on and encourage quality and creativity in beverage making. Open to baristi, bartenders, chefs, and anyone who has a creative beverage recipe to share; this competition allows a maximum of 32 contestants. Competition hours are from 12:15 until 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 12:15 until 3:30 on Sunday. Coffee Fest and Stirling Gourmet Flavors will award two cash prizes of $500 each—one for best-tasting beverage and one for most creative beverage.

The ever-popular Millrock Latte Art Competition presented by Tea & Coffee Trade Journal will feature some of the country’s finest baristi going head-to-head in an action-packed display of coffee creativity. Preliminary rounds will occur from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the top ten competitors from the previous two days’ competitions will face off and the Free Pour Latte Art Champion will be crowned. The winner will walk away with $1,000, 2nd place with $500 and 3rd place with $250.

Latte Art classes will be taught by 2004 Las Vegas Millrock Latte Art Champion Daniel Wayne of Lux Coffee Bar in Phoenix, Arizona. Six hands-on classes will occur, including two each on Friday and Saturday and one on Sunday. Each Latte Art class, to be held at Coffee Fest’s Millrock Latte Art Competition venue, will be limited to six students. Friday and Saturday’s classes will occur from 12:30 until 2:30 and 3 until 5. Sunday’s class will happen from 12:30 until 2:30. Admission for each class is $99.

The Great American Dessert Expo will host an additional fifty booths focusing on dessert-related items. The Great American Dessert Expo was launched in Las Vegas in 2003 by New York-based IMC Events and Exhibitions. IMC also produces the highly successful Kosherfest, an annual trade show for the kosher food industry. For more information, visit www.dessertexpo.com.

All of the above is in addition to Coffee Fest’s spectacular line-up of more than 70 educational sessions and focused exhibition featuring more than 250 booths for specialty beverage retailers to visit. Coffee Fest is dedicated to the growth and proliferation of the specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industries. More information can be obtained at www.coffeefest.com or by calling 425.283.5058.